This video is about former elite level gymnasts: Aubrey Balkin and Jeremy Welks, who tell us their story, as well as the stories of several other gymnasts, of their daily struggle with Anorexia/Bulimia
•Significantly higher rates of eating disorders found in elite athletes (20%), than in just a regular group of women who don't partake in judged sports activities (9%).
•Female athletes in gymnastics, ballet, figure skating and sports along those lines were found to be at the highest risk for eating disorders
•In both healthy athletes and athletes with eating disorder, they both found traits in common such as perfectionism, high self-expectations, competitiveness, repetitive exercise, compulsiveness, drive, tendency toward depression, body image distortion, pre-occupation with dieting and weight.
Eating disorders commonly exist among athletes involved in sports that place great emphasis on being thin. Sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, dancing, and wrestling have a higher percentage of athletes with eating disorders, than sports like field hockey, basketball, or soccer. Eating disorders affected 62 percent of females in aesthetic sports. Female athletes with a genetic predisposition to eating disorders may develop them as a result of restricting calories in an attempt to be thin. They may do so in order to please coaches and judges, or they believe that it allows them to have a competitive advantage. Comments from coaches about body weight can cause an athlete to resort to dangerous methods to get down to a Coach's perception of "fit" and can cause serious emotional damage to the athlete.
In sports where athletes are judged both technically and artistically , they can feel a huge amount of pressure to be thin. Many judges consider thinness to be an important factor when deciding the artistic score. Athletes with eating disorders can be at a risk for complications such as electrolyte imbalances and cardiac arrhythmias. Therefore, because they are already partaking in strenuous physical activity and putting a lot of pressure on their bodies, they have a huge risk of many different complications which increases the risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrest. It is usually very difficult to convince athletes that they are in need of help because they usually believe that they will become a better athlete if they lose more weight.
•Female athletes in gymnastics, ballet, figure skating and sports along those lines were found to be at the highest risk for eating disorders
•In both healthy athletes and athletes with eating disorder, they both found traits in common such as perfectionism, high self-expectations, competitiveness, repetitive exercise, compulsiveness, drive, tendency toward depression, body image distortion, pre-occupation with dieting and weight.
Eating disorders commonly exist among athletes involved in sports that place great emphasis on being thin. Sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, dancing, and wrestling have a higher percentage of athletes with eating disorders, than sports like field hockey, basketball, or soccer. Eating disorders affected 62 percent of females in aesthetic sports. Female athletes with a genetic predisposition to eating disorders may develop them as a result of restricting calories in an attempt to be thin. They may do so in order to please coaches and judges, or they believe that it allows them to have a competitive advantage. Comments from coaches about body weight can cause an athlete to resort to dangerous methods to get down to a Coach's perception of "fit" and can cause serious emotional damage to the athlete.
In sports where athletes are judged both technically and artistically , they can feel a huge amount of pressure to be thin. Many judges consider thinness to be an important factor when deciding the artistic score. Athletes with eating disorders can be at a risk for complications such as electrolyte imbalances and cardiac arrhythmias. Therefore, because they are already partaking in strenuous physical activity and putting a lot of pressure on their bodies, they have a huge risk of many different complications which increases the risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrest. It is usually very difficult to convince athletes that they are in need of help because they usually believe that they will become a better athlete if they lose more weight.
Coaches and trainers should educate themselves on the dangers and signs to look for in an athlete who may be suffering from an eating disorder and be able to recognize when healthy training turns into an obsession where the athlete turns to drastic measures to become thin and succeed. Coaches should bring in nutritionists to teach athletes about healthy eating and make them aware of how important it is to eat properly. Counseling should also be made available to athletes that are suffering from eating disorders and they should be encouraged and supported to accept help.
Coaches should encourage and help the athlete to maintain a healthy routine that will not put them at risk of harming themselves. Resorting to dangerous methods of weight control to try and succeed and win competitions can be a great risk to long term health. No gold medal is worth dying for.
Early recognition and treatment is imperative to prevent life-threatening complications.
More than one-third of division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia risk factors were identified by a recent survey. It can be easy to miss the signs of anorexia in many athletes because, depending on the sport, we often expect them to be very thin.
Involvement in athletics can offer many benefits, such as increased self-esteem, improved body image, and good physical health. However, it can cause immense physical and mental pressure when competition is taken to the extreme. Division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia are becoming more and more of a concern as fiercer competition in college athletics makes it a more prominent issue.
Risk factors for division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia include:
Coaches who focus on the athlete as a whole person, as opposed to focusing only on performance and achievement, help reduce the risk of athletes developing anorexia. Developing a healthy attitude toward body size is important. Coaches and teammates should not encourage unrealistic weight loss.
It is especially important to identify division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia and make sure they get appropriate treatment because they have a high risk of cardiac arrest from strenuous activity because their hearts are already weakened
Coaches should encourage and help the athlete to maintain a healthy routine that will not put them at risk of harming themselves. Resorting to dangerous methods of weight control to try and succeed and win competitions can be a great risk to long term health. No gold medal is worth dying for.
Early recognition and treatment is imperative to prevent life-threatening complications.
More than one-third of division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia risk factors were identified by a recent survey. It can be easy to miss the signs of anorexia in many athletes because, depending on the sport, we often expect them to be very thin.
Involvement in athletics can offer many benefits, such as increased self-esteem, improved body image, and good physical health. However, it can cause immense physical and mental pressure when competition is taken to the extreme. Division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia are becoming more and more of a concern as fiercer competition in college athletics makes it a more prominent issue.
Risk factors for division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia include:
- Sports that focus on the individual instead of the entire team.
- Sports that emphasize appearance and weight
- Endurance sports, such as track and field, and swimming.
- Anorexia is most common in women, but about 10 – 15 % of anorexics are men.
- Coaches who focus solely on performance and achievement rather than on the person as a whole.
- Training for a sport since childhood
- Low self-esteem.
- Pressure from family, friends, team members, and/or coach to lose weight.
Coaches who focus on the athlete as a whole person, as opposed to focusing only on performance and achievement, help reduce the risk of athletes developing anorexia. Developing a healthy attitude toward body size is important. Coaches and teammates should not encourage unrealistic weight loss.
It is especially important to identify division 1 NCAA athletes with anorexia and make sure they get appropriate treatment because they have a high risk of cardiac arrest from strenuous activity because their hearts are already weakened