Athletes and Eating Disorders-Personal Observation

Among my research to the National/International topic of my editorial, I began paying more attention to my fellow athletes that I am surrounded by daily. Though tennis was not on the list of sports where eating disorders are most commonly found, I realized that watching the kinds of foods we put into our bodies tends to go along with just being an athlete. For instance, chowing down on a Big Mac with cheese, a large order of fries and a soda is enough to make me want to gag, let alone I'm sure I would feel incredibly sluggish during a match or practice had I chose this for a meal. Instead, my choice would be somewhere along the lines of a turkey sand which, trisket crackers, and an apple, orange or banana. Making healthy choices when it comes to meals goes hand-in-hand with the amount of energy I feel to get me through a practice or meet, or at least that is how I think.

This same theory can be applied to those in the sports of gymnastics, dancing and ballet, our thin-bodies desired sports. Those who choose to starve oneself, anorexia, or binge-eat and then purge, bulimia, are not getting enough nutrients to go on doing their daily regimen of practices and competitions. They are running out of energy because their bodies are so low and scarce of these necessities. An affect of this is their bodies turning to other organs to try and find anything to help energize the body to keep it going. Let's face it...food is an essential part of all of our everyday lives. We NEED food to survive--that's obvious! Starvation and/or binge-eating is not the key to keeping weight off. It's simply supplying our bodies with the right foods it needs to allow us to do the daily things we want/need to do.

Athletes, more than ever we need food. Think of the total amount of calories one burns in a practice setting alone. What about a day filled with lifting and conditioning, practice and then a competition the following day? Now think of the strain you put on your body when in competition, it tends to be far more than just at practice. Often times I wake up sore and stiff from a meet, however I know that eating the right foods help restore the muscle fibers I have slightly torn from competing and lifting. Without these essential nutrients replenishing my body I would continue to break down muscle fibers in my body resulting in possible injuries.

I have known other athletes who think being thin will help them compete at a higher level, well, if you are starving yourself from the nutrients our bodies need...Good Luck with that!