image via The Running Bug
A couple months ago, UK running website The Running Bug shared an article on eating disorders in runners written by Nancy Clark. According to the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA) several studies conducted on runners and other athletes suggest that athletes who participate in sports that emphasize a lean physique (such as running, ballet, and swimming, for example) are at greater risk of developing an eating disorder than the general population or athletes involved in sports that put more emphasis on muscle mass. In a study of 695 athletes, about one third of participants reported having obsessive thoughts of food, and about one quarter reported an episode of binge eating at least once a week. Statistics about rates of eating disorders in the general population tend to vary, but the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) reports that in the United States alone, about 10 million women and 1 million men struggle with anorexia or bulimia, and millions more fight binge eating disorders.
Clark?s article is interesting in that it sheds some light on a bit of the psychology of eating disorders. As she points out,
An eating disorder distracts the runner from the feelings that come with being ?not good enough.? When you are thinking about whether or not to eat, and how much to exercise, you are not thinking about feeling imperfect or inadequate. Unfortunately, using food to distract from those feelings can end up hurting your performance.
As a runner who was diagnosed with and is now in recovery from an eating disorder, I can certainly attest to the accuracy of what Clark is saying. Often, eating disorders are less about food than they are about avoiding a difficult emotional issue (or set of issues); food, or being hungry, becomes a way to draw attention away from the real problems.
Clark goes on to list various ways in which eating disorders can detract from a runner?s health and negatively impact athletic performance; in many cases, eating disorders can do lasting harm to the body, ranging from a loss of menses in women to osteoporosis in both sexes.
It can be easy for runners to slip into disordered behaviors; however, it?s also important to keep in mind that not every runner who is on the thin side or who maintains a high weekly mileage is dealing with an eating disorder. For more information about how to help someone whom you suspect might be struggling with an eating disorder, or to find help and support for yourself, check out the resources available through MEDA?and NEDA?both sites include information geared specifically toward athletes.
The Running Bug | Running on Empty
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Category: Running
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