I first want to start off by saying that my brother has accused me of being anorexic. Of course this was not true, but I became very defensive against this accusation. I can see how those that do actually have that eating disorder would become so upset with those who are close to them confront them. Nobody likes to think they have a problem. When I was accused of being anorexic, I took a look at my daily food habits to see if I did have an issue, but the more I thought about it, I ate just fine, if not too much and never slipped away after meals to get rid of it.
I could not imagine depriving myself of food or vital nutrients to help me succeed in a sport that I enjoyed competing in. I love food way too much. Anorexia athletica is a horrifying term to me. Not only are these individuals anorexic, but also athletes! Being an athlete burns more calories, therefore more calories are needed to be consumed in order maintain muscle mass and performance. If you take away those calories, the body finds other ways to ‘feed’ itself, which happens to be muscle. Take away muscle, and you hinder performance. The body may be thin, but at what cost? Kidney failure, heart issues, loss of muscle coordination.
When will it be enough for society to change its mind about how a body is supposed to look and instead just accept the bodies they were given.
Being a runner, unfortunately it isn't too uncommon to see anorexia and also anorexia athletica. It is absolutely heart breaking to see a person self destruct in this manner. At first, performance is often times enhanced just feeding more into the problem. Having a teammate that struggled with eating disorders, it was incredibly difficult to reach the individual- it was obvious that she would not be willing to get help until she came to terms with the issue. It is a heart breaking disease that inevitably will effect them in more ways than one; physically, mentally and emotionally. Coaches have a huge responsibility in combating eating disorders in their sport.
ReplyDeleteKallie, I could not agree with you more. I also believe that society and the media have an incredibly wrong view of what it means to be beautiful or have a perfect body. To think that people feel they must starve themselves or throw up in order to look good is crazy to me. Anorexia Athletic is an aweful disease. I have had the opportunity to deal with a few athletes who have it and it is honestly horrible. Not only does the performance and health suffer, but it has a severe negative impact on their mental state and self confidence. I actually worked with an athlete several years ago who I found out recently she had committed suicide. I learned that they reason for this what due to the stress of not being "perfect." It is so sad to think that she thought the only solution for not obtaining "perfect body" was to end her life. It is just terrible to think about. I also feel more should be done about how the society imagines the perfect body.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point about your brother, Kallie. Of course his accusations may have come off strong and off-putting, but I'm sure you recognize in hindsight that they were out of the love he has for you. Besides the point. This thought takes me back to our class discussion regarding approaching confrontations with those we assume have an eating disorder. I think it's even more difficult for a family member to mention it to someone of their kin. I know for me personally it would be incredibly difficult to approach my sister with the notion of her having an eating disorder, whereas in a previous post on my blog, I was willing and able to approach a friend about a similar matter. In retrospect, telling the one's you love the most that you have an issue with their bodily habits seems to be one of the more challenging aspects of being part of a family. Where is the line drawn, and how do each of us weigh the benefits and disadvantages of addressing such a touchy subject?
ReplyDeleteKallie-There was a girl in my high school who became a runner. She started losing weight and got many compliments(myself included) about how good she looked. she also became a very competitive runner. I think initially this helped her self esteem, but then it turned into an obsession. She started smoking, passed out frequently, had to sit out during track meets and basically seemed miserable. she went to college and had a breakdown. But she at least got help then and is doing well now. Everyone saw the self destruction but her. Body image is a real issue and can destroy lives.
ReplyDeleteKallie, I'm sorry your brother gave you such a hard time growing about being thin. I received similar comments from an older cousin who might as well be a brother when i was growing up as well. Society is so consumed with having "the perfect body" but what does that even mean? Whats perfect to me may be disgusting to someone else. I think we all just need to stop ridiculing everybody else and star accepting people for who they are, not what they look like.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you shared what your brother said. Have you ever been able to talk to him about what it meant for him to make that accusation? I can only imagine what it would feel like to have a family member express something like that. I am grateful that so many of you in our class are in positions where you will be able to intervene in cases of those who are anorexic, bulimic, and/or have anorexia athletica.
ReplyDelete