Exercise Bulimia - when exercising well turns to hell

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Exercise bulimia - me? No... I was hardly a likely candidate. At age 22 when I met my soon-to-be husband, I was a confirmed couch potato. Bending down to pick up the soap was about as far as my idea of exercise stretched. He was this marathon-running, sit-ups in the morning man.

But when I got to the start - there was an electrical buzz that completely gripped me... it really got me going. Me, the couch potato, went off and bought my first of many pairs of running shoes. Less than a year later I ran the Cape Town Peninsular marathon.

But being the little extremist I was, just running every day wasn't enough. No, I also took up cycling and as if that wasn't enough 'hit the gym' every morning came rain or shine!The bug had bitten - not just because it put me on a high. But finally, I'd found Nirvana. THIS was the answer to all my weight problems.

Little did I realize that while I started off loving it - it would soon consume me. I had what would now qualify as a non-purging eating disorder. But I like the term 'exercise bulimia' - it just says it much more plainly.

Such freedom...I could eat anything I wanted - and I did. I ate Teddy Tots by the carton. I had enormous and repeated binge-eating sessions where I would eat and eat (in this aspect it was the same as bulimia) and then, no problem...simply exercise all those calories off.

Admittedly that was long before 'exercise' became such a buzz word and long long before the term exercise bulimia had even been invented. But even then I knew that I 'should' exercise! I thought what I was doing was healthy.

What is exercise bulimia?

Compulsive exercisers think of exercising as a ‘healthy’ method to compensate for bingeing. The damage comes about when they don't adequately rest the body resulting in their body becoming progressively more dis-repaired.

What distinguishes an exercise bulimic from a health fanatic is the intention or motivation behind the exercising. Exercise bulimia is not as much about physical health and fitness as it is about self-esteem, perfectionism, and control.

It's also very prevalent amongst contestants for Ms Fitness and those who take up Body 4 Life.

Exercise is no longer viewed as a desired healthy activity but as a punitive and necessary measure to stave off the possibility of weight gain and the intolerable feelings of self-loathing.

So, in a nutshell... are are the signs to look for:

Compulsive exercisers often schedule their lives around exercise. (In this way it's similar to bigorexia) They feel distressed when they can't work out and worry about getting fat. They don't want to rest or take time to recover. They binge eat and feel compelled to get rid of the calories.

Exercise pros vs exercise bulimia cons

Problem is, that just like anything else you can take something good and turn it into harmful compulsive exercise. Instead of getting moderate exercise, people suffering with exercise bulimia feel driven to exercise excessively every day.

I literally planned my life around my compulsive exercising at that time. If I didn't manage to fit a run, cycle AND gym into my life each and every day - I'd fret and feel flooded with guilt.

On the con side - compulsive exercising pours harmful stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol into your system. It can also lead to dehydration.

Exercise bulimia just exhausts your body. You need to work out, and then rest, work out and then rest again. This gives your body time to recuperate in between bouts of exercise and to maintain it's optimal strength. Low body fat is another result of compulsive exercising. This may sound good but, for women, it can cause some serious problems like infertility. Exercising too much can cause a woman's period to stop which can cause bone loss and later osteoporosis.

Tiredness, irritability and a lack of concentration are other side effects and it puts enormous strain on the heart, as well as joints, muscles and limbs.

Who gets exercise bulimia?

It is estimated that close to 12% of gym-goers are exercise bulimics.

Studies show that more than 90% of women who have bulimia nervosa (binge eating with purging) exercise to compensate for binge eating. And compulsive exercising is especially prevalent amongst teens who use the guise of 'exercise is healthy.'

In a 2000 study at Notre Dame University when asked if they exercised a lot? 45% of women and 60% of male respondents answered 'yes.' When asked if their exercise sometimes significantly interfere with other important activities such as school work or socializing. 31.5% of females and 27.9% of male students said 'yes'. When asked if they exercised despite injury or medical problems? Thirty three% of females and 22.3% of males answered 'yes.'

Teens who have this exercise compulsion are often involved in ballet, track, gymnastics, wrestling and field events. In some teens, compulsive exercise may even delay puberty and cause early bone loss and fractures.

These same young people with exercise bulimia may also be highly competitive individuals who strive to be 'the star of their team,' so they are highly driven and motivated individuals.

Why is Exercise bulimia on the increase?

Add to this a competitive culture where the belief in ‘no gain, no pain’ is high. You're thought of as some kind of superioir being when you've survived a gym session in which the "instructor nearly killed me today.”

This hardly smacks of a belief system that encourages moderation. No one would be applauded for having an 'average gym session'. Phooey!

Look to our magazines and how many articles we see on health and fitness. There is a tremendous amount of cultural pressure to be fit.

Now before all you health fitness fanatics get to do a bit more jumping up and down that you normally do - please hear me correctly: Fitness is great, but going overboard - which is what exercise bulimia is all about - isn't.

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