Fitness: Eating disorders on rise in sports : Oppatriotics

Posted by Admin on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 ? Leave a Comment?

Calling all coaches, parents and trainers: eating disorders are a growing concern for our athletes today. Most recently, an increasing number of athletes ? those facing peer, societal and personal pressure to run faster, swim harder and jump higher ? have been plagued by this disease.

It is estimated that eating disorders affect a whopping 62 percent of athletes involved in organized sports. Athletes at greatest risk are those involved in appearance sports such as cheerleading, gymnastics, swimming, diving and dance. However, eating disorders also occur in endurance sports that emphasize low body weights such as running and cycling and sports that have weight classifications such as wrestling and crew.

Due to the secretiveness and shame associated with eating disorders, many cases go unnoticed or unreported. In fact, in some cases where parental pressure to succeed is so strong, disordered eating is actually condoned.

Many people regard anorexia nervosa, a disorder in which people starve themselves in an effort to lose weight, as the standard for eating disorders. There are however, much more prevalent and far less obvious disorders that regularly plague athletes. These include bulimia nervosa and binge eating.

Coaches and parents need to be alert to the signs of disorders. Often though, these disorders are so well concealed and the symptoms are mistaken as athletic burnout. Warning signs include restrictive dieting, purging through vomiting, diuretics or laxatives, withdrawal from teammates, chronic fatigue, excessive exercise outside of training, inability to complete workouts, weight loss, loss of concentration, mood changes, fainting, dizziness, light-headedness and decreased stamina.

Serious health consequences are associated with eating disorders and are especially detrimental in an athlete. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, elevated triglycerides, diabetes, gall bladder disease, electrolyte imbalances, ulcers, pancreatitis, tooth decay, muscle loss, dry hair and skin, and loss of bone density.

As mentioned, athletes face an even greater risk than the regular lay person due to the heightened stress and pressure they place on their bodies on a daily basis. The strenuous nature and physical demands of their training, coupled with the stress of an unhealthy diet, puts them at an elevated risk for sudden death from cardiac arrest or organ failure.

Prevention of eating disorders is the key to success and that starts in the home. Teaching our children to adopt a healthy lifestyle is first and foremost. This means eating a regular well-balanced diet, exercising and embracing a fitness is fun attitude rather than emphasizing body size and weight.

Also, celebrate our athletes and their athletic accomplishments regardless of their finish. Someone will always be fifth or last. We shouldnt look for the reasons why they didnt win or how to make them better, the really victory is that they had the courage to try. Lets step up and show them the support they need.

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Source: http://www.oppatriotics.com/?p=410

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