People who are in good physical health are often admired for their dedication as well as for their physiques. As such, few people would look at someone who was jogging or working out in a gym and think there was a problem. But an increasing number of people are developing an unhealthy exercise obsession that is known as anorexia athletica.

"[Chris] Lamps [a child and adolescent psychologist] said there's no clear-cut, giveaway sign that someone is over-exercising, and that it's a broad spectrum of how well that person is functioning in the rest of their life that fits in with their overall health."

Exercise releases endorphins, which some people's bodies respond to in a manner similar to how people are affected by narcotics. These people can become addicted to what's known as the "runner's high." Often, people who are obsessed with exercise also restrict calories or begin purging. If a person's body is deteriorating from too much exercise, or he is making damaging sacrifices in other areas of life, they may have a serious problem. Source: News Leader (VA)

Labels: exercise, health, obsession

Because eating disorders primarily affect women, relatively little time has been spent trying to understand how the disorders express themselves in - and affect - men. The information that does exist seems to indicate that eating disorders and body image issues look very different in men than in women.

"According to Dr. [Peter} Rowan, there are also many men who have an unhealthy relationships with food who don't fit the diagnostic criteria - which are, of course, designed for women. For instance some men are obsessed with fitness, but not necessarily because they are trying to change their body shape. Some may, for example, become addicted to exercise in an attempt to live longer and avoid coronary heart disease."

As a result of these concerns, some men may develop disordered eating habits. The unique circumstances surrounding men's attitudes toward food and body image make diagnosing eating disorders difficult - but these difficulties don't mean that the disorders themselves don't exist. Source: Medical News Today

Labels: body_image, exercise, men

For the past two years, psychotherapist Jane Baxter Cibel, Ph.D. has been treating patients with eating disorders, addictions and depression using an innovative approach called PsychFit. PsychFit combines psychological counseling with mild exercise such as walking on a treadmill.

"By conducting traditional psychotherapy during exercise and physical fitness coaching, PsychFit improves cognitive functioning at the same time it builds muscle, said Baxter Cibel. 'It repairs habitual negative and self-sabotaging thinking, which feeds depression and drives self-destructive behaviors.'"

Baxter Cibel believes that PsychFit works, in part, because physical activity is known to improve a person's mood and self-esteem.

Labels: exercise, therapy, treatment

Competitive runners are, by nature of their activity, thin. Consequently, a runner with an eating disorder is hard to identify. But a sudden drop in weight or sudden increase in miles-run-per-week are possible indicators that something might be wrong. This was the case with Ellie, who mom and dad thought something might be wrong when she lost 15 pounds over one summer.

"Sharp was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age 12. At her sickest, Sharp was 5 feet 3 inches and weighed 80 pounds. 'There were times when we went to bed and didn't know if she'd be there when we got up,' said her mother, Cathy Sharp, wiping away tears."

Now a junior in high school, Sharp is healthy, and still runs. In fact, she's captain of her cross country team. Now she uses her experience to mentor younger team members and make sure they don't head down the same dangerous path.

Island View treatment programs for troubled teens offer help for families dealing with a child in crisis. Learn how their adolescent residential treatment program saves teens.

Labels: athletes, exercise, influences

The obesity prevention program called 5-2-1-Go! emphasizes not only healthy eating, but active living. It urges its middle school participants to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, limit "screen time" (TV or computer) to two hours a day and get at least one hour of physical activity per day. It also appears to reduce tendencies for disordered eating.

"The study showed that almost 4% of middle-school girls receiving only their regular health education began vomiting or abusing laxatives or diet pills, but just 1% of the girls in the 5-2-1-Go! program did so."

The randomized study involved over 1,400 students from 13 Massachusetts middle schools whose exercise and eating habits were tracked for two years.

Labels: exercise, healthy_eating, prevention

Carrie Fett, former cross-country runner for Purdue University, spent her first two college years watching her strength decrease and her running-times increase. Though her family doctor had warned her in her senior year of high school that she was malnourished, Carrie ignored the warning and told her worried mom that she was just fine.

"'I was like "I don't know what she's talking about. I'm fine..."' Carrie said. 'I straight up denied it. I don't think it mattered what it was because at that point, I thought I was fine and doing the right thing for running."

Her junior year of college, Purdue hired an assistant cross country coach who taught Carrie to emphasize strength and health instead of sacrificing health for sake of faster running times. Read more at FortWayne.com.

Teens often think they're fine when they're obviously not. Especially when it comes to drug use and abuse. Learn more about teen drug abuse and addiction, including teenage drug and alcohol use statistics at Adolescent-Substance-Abuse.com.

Labels: athletes, exercise, healthy_eating

Exercise is considered healthy, so people who are addicted to exercise often go unnoticed and don't get the help they need.

"Exercise addicts can come in all shapes and sizes, and unfortunately there is not a one-size fits all description. Here are some characteristics of exercise addicts: They are often unhappy with their body; they work out seven days a week, often for hours at a time; they will continue even if in extreme pain."

Exercise Addiction isn't typically linked with eating disorders, but it isn't unusual for someone who struggles with anorexia or bulimia to exercise excessively as another means of weight control. Read more at KRCG.com.

Labels: addiction, exercise, treatment

"Dance Dance Revolution," a video game that makes children jump and dance, is going to be used as exercise in every West Virginia school. The game's manufacturer, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., has agreed to help schools attain the game after a study showed it benefitted overweight children.

Reseachers working with West Virginia University and the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency tested the game on overweight children. The children played the game in their homes for a half hour a day for 24 weeks. The majority improved aerobic capacity, blood vessel function, and overall fitness levels. Some of the children even lost weight.

Labels: children, exercise