If you’ve been involved in sports at any level, you’ve likely experienced first-hand, or known of someone dealing with, poor body image and/or disordered eating. I will be the first to say that I love sports and the qualities they cultivate such as empowerment, confidence, social connection and leadership, but there are negative patterns that can develop as a result of sports like gymnastics.
One former gymnast, quoted in The Stanford Daily, said, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a teammate who had no issues with her body and didn’t wish that anything was different, and I think that definitely says something about the nature of the sport [gymnastics].” The prevalence of diagnosed eating disorders in the general public is 2.7%, but the prevalence in female athletics jumps to 45%! Sadly, this is likely an underestimate because many people are secretly struggling or don’t meet the official diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder. We also have to remember that no gender is spared when it comes to body image issues and disordered eating.
The eating disorders that fall into a specific mental health diagnosis are: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED). OSFED basically includes those that don’t meet the criteria for the other disorders but are still significantly bothered by food and body image issues. This article is not focused on the specifics of these diagnoses, but it is important to remember that these issues fall along a spectrum, and regardless of the level of suffering, it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of an individual who might be struggling and intervene skillfully as soon as possible.
Predispositions for Disordered Eating
There are certain times of life and life situations that may put an athlete at risk for developing poor body image and disordered eating:
1. Puberty: There are several physiological changes occurring around the time of puberty. Most gymnasts are very in tune with their bodies and will notice these changes. This can be a trigger for trying to control these changes through food restriction, overexercising, and/or purging.
2. Feeling out of control in life: This can occur during stressful times in and out of the gym. Problems at home, puberty, school difficulties such as bullying or struggling academically, injury, moving, and social media influences can all contribute to an athlete feeling out of control of their lives in some way. If there are no known ways of coping, they may resort to feeling in control of what they put into their bodies, trying to manage their weight because they can’t control other areas of difficulty in their lives.
3. Aesthetic sports: Simply being a gymnast (or figure skater, runner, dancer, etc) can put an individual at risk due to the nature of being judged based on appearance. Social media makes this even worse because athletes are comparing their bodies to their teammates and competitors on a daily basis.
4. Perfectionistic tendencies: Perfectionism tends to create great athletes, but it can also be a predisposing factor to disordered eating. Recognizing this tendency and learning to channel it in a healthy way is important to prevent it from trickling over into needing to be perfect in appearance and in every avenue of life. Perfectionists tend to have harshly critical self-talk which fuels the fire of disordered eating.
Signs and Symptoms of Disordered Eating and Body Image Issues
1. Decline in performance: If an athlete is undernourished, overexercising, purging, and/or constantly stressing about food and appearance, they are going to lack the energy to train. Increased fatigue, lack of motivation, frequent injury, inability to recover, and loss of strength will become apparent.
2. Preoccupation with food and weight/appearance: You may notice an athlete not eating at team dinners, voicing concern over calories, constantly talking about food and weight, and negative self-talk about their appearance (i.e. “I look so fat in this leo” or “My legs are too big”, etc),
3. Withdrawal: Oftentimes, eating disorders co-occur with things like anxiety and depression. Athletes may appear withdrawn, unmotivated, defeated, and overly self-critical.
4. Noticeable weight changes: Food restriction along with bingeing and purging can create rapid fluctuations in weight. If you notice an athlete’s weight is rapidly changing from week to week, this can be a sign of extreme dieting measures and unhealthy eating patterns.
Helpful Interventions
What can you do if you’re a coach, parent, or teammate of someone struggling?
1. Compassionately inquire: Ask the athlete if they can speak with you after practice with their parents or closest support network where it’s safe and away from the group. Let the athlete know that you deeply care about them and are concerned there may be an issue. Give the athlete a chance to speak what feels true for them. There may be denial, or they may feel relieved that someone noticed. Each athlete is different in how they handle it.
2. Reinforce that this is not the athlete’s fault. You may encourage them to notice triggers for not feeling good about themselves and avoid those triggers. This may involve staying away from social media or certain accounts that promote unhealthy ideals.
3. Always focus on function and well-being instead of appearance. Never weigh your athletes, compare their bodies to teammates, or call them “fat” or “chunky”. Highlight their positive qualities that are not related to how they look, muscularity or weight.
4. Seek and offer professional help: Don’t attempt to treat the issue. DO have a referral network of sports psychologists and licensed medical providers skilled in treating body image and eating disorders and offer these resources to the athlete and his/her family.
Mindfulness: A Powerful Tool for Healing
The practice of mindfulness can be incredibly helpful in both prevention of and recovering from poor body image and disordered eating. Mindfulness teaches an athlete to connect with sensations in the body with kindness and curiosity which buffers the patterns of self-criticism and judgment. It can empower athletes to feel emotions without suppressing them. So often, emotional suppression can lead to binge eating and other unhealthy eating patterns, but when an athlete can actually know what they’re feeling, feel safe to feel it, and honor those emotions, they may no longer turn to food control to cope with suppressed feelings.
This topic is near and dear to my heart as I struggled deeply from the age of 12 into my late 20s. I share some of my story along with the tools of mindfulness and meditation in my blog. Check it out here!
And remember, you’re not alone. We are here to support your health and well-being, so never hesitate to reach out! Email me at theresa@fit-intuit.com.
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