Anorexia Athletica
Posted on: April 3rd, 2014
The focus on good health is everywhere. Restaurants are putting calorie counts on the menu and offering “healthy” options. People choose to eat gluten free as a healthier lifestyle choice. There are boot camp exercise classes, personal trainers and even wearable technology that will track your “active minutes” each day. Although exercise is an important component of a person’s life, it is possible to exercise too much. This type of compulsive behavior is called anorexia athletica.
Anorexia athletica is a condition characterized by exercise that goes beyond what is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. A person feels compelled to exercise every day or many times in the same day and does so at the expense of other activities. Exercise becomes a means by which the individual is able to exert control in his or her life. When something negative happens, a person who has anorexia athletica will turn to exercise. Often exercise is used to counter the person’s feelings of depression or low self-esteem.
One of the dangers of anorexia athletica is that often it accompanies an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa. With anorexia nervosa, a person severely reduces the amount of food that is eaten. This behavior, compounded with excessive amounts of exercise, can lead to even further weight loss. In the most severe cases, people with anorexia athletica will exercise until they get sick or faint. Compounded with the lack of caloric intake, the physical ramifications of the condition can be very serious. As with other eating disorders, the consequences range from osteoporosis to low blood pressure to kidney or heart failure.
There are no reliable statistics on the prevalence of anorexia athletica, partially due to the fact that our culture views excessive exercise as positive behavior. However, if exercise seems to become an overriding factor in a person’s life and crowds out other activities, particularly time with friends and family; it could be compulsive in nature. Even more troubling behavior is never being satisfied with the amount of exercise in a given day, suppression of normal eating habits and significant weight loss – this likely means the individual is suffering from anorexia athletica.
Are you concerned about your exercise patterns or those of someone you love? Contact Maureen Kritzer-Lange Psychotherapy at info@maureenkritzerlange.com, or phone (973) 313-1691.
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