The Culture of Disordered Eating in Athletics

A focus on health instead of weight = better performance

I was reading a news story today quoting a spoke's person from a popular weight loss program on how to select foods that would help people reach their weight goals.  While some of these weight loss programs intend to help people become more healthy, I think their focus on weight completely misses the mark.  The reality is a specific weight does not necessarily reflect one's health.  Someone who by conventional standards may appear to be slightly over weight may be more healthy than someone who falls in the conventional parameters of an "ideal" weight.  We really are all different in this respect.  The BMI charts on display in physician's offices are a guideline.  These charts do not necessarily reflect where you need to be in order to be truly healthy.

This can be particularly true for athletes who mistakenly believe that weight loss = improved performance.  The reality is eating in a healthy manner will give your body what it needs to perform at its best.  And athletes typically need to consume more than their non-athletic counterparts in order to maintain their health and performance. 

Yes, there are foods that will do "this or that" so that you feel a certain way.  But when our focus is on how we feel so that we will achieve some magical weight then we are doing ourselves and our bodies a significant disservice.  Our bodies need fuel to simply make it through the day.  And they certainly need more fuel the more active we are. 

The wonderful women of my support group have started to make that shift in their thinking.  I have heard several of them say something like: "I just want to be healthy again."  One way to do that is to move away from a focus on weight as an indicator of health, and towards behavingin a healthy way as an indicator of health.

If you find that you are not sure how to be healthy (as some of the women in my support group have also indicated) then by all means work with your physicians, nutritionists and mental health providers to figure out what "healthy" looks like for you.  Whenever possible, try to enlist the help of those who not only know something about eating disorders but also something about being an athlete.

Here's to your health!!

Song of the Open Road

Afoot and light hearted, I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

~Walt Whitman

Although your ED may effectively take some choices away from you, there are some things you can still decide upon and choose.  There is an Open Road before you.  It may be difficult to see sometimes but it is there.  When you find it, where will you choose to go...? 

Feel free to post you reactions to this or where your Open Road has lead.

Famous People with EDs...How do you feel about that?

So in the last month or two, at least two well know individuals have publicly acknowledged that they have struggled with an eating disorder: Kara DioGuardi of American Idol fame, and Monica Seles world class tennis champion.

In an interview with a reporter from the New York Times, Ms. Seles noted that she struggled with binge eating for many years and ultimately determined that food had become her "best friend,"something that would comfort her when she felt bad.  Ultimately Ms. Seles said that she had to "throw out the word diet" and she "allowed myself to eat every single food group.  My extreme cravings went away."  She resolved that she had to "do this one thing for myself, not for my mother, for the media or for my career."

I think throughthis brief glimpse into Monica Seles' struggle with an eating disorder she seems to have struggled with the same kinds of things that most struggle with when trying to overcome an eating disorder: pressure and expectations from others, the use of dieting to achieve one's weight goals.  Ultimately, it would appear that Ms. Seles' recognized that she had to change how she viewed food, her body and herself in order to live a healthy life.  "I needed to stop my love-hate relationship with food and just have a love relationship with it.  After that i could have a love relationship with my body."

Is it helpful to hear about famous people's struggles with eating disorders?  Is it motivating to hear about how they overcame their struggles?  No trick questions here...just wondering what you think.  More and more celebrities seem to be coming forward with their personal struggles - and I often wonder how helpful it is for the rest of us...

If you haven't seen the article in the New York Times about Monica Seles follow this link:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/monica-seles-talks-about-binge-eating/?emc=eta1

What have you given up because of your eating disorder?

One of the promises of an eating disorder is that whatever your reason for starting, the promise is that things will be "better" for you.  For athletes/exercisers the promise is usually that you will perform better.  And you may find that your performance does improve for a bit; however, it truly is a matter of time before you will have to give up your reason for starting to begin with: your beloved sport.

I have had conversations with a number of young women about what they have had to give up because of their eating disorder and nearly every one of them said that they are not as active as they used to be.  And a couple specifically said that they can no longer participate in their sport(s) because they simply do not have the mental and/or physical energy they need. 

Not only has their performances suffered...they are no longer performing at all!  They have given up something in which they used to find joy...something that used to make them feel good - mentally and physically.

Take stock of what you have given up or compromised on because of your eating disorder.  Is it really worth it to you?  Are you getting what you had hoped for or what was "promised"?  What do you want to take back that you had to give up?  Do you know what you need to do to get it back?  If not, or if what you have tried simply isn't working - consider working with an eating disorder specialist to help (ideally one that knows something about sport psychology as well).

Let us know what is working for you and what you have been able to take back as a result of your hard work!!

More Thoughts about Thinking!

My sincere apologies for the delay in posting! 

I wanted to take the time to let you know about a wonderful prevention program with which some of you may already be familiar.  It is called the Reflections Body Image Program and I recently had the privilege to receive training in this program so that I can implement it with students on my campus.

Right now the program is designed for college students; however, given the promising results thus far I would not be surprised if someone adapts the program to be used with younger individuals.

This particular program is based on the idea of "cognitive dissonance" and has shown tremendous results thus far!

I wrote previously about counteracting body image concerns with this thing called cognitive dissonance (please see my previous post).  Cognitive dissonance is the idea that when you experience psychological/mental discomfort you may be experiencing "dissonance."  When that happens we try to reduce the dissonance and bring ourselves back to a more comfortable state.  Cognitive dissonance happens when you engage in behaviors that are effectively the opposite of a firmly held belief.  For example if you are a female and believe that the "thin-ideal" (i.e., tall, narrow waist, large bust-line, etc.) is what you want for yourself, then you would experience dissonance if you were to try to convince someone else that the thin-ideal is NOT a good idea!  In order to reduce the dissonance your thinking about the thin-ideal would change and move more in-line with the "healthy-ideal."

Although I believe I recommended something similar in my previous post, I would like to challenge you again to intentionally engage in some experiences that will cause you dissonance in terms of your beliefs about unhealthy body image and eating disordered behavior.  One way to do that is to write a heart-felt letter to a "friend" who has the same beliefs you do - and convince them that their beliefs are not healthy!  You can even get specific to your sport.  Convince your "friend" that she does not have to look a certain way in order to perform at her best - but rather practice is a better predictor of improved performance.  Practice will allow your friend to stay competitive in their sport longer whereas unhealthy eating habits and views about body image may damage their body and prevent them from being able to perform well.

Give it a try, let me know what you think, what it was like.  Bring it to your counselor to talk about.  Let me know if you have other ideas about how to shift your thinking!

Is your life your own?

Recently there was an on-line article about a former collegiate basketball player who had seemingly "vanished" from the limelightt.  Apparently he was an excellent player who received a great deal of attention while playing.  So, the question had been asked...where is he now?  What is he doing?  Apparently the answer was that he was married and living in the rural south working a "regular" job just as he had expected prior to "making it big" in college hoops.  The article noted that he was considering the possibility of a pro "comeback" but that it was not clear whether or not he wanted to.  The article said something about this young man being caught between the life he was living that he had expected to live prior to his ball career and the life that others expected of him.  It sounded like all he wanted to do was to play college basketball, get a college degree, then live a "normal" life.  And now he's got people effectively asking why on earth he would want to do that?!

Talk about pressure!  He is probably feeling more pressure now than he ever did as a starter.

I don't know if he has made his decision; however, it got me thinking about what we end up doing because others expect certain things of us.  How much do we achieve because others expect that we can and we will?  What would it mean if we did not live up to others' expectations of how our lives ought to be?  I think these are difficult questions.  And considering what to do can leave us stressed, miserable and ultimately living lives that others have designed for us.

So what would happen if you said (or yelled) "enough!"  And declared that you were going to live your life the way you want to live it?  Would you know where to start?  Would you know what that life is?  Why not start imagining what your life would be like if you were not living it for others and by other's expectations?  How scary is that for you?  What is the worst that could happen?  What is the cost of not taking the reigns?

Again, I do not think that these are easy questions with easy answers.  I think, however, that they are questions worth asking.  I am not immune to the pressures of others; however, I know that when I decided that I was going to do my best to live my life my way...I was happier.  I made mistakes, but they were mine.  I had success, and it was mine.  Find others that support you in your quest to be you and to live your life.  Find others who accept you for who you really are...and if you're not sure who that is yet, surround yourself with those who are cheering you every step of the way as you discover you.

Is Your New Year's Resolution Good Enough?

Happy New Year!!  I hope your year is off to the kind of start you had hoped for!

If you are like many on the planet you have begun you new year with a New Year's Resolution.  It may be brand spanking new, or it may be one that you'll "get right" this year!!  (That reminds me of a t-shirt slogan in Chicago in the 1980's..."This year's our year" - referring to the Cubs!!).  Anyway, there is certainly nothing wrong with looking forward to what the year will bring and trying to influence what happens by declaring what you will and won't do throughout the year; however, if you are also like many people on the planet you will not meet your New Year's Resolution.  Why?  Why is this such a difficult thing to do?  Most Resolutions seem reasonable:  "I want to be a better spouse/partner."  "I will improve on my personal best."  "I will get healthier."

On the surface these all seem like "good" Resolutions; however, there are the type of Resolutions that are not likely to be met.  Why?!  Well, they aren't good enough.  Let me explain...

Making New Year's Resolutions is nothing more than world-wide, glorified, goal setting.  No, that's not a bad thing; however, thinking of Resolutions in terms of goals can make them more understandable and can allow us to craft a Resolution that is more likely to be realized. 

A Resolution is simply a goal that we decide to declare at the start of a new year.  These goals are declared at the start of a new year as if doing so will some how improve the chances of it "coming true."  That makes it sound more like a wish than an honest to goodness goal!  The one thing that these goals have going for them is that they are declared publicly.  In the world of sport psychology (and other areas that have examined goal setting effectiveness) we know that making a goal public (i.e., telling others what your goal is) will make you more likely to stick to it. 

So what does it take to make a "good enough" Resolution/goal?  Since I imagine many of you are athletes, you may be used to goal setting; however, you may not have been taught what really makes a good goal and how to achieve it.  And if you have been taught that...it can't hurt to be reminded right?

1. Your Resolution needs to be realistic.  I think most are; however, it is a good idea to honestly consider your commitment to your Resolution (will you REALLY do what you need to or does your Resolution simply "sound good"?) and the reality of whether or not you have what it takes to achieve your Resolution (is it really possible for you or is this more like a wish).
2. Your Resolution needs to be specific.  I think this is where the trouble starts for most Resolutions.  All of the examples in the firsts paragraph are NOT specific.  Your Resolution should be declared in sucha way that it can be easily measured by you or anyone else who cares about you.  So instead of "I want to improve on my personal best", a better way to put it is: "I want to improve on my mile time by 20 seconds by the end of the season."  You'll know, your coach will know, your family and friends will know whether or not you achieved that.  It is EASY to measure.  Of course if a goal like this feels like WAY to much pressure, then I would encourage you to consider your Resolution in terms of #1 above...It is realistic.  If not, don't throw it away...modify it!

3. Identify the steps you will take along the way toward meeting your Resolution.  Your resolution can be considered the long-term goal, and these steps can be considered the short-term goals that will help you reach your long-term goal.  These too need to be specific.  So a step of "training harder" for the above example is not "good enough."  Rather..."I will work with my coach to establish a training program."  Then the next steps will specifically outline the training program.

4. Make your Resolution public.  As I noted above, this is typically built into most Resolutions as we tend to declare them publicly.  Or, if we haven't we are often faced with question after question about whether or not we made a New Year's Resolution and what was it!  Of course, be sure to consider HOW public you want your Resolution to be.  Some can be quite personal or we simply don't want many people to know our business.  So, identify one or two people whom you trust and with whom you can discuss your progress.

5. Finally, I would encourage you to consider whether or not your Resolution is a healthy one.  Some of you may have made or are considering making a Resolution that may be damaging to your emotional or physical health.  One way to test this is by asking yourself whether or not you would share you Resolution with anyone or if there are certain people you DEFINITELY would not tell.  Also consider who would be bothered by your Resolution?  Why would they be bothered by it?  You can always check out the safety of your Resolution with a trusted health care professional or someone who you know has your best interests at heart.
   

   So I'll end here with what I started: I hope your New Year is off to the kind of start you had hoped for...and I'll add...I hope your Resolutions "come true"!!

Happy Holidays!!

I wanted to post a brief message to wish you all a happy, healthy and rejuvenating holiday season!  I hope you find yourselves surrounded by those you love...and who love you back!  Rely on friends and family to bolster you (especially those who have said they will "be there" for you) should you find that you are struggling during this time of year. 

I wish you all well, and hope to find time to post again not too far into the new year!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What do you think?

There has been recent research in the field of eating disorders prevention.  Specifically, researchers are examining how current ideas of prevention can be used with athletes to help them resist developing eating disordered behaviors and body image concerns.

This research has been built upon the idea of "cognitive-dissonance" theory.  Basically, this means that what we think about matters.  Specifically, the question is whether or not our thoughts are consistent with what we believe about ourselves and the world around us. 

What researchers have known for a long time is that we tend to "buy into" what we think about.  If we think that others are watching us and evaluating how we look, then we tend to believe that is exactly what is happening.  What these researchers have further discovered is that when we are asked to think about (that's the cognitive part) and engage in behaviors that may be inconsistent with (that's the dissonance part) what we believe, we will change.  We change because the inconsistency or the dissonance is uncomfortable at best and distressing at worst.  So, practically speaking what that means is that we have to do something so that we feel better again.  One way to accomplish this is to change our beliefs.

This can be accomplished by "making" yourself think about or do something that is in stark contrast to what you believe.  If you believe that in order to be happy you have to have a certain number on the scale, or in order to perform at your best you have to lose as much weight as possible your thoughts and behaviors will mirror that (they will be consistent with that belief).  This can lead to body image and eating disordered concerns.  Instead of thinking that the scale is the only measure of your happiness or performance level, think about how going out with friends can make you happy or that your effort in practice can boost your performance.  The more consistently you engage in thoughts/behaviors that are "dissonant" with your belief, your beliefs will change.

Things you can do:

• Write a paper arguing AGAINST diets, scrutinizing your body or equating performance with weight loss.
• Don't' agree with teammates/coaches/friends/family who are critical of themselves.  If you can, outwardly disagree with their comments about themselves.
• Complement others on something other than their appearance.
• Complement YOURSELF on things other than your appearance.  Journal about it!
• Other ideas...

Be creative with this.  The idea is to think and act in opposition to the way you are used to.  You'll likely find that not only are your thoughts and behaviors changing, but that you may start to feel better as well.

Cheers!!

3 Easy Ways To Cope With Stress

Stress is one of those things that is often misunderstood in the sense that when we think of "stress" most of us associate stress with something bad.  There are many "stressful" things that could objectively be considered "good" (e.g., getting married, having a baby, getting a promotion, being a starter, etc.).  The reality is that it is not so much the events of our lives that cause us discomfort, but the ways in which we deal with stressful life events that matters most.  Our ability to cope with stress is directly related to life satisfaction and wellbeing.

Although there are a multitude of things that can be done to cope with stress, here are 3 relatively "easy" things you can do today to help lower your experience of feeling stressed.

1. Deep Breathing.  This is an easy, take-with-you-wherever-you-go skill. Get as comfortable as you can either lying down or sitting upright in your chair.  As you inhale through your nose, be sure that you are not raising your shoulders (an indicator of shallow breathing) and be sure your are inhaling slowly (rapid breathing can lead to hyperventilation/light headedness).  Exhale slowly through your mouth.  Do this with your eyes closed or open while staring at something neutral or calming.  Some people notice a feeling of relaxation after 3-5 deep breathes, others may need to engage in deep breathing for 3-5 minutes.  Either way, it does not take long.  Like any other skill, this takes practice.  If you are not already used to or comfortable with deep breathing, give yourself some time and be sure to try it regularly.
2. Do Your Hobby.  Try to identify a hobby that you can "pick up" and "put down" relatively easily (e.g., reading a book, listening to/playing music, drawing, etc.).  This type of hobby means that you can devote as much time or as little time to it as you can without feeling like most of the "hobby time" is spent "getting ready" or "putting it away".  Carve out a regular time during each day or several days of the week devoted to your hobby.  We schedule everything else in our lives and those things that do not get scheduled often get forgotten...and doing things we enjoy for the sake of enjoyment often get forgotten.  If feasible - enlist a friend in a "hobby pact" (i.e., we promise each other we will do something we enjoy just because we enjoy it!), or as a partner (e.g., play music together).
3. Pet your pet.  If you have a pet in you life, be sure to give it the attention YOU deserve!  The acting of playing with or petting an animal has been demonstrated to improve mood and reduce physiological responses to stress.  I often feel the most relaxed an at peace with my cat on my lap, my petting her, and feeling the rumble of her purr...give yourself some fur therapy!

Hope that helps some.  If there are other "easy" stress busters that you use, please post them in the comments section!