Been feeling pretty tired lately and paces that should feel ok have been tough to maintain. I am over 40 and have been vegetarian for many years. Thinking I may be anemic, so was thinking of getting a blood test.
What exactly should I look for as far as numbers go? Any info would be much appreciated.
Iron status. Not just the usual stuff but also ferritin. Ferritin is not part of a "routine" blood test. Might cost a few extra bucks but worth it.
B vitamins as well. Vegetarians can sometimes have a problem getting enough B vitamins. Niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid are critical in the energy production process.
Ferritin is useless unless you have a baseline from when you felt good. Lots of people are great at 20 and others drop below 40 and are miserable.
HCT, RBC, and Hemoglobin are the numbers you look for...esepcially HCT.
Thanks for the info, much appreciated. What sort of range should those numbers be at?
Thanks again.
As an athlete, you never want to be the low end of normal. I'd go with at least 42 on HCT, 4.8 RBC, and 14.5 Hemoglobin. I am assuming you are male. Will be different if you are female.
666666 wrote:
Thanks for the info, much appreciated. What sort of range should those numbers be at?
Thanks again.
Are you getting enough carbohydrates? If you are running decent mileage you need way more than you realize.I am nearly 40 and I went from eating around 250g a day to over 400g and it solved all my low energy problems. It also helped a great with recovery. By increasing your intake you are also eating more foods that have high iron, if that's even the issue.
6666666 wrote:
Been feeling pretty tired lately and paces that should feel ok have been tough to maintain. I am over 40 and have been vegetarian for many years. Thinking I may be anemic, so was thinking of getting a blood test.
What exactly should I look for as far as numbers go? Any info would be much appreciated.
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