A Chance At Life! Coral's Story

Coral is a 19 year old struggling with an eating disorder as many are.  23 people a day die as a result of an eating disorder every day and Coral should not be one of those 23. Coral is currently in Ottawa General Hospital in Canada fighting for her life.  She is extremely ill and deserves a chance to live. Her doctor's have stated that they are no longer willing to care for Coral and after a 5lb weight gain she will be discharged into her parents care to die. Can you imagine your child who is unable to eat and being discharged because the doctor's are not willing to their job and help your child? This is exactly the case for Coral  This is unacceptable and unethical.  If a patient is in a doctor's care they are responsible for the well being of the patient. With Eating Disorders without proper nourishment the cognition is very low until the patient starts to reach weight restoration.

Below is her mother's story

If a heart patient walks into the hospital with chest pains would you deny the patient heart surgery? If a cancer patient needs chemotherapy for a chance to live would you deny them the care they need for a chance at life? The same applies to eating disorders. With proper treatment eating disorders are able to have an outstanding recovery rate.

Please take a moment and share Coral's story and spread awareness and education about eating disorders. You can help Coral by calling your congress and senate.  Through social media you can tweet, instagram, Facebook the link below with the hashtag #WeFightForCoral You may also donate to he Go Fund Me Site that has been created specifically for Coral.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Coral at this time as she fights this difficult battle. For those who don't understand eating disorders I have posted information below.

A Mom's plea to save her daughter's life
We Fight For Coral

Please donate to help Coral
Go Fund Me For Coral

About Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders

My Thoughts on Eating Disorders

My Thoughts On Eating Disorders 

Eating Disorders in today's society is a "real" and sometimes lethal problem and we need to fix it NOW . Not tomorrow or even next week but NOW . Sitting around wondering what to deal will not help those struggling and suffering...be proactive about this

Why does it take a celebrity's death to realize there's a "real" problem and we need to fix it NOW, not later. Don't just sit there wondering what to do...be proactive about it. Often those who suffer from Eating Disorders are the ones that are people pleasers, top of the class, not wanting to upset anyone,very sensitive personalities and shy. They are the ones capable of hiding the pain and putting on a "fake smile" in order not to cause others to worry and are very capable of hiding that there is a problem by wearing baggy clothes to hide dramatic weight loss. Those that have suffered for quite sometime before anyone was aware of the problem are far more sick than anyone or even they realize. Symptoms may include not being able to make clear decisions on their own behalf, obsessiveness with numbers, hiding any weight loss... Often there are co-existing conditions associated with Eating Disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Bipolar, PTSD and Trauma, Domestic Violence, Self-Harm, Addictions, Stress and even Borderline Personality Disorder just to name a few. Eating Disorder Awareness and Prevention has been an issue for years and is very misunderstood and complex. I have personally known families who have been ripped apart due to some type of Eating Disorder. In the past year alone, I have lost 4 incredible people that I really cared about through acts of An Eating Disorder and it wasn't their fault. Over the years I have lost as many as 10 wonderful people and it always leaves you with the question of "why" or "what could I have done differently". The truth is there are no answers to this problem. Through research we do know there are certain genetic factors that raise the risk for developing an eating disorder. If you have a family member who has an Eating Disorder it raises the risk of developing an Eating Disorder. There is often times a genetic preposition to the development of this fatal illness. There are also other factors that include environment that you grew up in, personality traits, trauma and abuse, dysfunctional family and sometimes the cause is unknown. As Cynthia Bulick who is the Medical Director at UNC For Eating Disorders says, "Genes load the gun and environment pulls the trigger" What we need society and our nation to understand is that this isn't their fault, not their friends, or even families fault. It feels like a tornado which is quite scary and your life is literally being ripped apart right in front of you. It's an illness that needs more research and clinical trials. The stigma keeps individuals asking for help because they feel so much "shame" from the problems they have. No one should ever have to feel this way. An individual doesn't ask to have depression or other similar illnesses. So, again this illness has opened the public's eyes on how real and fatal this is. This is a Mental Health crisis we are in and cutting back will create an increase number of hospitalizations and fatalities.

Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness. Losing a person you care about should never have to happen to anyone. We need more understanding, more educating, and more advocacy. We need people who "truly" get it. Eating Disorders are "real" illnesses. It isn't about food, your weight, or even wanting to look like someone else. They DO NOT discriminate and not one of us is invincible to the illness. It doesn't matter if you are  struggling or in recovery it can and will take your life if you allow it to. Eating Disorders take many lives every year and it doesn't matter if you are a man, woman, your economic status, race, lifestyle, shape, size, or even age. Whether it be Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Compulsive Exercise, or Otherwise Specified Feeding Eating Disorder (OSFED) they are ALL very deadly. We do not choose to have an eating disorder, but rather it chooses us. We must look underneath and find the real problem rather than using very unhealthy coping mechanisms. Take a look at your feelings, thoughts, mindset that you have embedded inside your brain from such a very young age. Eating Disorders are about insecurity, self-hatred, feelings of worthlessness and anger so strong you are unable to cope. They are about having a super sensitive personality that would do anything to avoid hurting or even allowing another ED victim suffer. The negative thoughts that tell you "you aren't good enough." You ARE good enough no matter what the eating disorder is telling you. Secrets are what keeps us sick and you are only as sick as your secrets. Please get the help you need before it takes your life too.

I advocate for Eating Disorder Awareness and Prevention. Do your part by doing a walk, a NEDA WALK, set up a page to raise money and others can donate as well, spread awareness, March in Washington on Lobby Day. We can't just sit here and do nothing! 

The Question Is When...

So the question is when?
When are you going to stop taking orders from the mirror?
When are you going to stop letting a number on the scale make or break your day?
When are you going to stop stuffing all the pain that is inside of you?
When you going to stop hating yourself?
When are you oing to start loving yourself?
When are you going to stop running from everybody and everything?
When are you going to stop all the starving and purging?
When are you going to finally let go?
When will you stop listening to the voice in your head-the eating disorder?
When will you finally stop trying to be in control of everything?
When will you stop over-exercing?
When will you begin to trust others?
When will you learn to reach out to others?
When are you going to let go of all the shame and guilt?
When are you going to start believing in yourself?
When are you going to start respecting your body?
When are you going to actually eat and follow your meal plan?
When are you going to learn to accept things as they are?
When are you going to start moving forward with your life?
When are you going to stop restricting fluids?
When are you going start forgiving others?
When are you going to stop isolating yourself from others?
When are you going to start living your goals and dreams?
When are you going to stop blaming yourself for everything that has happened?
When are you going to the things that happened in your life are not your fault?
When are you going to realize that mistakes happen?
When are you going to learn that it’s okay to be healthy?
When are you going to start being more kind to yourself?
When are you going to stop masking the real problem and dealing with it?
When are you going to realize that you don’t have to be perfect. Perfect doesn’t exist?
When are you going to be fre(ed) of your eating disorder?
When are you going to realize the eating disorder is destroying your family?
When are you going to realize that eating disorders do kill?
When are you going to realize all the people in your life you lost to the eating disorder?
When are you going to stop comparing yourself to others?
When are you going to stop worrying all the time?
When are you going to start trusting yourself?
When will you be able to develop a healthy relationship surrounding food?
When will you be able to use effective coping skills in time of need?
When will you give yourself time to heal?
When are you going to start dealing with all the anger stuffed deep inside of you?
When are you going to realize that your eating disorder does not determine your self-worth?
When are you going to understand that you are not worthless?
When will you realize that there are no “good foods” or “bad foods”?
When will you understand that you deserve to be happy?
When will you stop punnishing yourself through your body?
When will you get rid of your skinny clothes?
When will you be able to go out to eat with your family and actually enjoy the food?
When will you allow yourself to have a dessert once in awhile?
When will you understand that everyone has some fat on them and it’s perfectly okay?
When are you going to realize that one can not survive without food and water?
When will you start to take care of yourself?
When will you change all the unhealthy behaviors?
When will you realize it’s okay to have sadness and cry?
When you understand that you need to deal with all your fears?
When will you understand
When will you stop buying diet products such as diet coke etc…?
When will you understand that the size of your clothes does not determine who you are?
When will you realize that you are beautiful inside and out?

Insurance...Need I Say More

Two beautiful souls in the past few weeks have lost the battle with their eating disorders. Some because the eating disorder held them captive which I refer as the "monster" while others fight the battle of getting insurance to cover a very fatal illness. Since when does insurance decide to denying  coverage based on what is "medically necessary"  Many if not all truly do want recovery and fight insurance companies hard, but sadly insurance companies keep denying coverage to an illness that no one ever asked for. If a hear patient goes into a hospital for chest pains do you deny them treatment because the heart is still beating? If a cancer patient that enters a hospital in need of life saving treatment do you deny them the right to live? Think about this, if your son or daughter was suffering from an eating disorder you would probably go great lengths to help those overcome and recover. Eating Disorders are supposed to be treated the same as a physical illness and the message is very clear that they are not being treated in this manner. Something needs to change as we keep losing beautiful, talented souls to this evil and very destructive illness. Did you know that Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness or even car crashes for that matter.  23 people a day die from an eating disorder and that's every 62 seconds and this is not okay. Treatment for an eating disorder is at least $40,000 a month. A day spent in an ER is the amount a weeks worth of treatment would cost. Insurance companies are holding lives in their hands and nothing is being done about it.  Write your congressmen, sign the change petition. The change starts with you!

Health At Every Size (HAES)

I love Linda Bacon's approach at Health At Every Size (HAES)  Below is an article on the HAES concept

What is Health at Every Size?
By Dr. Deah Schwartz
There has been a great deal of discussion lately about the Health at Every Size ℠ philosophy and how it can interface with the field of eating disorders. Some of the conversa­tions have been quite heated with concerns that this approach grants permission to eat uncontrollably thus giving up any investment in obesity control. Others cite current research that challenges the assumption that being fat equates with being un­healthy. People with eating disorders explain their resistance to adopting a HAES ℠ approach for fear that they will never be thin; and others have tried to transform HAES ℠ into a new weight loss technique, which goes against everything that health at ev­ery size is about. With such a diverse range of reactions among people in the field of eating disorders, I was curious to learn more.

There are many players on the team battling eating disorders. First and foremost, of course, are the people diagnosed with, or at risk of developing, an eating disorder. Then there are the clinicians and professionals from a variety of disciplines who are working with the clients, e.g. therapists, medical and mental health doctors, nutritionists, dieticians, alternative health practitioners, weight management and fitness coaches, all of whom assert that their goals are to eradicate eating disorders and help people overcome their problems. Sounds like a cohesive team doesn’t it? And it would be except for the fact that while all eating disorders have to do with food, not all fat people have eating disorders. This may not seem to be a dividing factor but if you add societal factors into the mix, the scenario becomes more complex.

There is an array of reasons why people may be fatter than the societal norm that have no association with disordered eating and may not even result in poor health. These etiological differences may go unnoticed how­ever, because of a cultural bias against fat people. The common assump­tion is that if someone is fat, they are out of control. Falsely accused of being lazy, ugly, and undisciplined, this negativity often leads to futile attempts at dieting, using diet pills and undergoing unnecessary surgery (such as liposuction), in an attempt to conform to a more culturally accepted standard of beauty. The result of these tactics is frequently weight gain and disordered eating patterns that previously didn’t exist. Conversely, a person with Anorexia or BED (Binge Eating Disorder) may go undiagnosed be­cause their body conforms to the societal expectation of thinness. A person who is thin from restrictive eating is not subject to the same negative societal stigmatiza­tion. Quite the opposite, their behavior patterns are positively reinforced until the tipping point of “too thin” is reached and their health compromised. In both cases if the focus stays on the person’s health rather than their weight, the likelihood of a more positive outcome increases.As I familiarized myself with HAES ℠, I kept in mind the wide spectrum of clients with eating disorders that I have worked with during my years as a thera­pist and what the role of HAES ℠ could be. My conclusion: incorporating HAES ℠ is both a pro-active and sustainable therapeutic approach for those strug­gling with a diagnosed eating disorder, sub-threshold disordered eating, or body dysmorphia. The basic premise of health at every size, as written in Linda Bacon’s Book, Health at Every Size: The surprising truth about your weight, is that “Health at Every Size” (HAES) acknowledges that well-being and healthy habits are more important than any number on the scale.Participating is simple:

1. Accept your size. Love and appreciate the body you have. Self-acceptance empowers you to move on and make positive changes.

2. Trust yourself. We all have internal systems designed to keep us healthy — and at a healthy weight. Support your body in naturally finding its appropriate weight by honoring its signals of hunger, fullness, and appetite.

3. Adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Develop and nurture connections with others and look for purpose and meaning in your life. Fulfilling your social, emotional, and spiritual needs restores food to its rightful place as a source of nourishment and pleasure.Find the joy in moving your body and becoming more physically vital in your everyday life.Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and seek out pleasur­able and satisfying foods.Tailor your tastes so that you enjoy more nutritious foods, staying mindful that there is plenty of room for less nutritious choices in the context of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle.

4. Embrace size diversity. Humans come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Open to the beauty found across the spectrum and support others in recognizing their unique attractiveness.These are strategies and mindsets that are applicable to all people struggling with body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. True, there may still be dis­agreements among the multi-disciplined clinicians as to what additional interven­tions are efficacious for specific treat­ment goals and objectives, after all each person is unique and this field above most others should be reticent to adopt any “One Size Fits All” approach. But I am hard pressed to imagine a situation where encouraging clients to focus on health and self-acceptance would be ex­cluded in anyone’s treatment plan. If our primary goal is improving one’s quality of life this means battling the societal and psychological factors that have created the disordered eating patterns and not labeling fat, in and of itself, as the enemy. It is acknowledging that the road to health is an incremental process that takes renewed commitment and success-oriented approaches. There is no quick fix and no miraculous interven­tion. 

One specific “how-to” provided in Dr. Bacon’s book is the following contract:
Today, I will try to feed myself when I am hungry.
Today, I will try to be attentive to how foods taste and make me feel.
Today, I will try to choose foods that I like and that make me feel good.
Today, I will try to honor my body’s signals of fullness.
Today, I will try to find an enjoyable way to move my body.

Today, I will try to look kindly at my body and to treat it with love and respect.

Within the framework outlined, this ap­proach does not focus on weight loss as the sole indicator of health or encourage self-destructive abandon in one’s eating. What I see is a weight-neutral approach and an opportunity to explore a more intuitive relationship with food, engag­ing in pleasant physical activity, and self/ size acceptance. It couldn’t hurt!

Art Therapy for Eating Disorders

Experiential Art as Therapy for Women Suffering with Eating Disorders

Author: Kathleen Slade Hofer, MS TRS

Art can be used as a powerful therapy to help a woman recover from an eating disorder. In the process of creating her own art, she must participate in her own therapy, and thereby her own recovery. The initial commitment to paper is also a commitment to the recovery process. Art works are not found, they are created, and they require a person to initiate action. While in an intensive therapy relationship, concentrating on a painting removes the focus from the patient and provides a safer, non-threatening arena for disclosure. Pictures can facilitate personal exploration and provide a safe vent for strong emotions such as anger, depression, fear, anxiety, or hate. They can help the patient to “express the mess.” Women with eating disorders hate their emotional “mess” which is often symbolically flushed down the toilet in secret. “Purging” on paper can become an important transitional tool for the therapist and the patient as she unlocks her hidden inner world.

The actual process of painting helps to break down defense mechanisms as projected images often escape internal censorship. Art images have a boundary that can contain whatever feelings of chaos may be expressed within them. Artwork by a woman with an eating disorder can become a container for unconscious material that begins to bridge the gap between inner and outer worlds. It can be an intermediary between the racing thoughts in the head and the numbed emotions of the heart. The patient can begin to express her needs and feelings through images and words rather than through her body and behavior. Art used in therapy may provide the first experiences of safety, and the first expressions of pain.

Through the art process and the relationship with the therapist, the perceived empty and unlovable self can be safely experienced. The patient can begin to give up her hateful, defective self-image as she discovers her creative potential. The process of creating art is a means of experiencing the true authentic self — the self as a whole. Growth and progress are recognized and supported. Self-acceptance and self-soothing are taught and encouraged. The patient is validated as the authority concerning the meaning and interpretation of all her own artwork. Mastery over the art materials often correlates with mastery over fears. Experiencing the self in art increases self-cohesion over the course of time and strengthens the sense of boundaries.

The activity of creating art often brings back early memories of playing, and the inner child has a space in which to come alive, to vent frustration, and to express sadness. Like play, art is a symbolic, pictorial communication. If the patient does not feel she had enough nurturing and has not learned how to listen to her own needs, she will be both hungry for more and at a loss to know how to feed herself, literally and metaphorically. Images, the basic form of memory, hold important information that relates to perceptions of self, the world, and one’s self in that world. Art facilitates the emotional repair of the psyche and the empowerment of spiritual reconnection.

“Utilizing imagery, creativity and the arts in the healing process is an age-old practice that transcends time and culture...it is a means to gain self-awareness, reconnect to the strength of soul/spirit and to influence desired change. Creative experience breathes life back into what has often become an empty routine of existence.”

~Sue Kimball M.A., Art Therapist

A woman obsessed with the size of her body may be expressing the fact that she feels uncomfortable being female in this culture. Art provides a means for a young women to give “voice” to the pain of becoming an adult woman, crossing thresholds unknown to their mothers. Societal assaults on female bodies and minds fill young women today with shame and fear of their own rage. Many of the young women I work with have a terrifying fear of becoming mature and independent as they associate being independent with being alone and alienated. They need adult females who model assertiveness, self-acceptance, self-nurturing, spirituality, and joy. I have found, as an experiential therapist, that I must often become an auxiliary ego for the patient who is developing ego strength. I can provide empathy and soothing, and I can mirror the patient through verbal reflection and repetition of themes in their art. The mirroring of the patient through art confirms the individual’s uniqueness.

A trained eating-disorder professional with a respect for experiential therapy, the art process, and a personal involvement in creativity can use art as therapy. Emphasis must always be on the patient’s own interpretations and self-understanding. In moving to symbolic, kinesthetic expression we are agreeing to speak the patient’s own language. Women with eating disorders adopt complex, metaphoric means of expressing their emotional pain which suggests they have difficulty articulating it. I have found that I can provide an experience which helps the patient “show” what she cannot “tell.” Often, the only time a patient is truly honest and non-defensive is in her artwork. Art can also provide visual evidence of a patient’s strengths and progress, providing hope to the treatment team.

Art can, at times, be used as a defense by anorexic patients. Empty, stereotypical art is often used as an anorexic patient seeks to please others or to intellectualize reactions. When the patient is threatened by emotions that seem out of control, defensive art can provide a sense of safety. The therapist can accept, but not encourage stereotypic artwork. As trust increases, the patient can be invited to experiment with experiences of losing control with the art materials. Patients can be gently encouraged to “color outside the lines” and let go of pencils, rulers, and rigid art making. The creative act especially provides for adolescents who need a means of safely handling anxiety, tolerating conflicts, and exploring alternative solutions. Art gives form to chaos and a way to work through the struggle of separation. Creativity operates in the service of maturation in development. Creativity is a human birthright and accessing this power of life force energizes the creator. Control over art materials provides an outlet for wishes of control.

Art materials such as soft pastels, oil pastels, and acrylic paint promote the expression of affect, encouraging self-expression. Finger paints may encourage regression because of smearing and its similarity to body fluids. Clay can also invite regression, yet can also support reintegration. Regression presents the possibility of reworking early unmet needs. Making collages with magazine pictures is usually perceived as safe and is encouraged if the patient becomes too apprehensive. Body tracings can be made and the patient then asked to create an “emotion self-portrait” in order to explore their inner world. Face masks can be created and painted to reflect the identity of appearance, as well as what is internal underneath the mask. Feelings concerning the physical body are related to feelings and experiences of the psychological self. The patient often fears that if another person “gets inside her” she will lose any sense of self that is still there. Art making can provide a safe place to let others see inside the eating-disorder sufferer’s world.

Suicide Prevention

National Suicide Prevention Month

It's National Suicide Prevention Month and I can't even fathom the importance of helping someone in need. It may be your mother, your friend, your cousin, or even a stranger, but one person can change the difference of what the outcome may be.

I lost a friend to suicide and there are all the what could I have done? Why didn't I see the signs? Why didn't they call me or reach out?  None of that matters...if a person is in that amount of pain to end their own life they will find a way end the pain. Typically, those who are suicidal will not reach out for help, but rather find a way to do it and that why it's so important to be aware of the warning signs. I don't believe that suicide is selfish. I believe it's a mental illness and when someone is in that much pain you're thinking isn't straight. I have heard people say "Doesn't that person care of the people they are hurting?" It isn't about hurting anyone!

In 2011 my mind kept spinning in circles to make sense of my friend's death.  There are no easy answers. No one knew how much pain my friend was in until...that was the end.  I'm not going to go into details for the sake of my friends that knew her, but my point is this...if you know someone is struggling, they are blogging about suicidal tendencies, DON'T just sit there and think it's a phase because it's NOT  It's not something to joke about or think they will be okay tomorrow.  

The following signs may mean someone is at risk for suicide. The risk of suicide is greater if a behavior is new or has increased and if it seems related to a painful event, loss, or change. If you or someone you know exhibits any of these signs, seek help as soon as possible by calling the Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

• Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves.
• Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a gun
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Withdrawing or isolating themselves.
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
• Displaying extreme mood swings. 

Source Lifeline www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Suicide Facts

• Suicide takes the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans every year.
• Many who attempt suicide never seek professional care.
• Between 1952 and 1995, suicide in young adults nearly tripled.
• Over half of all suicides occur in adult men, ages 25-65.
• Suicide rates in the United States are highest in the spring.
• For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death.

• Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or widowed.
• 15% of those who are clinically depressed die by suicide.
• The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression.
• In 2004, 32,439 people died by suicide. (CDC)
• It is estimated that there are at least 4.5 million survivors in this country. (AAS)
• An average of one person dies by suicide every 16.2 minutes. (CDC, AAS) Research has shown medications and therapy to be effective suicide prevention.
• Suicide can be prevented through education and public awareness.
• Last year SAVE educated 10,618 youth & parents on depression and suicide prevention.

RESOURCES

Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK

Suicide Hotline

1-800-784-8433

National Hopeline Network

1-800-SUICIDE

National Alliance on Mental Illness

800.950.NAMI (800.950.6264)

Depression Hotline

1-630-482-9696

Grief Support

1-650-321-5272

Trevor Project

1-866-488-7386

SUICIDE PREVENTION

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

www.suicidology.org

www.metanoia.org/suicide

www.suicidememorialwall.com

www.hopeline.com

www.reachout.com

More,More, More: The Dangers of Over Exercise

More, More, More: The Dangers of Over Exercise
Media messages encouraging us to exercise away our “flaws” are rampant, particularly in these summer months when many people are self-conscious about wearing bathing suits and dressing for warmer weather.   We’re nearly halfway through summer but the seasonal cultural pressures to attain the “perfect” beach body are still in full swing. The relentless marketing often focuses on incorporating the most strenuous new workouts, squeezing in more time at the gym, pushing just a little bit harder and faster every step of the way.  When it comes to exercise, the message almost always seems to be more, more, more.

It’s true that staying active and engaging in exercise is a positive activity that can have long-lasting benefits for physical and mental health.  However, it becomes increasingly important in our “faster, longer, harder, more” exercise culture to ask ourselves, can you have too much of a good thing? The Answer:  Absolutely.

More is not always better.
Exercise can quickly become unhealthy when taken to extremes or when the body is not equipped with proper nourishment.  Individuals who struggle with perfectionism, rigidity, obsessive/compulsive behavior, addiction or eating disorders are particularly at-risk for engaging in over-exercise (also referred to as exercise abuse or obsessive exercise.)  These individuals often start out with moderate exercise goals in an attempt to change their weight/body shape but can easily slip into patterns that become compulsive.

Often, the same messages that promote extreme exercise also encourage people to ignore their body’s cues – to push past pain and exhaustion in order to reach goals.  But when you override your body’s need for rest, healing, or even medical attention, it can have long-term negative consequences on health, not to mention on overall fitness and athletic performance. Furthermore, exercise and weight loss goals may gradually become more and more extreme, and thus more and more dangerous. It’s important to note that even individuals who do not appear underweight, may be exercising obsessively or working out beyond what is healthy for their body.  Even high caliber athletes are at risk.

“It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you’ve got to work hard. However, hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker. It is rest that makes you stronger. Physiologic improvement in sports only occurs during the rest period following hard training.” [Overtraining Syndrome]

Signs & Symptoms of Excessive Exercise
Because exercise is such a socially acceptable and culturally applauded behavior, it can be difficult to identify when someone is engaging in healthy activity and when they may have crossed the line to over-exercise.  It’s particularly important for coaches, trainers, fitness instructors and other professionals in the exercise industry to be aware of the warning signs and red flags that someone may be struggling with obsessive exercise.  These are just some of the signs that an individual may have an unhealthy relationship with exercise:

• Exercises above and beyond what would be considered a normal amount of time (For athletes, prolonged training above and beyond that required for the sport)
• Refusal to build in days of rest or recovery; Exercises despite injury or illness
• Athletic performance plateaus or declines (Overtraining Syndrome)
• Rigidity, inflexibility regarding exercise schedule
• Excessive concern with body aesthetic
• Withdrawal effects (sleep/appetite disturbance, mood shifts, intense anxiety) and feelings of depression or guilt when exercise is withheld
• Exercise is prioritized over family, work, school or relationships (sometimes to the point of neglecting important responsibilities or obligations)
• Exercise is the person’s only way of coping with stress
• Deprives self of food if unable to exercise (feels he/she has not “earned” or “does not deserve” the calories)
• Defines overall self-worth in terms of exercise performance
• After workouts, is plagued by thoughts like “I didn’t do enough” or “I should have done more”
• Rarely takes part in exercise for fun. Activities like hiking, paddle boarding, etc, don’t seem like “good enough” exercise.

If you or someone you know identify with this list, it may be time to step back and take an honest assessment of the exercise relationship.
Excessive exercise not only interferes with an individual’s daily life and interpersonal relationships, but it is also dangerous. Excessive exercise can easily result in overuse injuries and stress fractures which could be temporary or permanent.  Women may have menstrual irregularity and men may experience a decrease in testosterone.  Among the many other potential consequences, exercising too much can lead to decreased immunity and frequent colds or illnesses.  Over-exercise is often a sign of an underlying eating disorder.  Furthermore, recent research found that the frequency of over-exercise predicted suicidal gestures/attempts and concluded that excessive exercise should be noted as a potential warning sign of suicidality among individuals with bulimia. [source:Eating Disorders Review,  May/June 2013]

If your body is telling you that it needs a rest…
You should never exercise when you are sick or injured. When you have a fever, fatigue or muscle injuries, take the day off to help your body heal.  Even a very healthy body needs adequate rest in between workouts.  It’s recommended that you take at least two days off a week to allow your body time for healing and recovery.  Also, make sure that you are properly providing your body with enough carbohydrates, dietary fats, proteins and water to fuel your workouts. Proper hydration is critical when working out.  Dehydration can lead to overheating, muscle fatigue, headache, nausea and it impairs your body’s ability to transport oxygen.

Maintain a Healthy Relationship with Exercise
There are many ways to have a healthy relationship with exercise. First, it is extremely important that you have spoken to your doctors and they have all cleared you for exercise. Just like many things in life, moderation is the key to success.  Focus on establishing a balance between working out and other experiences, relationships and responsibilities in your life.  Consider combining a variety of activities that you enjoy and are convenient to your lifestyle instead of becoming overly attached to one type of exercise for a specific amount of time each day.  Hiking, golfing, dancing, biking, tennis, kayaking and taking your dog for that much needed walk are great ways to be active in different ways. Remember that the goal of healthy exercise is not to change your body but to care for your body so that it will allow you to enjoy your life.

If you think you may be struggling with excessive exercise, we encourage you to talk with someone close to you and seek help to establish a healthier relationship with exercise. Y

Blog contributions by Amy Gooding, Psy.D., CED Therapist