When Exercise Stops Being Healthy: 10 Red Flags for Athletes and When to Start Eating Disorder Therapy
Exercised is usually celebrated and praised. However, when athletes receive positive feedback for extreme dedication, is this harmful or helpful? The line between commitment and compulsion can become a bit blurry. Many athletes don't realize the shift until injury, burnout or disordered eating patterns have taken over. This is not about being anti-exercise or sport. It is about having a healthy relationship with it. Eating disorders in athletes are on the rise and the relationship between an athlete and exercise is a key factor. So let's dive in!
Why Athletes Are Especially At Risk
Athletes are at an increased risk for compulsive exercise and eating disorders for many reasons. Sports culture praises pushing through pain, making it feel "normal" to train even when injured. Perfectionism and discipline are often personality traits of an athlete. This means if lean body ideals are emphasized in the team culture, it feels like a must reach goal. Identity becomes tied to performance and anything possible to improve performance is attempted!
The 10 Red Flags Exercise Is Becoming Unhealthy
I want to be clear that compulsive exercise does not mean you have an eating disorder. However, you can still benefit from eating disorder therapy because the two have a similar healing process. Whether you have body image concerns or are using exercise as a way to compensate, finding a supportive environment on your recovery journey is key. So let's get into it and start breaking down the red flags of compulsive exercise.
Red Flag #1: You Feel Guilty or Anxious When You Miss a Workout
Do you find it extremely difficult to take a rest day, leaving you with crippling anxiety? When exercise impacts your mental health in a negative way, you may want to start questioning if it is compulsive. It is okay for exercise to be a tool in your tool belt of coping skills, but when it is the only tool or leaves you feeling worse, it is time to question it.
Red Flag #2: You Exercise Even When Injured or Sick
Are you feeling a nagging pain in your calf, but the thought of pausing your training cycle feels like it can't be an option? The fear of losing fitness or process can create so much anxiety that you don't allow yourself to heal. This can result in a long-term injury, rather than a week off. Ever get a cold and decide to run anyway, to then get a nagging cough that won't go away. Rest is important for recovery of all sorts!
Red Flag #3: Rest Days Feel “Wrong” or Uncomfortable
Do you find it difficult to sit still or take days off? You are not alone. Sports culture tries to engrain in athletes that the more you push, the better you will be. However, research shows that rest is an important part of recovery. In eating disorder recovery, you may notice a constant urge to move or burn calories. The fear of weight gain from rest can take over. Eating disorder therapy is about finding lasting recovery through healing your relationship with rest and recovery.
Red Flag #4: Your Self-Worth Depends on Your Workouts
Sports culture makes you feel as though you need to live up to a certain expectation. Connecting your self worth to having a good workout or never missing a workout can leave you feeling exhausted and drained. Performance is not your full identity, but if you struggle to separate the two, you may benefit from eating disorder therapy.
Red Flag #5: Exercise Is Used to “Earn” or “Undo” Food
For eating disorders in athletes, exercise is often used as a compensatory behavior. A compensatory behavior is anything that involves trying to "reverse" the intake of food. Think compulsive exercise, vomiting, restriction, or laxative use. This can lead to binge-restrict or binge-exercise cycles that leaves you stuck.
Red Flag #6: You Prioritize Exercise Over Relationships or Life Events
Prioritizing exercise over relationships can leave you feeling lonely and isolated. Have a supportive space of peers or family is so important in the healing journey. If you notice yourself skipping social outings because of workouts or feeling irritable when there are any schedule changes, you may benefit from eating disorder therapy.
Red Flag #7: Your Training Volume Keeps Increasing but Satisfaction Decreases
Mental health takes a toll when we aren't enjoying our sport anymore. Do you find yourself continuing to push in training, but feeling burnt out and exhausted after? Maybe you are chasing the "high" of a good workout, but never getting that feeling back. This is a common feeling when we do not allow ourselves breaks.
Red Flag #8: You Experience Frequent Fatigue, Injuries, or Illness
Are you experiences any of these symptoms:
Chronic soreness
Poor sleep
Hormonal disruption
Stress fractures
Sick often
These are common symptoms when feeling burnt out, fatigued and overworked.
Red Flag #9: You Feel Panic When Your Routine Changes
Your boss calls and asks for a last minute project, leaving you no time for your evening workout. You suddenly start to feel panic take over, as you try to figure out how you can possibly fit it in and get your work done. Maybe you were planning on going out for a run but it starts storming. Can you risk running during a lightening storm? That doesn't sounds smart, but now you have to change your plans and panic sets in. These are just two examples of how changes in your routine may impact your mental health in a negative way. In eating disorder therapy, you learn how to incorporate flexibility as a part of overall wellbeing.
Red Flag #10: Exercise Feels Compulsive, Not Enjoyable
You dread going out the door to your workout every day. It stopped being enjoyable months ago, yet you continue to push. Your fear of losing fitness is the only thing keeping you motivated right now. Exercise feels like an obligation, not a tools for positive mental health.
How Compulsive Exercise Affects Mental Health
Compulsive exercise impacts both mental health and physical health. But let's start with the mental side of over exercising. Anxiety around taking rest days, changes in schedule or not doing "enough" can lead you to feel burnout quickly. You may notice isolation from peers, increasing depression. The strive to be "perfect" in your sport can lead to a higher risk of eating disorders in athletes.
How It Affects Physical Health
These may not be as obvious because you cannot see the symptoms can be hidden, until they aren't anymore. We often don't know bones are breaking down until the stress fracture happens. Hormone health is sometimes chalked up to be moodiness or exhaustion "just from being an athlete". Same goes for losing a period. Your immune system starts shutting down because it is not "essential" and you find yourself sick often.
Recovery & Hope Section with Eating Disorder Therapy
It is important to remember that the goal is not to take away exercise. It is to be able to add flexibility and balance. Movement can become joyful again. So let's break down the first steps towards a healthier relationship with exercise in eating disorder recovery.
When to Seek Professional Help From an Eating Disorder Therapist
First things first, is when to seek professional help from an eating disorder therapist. If you notice multiple red flags present in your life, that is your sign! If you noticed exercise is tied to food or weight or injuries. keep happening, it may be time to take a look at your relationship with exercise. Working with an eating disorder therapist will help you separate worth from performance and learn to build an identity outside of your sport.
Conclusion
Athletes deserve support. You can love a sport without harming yourself physically or mentally. The healing process improves performance and long term wellbeing. Serendipity Counseling offers in person therapy sessions in NJ, as well as virtual eating disorder treatment. If you resonate with these 10 red flags for athletes, here are a few actionable steps to take to get started in eating disorder therapy.
Schedule a free consultation with Serendipity Counseling. Kate, our eating disorder therapist for athletes specializes in guiding folks through healing their relationship with exercise.
Chat with Kate and see if you are a good fit!
Schedule your first therapy session and get started on your healing journey.
If you are looking for other forms of support, check out our support groups, featured eating disorders and athlete podcasts, or our many blogs!
About the Author: A Compassionate Eating Disorder Therapist in NJ
Kate Ringwood brings both professional experience as an eating disorder therapist, but also personal experience. As someone that worked to heal her relationship to running, Kate loves treating eating disorders in athletes. Schedule a free consultation to get to know Kate more.
