17/08/2026
Training hard and going backwards? It might not be your programme.
A patient came to us with their heart rate creeping up, recovery scores on the floor, and exhaustion that sleep wasn't touching. Their iron stores were nearly empty.
Iron carries oxygen to your muscles, so when it drops, training is where you notice first. Sessions that used to feel easy leave you breathless. Your heart rate sits higher for the same pace, because if each beat is carrying less oxygen your body simply beats more often. Then come the quieter signs, cold hands, restless legs at night, hair thinning in the shower.
Food does help, and red meat and liver are the forms you absorb best. But if you're genuinely low, diet alone won't dig you back out, and that's when a proper course of iron and a recheck is the right answer.
If you're training hard and going backwards, get it measured rather than guessed at.
Blood testing and same visit assessment at BioFit Health, Little Canfield. Link in bio.