Thirty-three year-old Nena Melbourne of Thornhill, ON has been doing weight training and cardiovascular exercise at her local gym regularly for several months.

"At first I felt pretty good—I had a lot more energy and stamina, says Nena "but lately I've been feeling a little tired during my workouts. I had my annual physical and my doctor told me my iron level was low and that's probably why I was feeling fatigued."

When you don't have enough iron in your system to meet your body's demands, you could develop a condition known as iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and, as a result, experience, not only fatigue, but also pale skin, dizziness, weakness, decreased appetite or brittle nails.

Nena was surprised when told she wasn't getting enough iron in her diet. "I thought I was eating healthy balanced meals," she says, "but because of my exercise regimen, I wasn't able to absorb as much iron as I needed."

What Does Iron Do?

Iron is an essential mineral that aids the hemoglobin in your blood stream to deliver oxygen to your body's organs and muscles. It's important to have sufficient iron because when your iron levels are low, so is your hemoglobin. When you don't produce enough hemoglobin, your body runs out of steam very easily and you may feel tired.

Why Are Physically Active Women At Higher Risk?

Registered Dietitian and sports nutrition expert Heidi Smith of the Health and Performance Centre at the University of Guelph says that active women have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia because of:

• Loss of iron in the blood during menstruation
• Poor dietary intake
• Poor absorption of dietary iron into the body
• Increased loss of iron in sweat

Runners are at higher risk as well. With all the pounding on their feet, iron in the blood vessels can't do its job very well helping oxygen get to their muscles.

How Much Iron do Women Need?

Smith says the recommended daily dose of iron for women 14-18 years old is approximately 15 mg while those between 19-50 need at least 18 mg and women 51-70 need only 8 mg of iron each day. (Note the recommended iron needs for women over 51 applies if they have stopped menstruating).

The requirement for iron is 1.8 times higher for vegetarians due to the lower bioavailability of iron from a vegetarian diet.

Increasing Your Iron

Smith tells us there are two types of iron found in food, heme iron (from animal products) and non-heme iron (from plant products). Heme iron-rich foods include meats, poultry and fish. Good sources of non-heme iron-rich food are dried fruits, whole grain cereals, dark green leafy vegetables and legumes.

Heme iron is the most well absorbed kind of iron. Non-heme iron needs a little help to be well absorbed. Eating certain foods at the same time as you eat non-heme iron-containing food will help your body to absorb the non-heme iron. The following foods have this effect:

• Foods rich in Vitamin C (good sources include cantaloupe, honeydew, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, oranges, papaya, mango, most berries, pineapple, citrus juices, other Vitamin C enriched juices, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.)
• Meat, fish and poultry.

Eat Vitamin C rich foods at each meal to get the most from your non-heme iron-containing foods each day.

Cook with cast-iron or stainless steel cookware to increase the amount of non-heme iron in foods.

Drink tea or coffee one hour after meals, rather than with meals, because these beverages can reduce the amount of non-heme iron absorbed from foods. (Source: BC HealthFile)

Coping With Iron Deficiency Anemia

If you've been feeling a little run down lately, consult your family physician and get your hemoglobin levels checked. According to the Anemia Institute the normal hemoglobin range for women is 120g/L to 160g/L. Depending on your hemoglobin level your doctor can determine if you have iron deficiency anemia.

If you've been diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, the Anemia Institute suggests the following tips:

• Get more rest. Go to bed earlier at night and try to take naps during the day if possible.
• Eat well. Try to get more iron in your daily diet. Eating can sometimes boost your energy levels.
• Consider vitamin and/or iron supplements. Be sure to consult with your physician before taking any supplements. Too much iron in your diet can be hazardous to your health.