I have finally gotten around to commenting on what Tiger Woods did a week or so ago. I assume that most if not all who read this blog know who Tiger Woods is; however, not all of you may know that he continued playing in the US Open despite significant/seemingly debilitating knee pain.
So what does this have to do with eating disorders? The connection is an indirect one...but it is there...
I have been a fan of Tiger Woods since I first became aware of who he is and was happy to hear that he had won the US Open. However, I then learned the circumstances under which he won - involving the fact that his knee apparently hadn't full healed and the fact that he played in pain resulted in further injury and has put him out for the rest of the season (he has since had reconstructive knee surgery...RECONSTRUCTIVE - meaning he destroyed part of his knee while playing). I then saw the headlines about the event including "King of Pain" and "A gritty playoff on a bum knee...but Tiger wins the US Open" among others. What has been written has effectively glorified the fact that Tiger put winning above his physical health. This is not new to athletes. Such phrases as "no pain, no gain" are frequent refrains when encouraging oneself or one's teammates to "play through the pain" or to "(Wo)man up!"
Athletes can get so caught up in improving their respective performances that they are willing to sacrifice their bodies, and their mental health, in order to get closer and closer to a win. When athletes engage in disordered eating behaviors for the purpose of improving their performances, they are similarly sacrificing their bodies and potentially their lives. Dramatic maybe, but true.
When we are willing to make sacrifices at that level, we are likely missing the point of athletics, exercise, and performance. We are also likely trying to be something we are not and cannot accept it. What I mean is that we may be so desperate to "be as good as...(fill in the blank)" or to reach a level of performance our bodies are not capable of that we are willing to go to unbelievable extremes, no matter the cost, in order to come ever closer to an unattainable goal.
Not everyone is built the same way. Not everyone is capable of the same physical performance levels no matter what they do. Hard work and motivation are important, but so are genetics. We may not want to accept that, but it is true. Please do not be willing to destroy your body in an attempt to reach some arbitrary goal your body (and mine, and others) is not capable of reaching without going to such extremes.
Celebrate Tiger's win, but please do not celebrate the fact in order to win he had to cripple himself in the process. To do so may help you to justify engaging in disordered eating behaviors. What can be damaged or destroyed as a result of such behaviors cannot be "reconstructed" like Tiger's knee can.
