Gym and health club owners have increasingly become concerned about clients who over-exercise, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), a trade organization for the U.S. fitness industry. This concern is substantiated by a recent Italian study which suggests that as many as one in five regular gym-goers may have an eating disorder or "anorexia athletica," a condition in which a person obsessively exercises.

Inquiries from gym and health club owners about those who exercise excessively and have lost so much weight that other club members have expressed concern prompted the IHRSA to draft guidelines for those in the fitness industry. The guidelines offer suggestions for screening clients for unhealthy exercise behaviors and referring them for medical attention if necessary.

While health club owners in other parts of the world such as Australia have gone so far as to ban over-zealous gym goers, the Americans With Disabilities Act protects people with eating disorders from such treatment in the U.S.. Nevertheless, health club owners are increasing their vigilance to help those who exercise too much.

Posted By: Lori S