Food, Fitness & Sport

Our bodies need food as much as it needs oxygen and water.  Food is fuel. We need it to live, to work, to play.  But to some, food is scary, something that cannot be controlled or something to avoid or limit.  For some, eating is a problem.

Being active and involved in a sport are great ways to build self-esteem, improve physical and mental health, form friendships, and learn the value of working together as a team. Through sport participation, we learn how to win with discipline, how to rise from a loss, and how to push and challenge ourselves in the moment.  But when the intense pressure to win is coupled with an overemphasis on body weight, shape, or appearance, then the situation is ripe for a possible eating disorder to take root.

Studies show that anywhere from 6% to 45% of female athletes and up to 19% of male athletes struggle with an eating disorder.  Eating disorders can occur in every sport, but some sports can be higher risk than others.  What are some of these higher-risk sports?  Those that emphasize appearance, certain weight requirements, or muscularity.  Think gymnastics, diving, wrestling, rowing, and bodybuilding.  Endurance sports like running, swimming, and cycling may also be high risk.  Non-traditional sports like rock climbing and martial arts, as well as ballet and cheer can also put their participants at higher risk for eating issues. Some of the athletic attire doesn’t help either.  Having to wear revealing uniforms found in some high-risk sports  (e.g., swimming, diving, ballet, bodybuilding) is like pouring gas onto a burning fire, igniting body image issues that too often contribute to the development of eating disorders.  And the more elite and competitive the sport or activity, the increased likelihood of developing eating problems.

But it is not just the nature of the sport or activity that may put someone at risk for an eating disorder.  Equally important is the motivation and temperament of the athlete.   When you place a specific type of personality within a particular type of sport environment, the chances of eating issues developing increases.  Some of the psychological and behavioral characteristics that may predispose an athlete to an eating disorder include:

• Perfectionism
• Low self-esteem
• Prone to anxiety or depression
• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Lack of identity outside of their sport
• Sport-related injury which limits participation
• Muscle dysmorphia & body image disturbance
• Socially isolated
• Participating in a sport to please others
• Chronic dieting
• Excessive weighing and body checking

If left unchecked, eating disorders can lead to severe nutritional deficiency and a serious syndrome called relative energy deficiency in sport, or RED-S.  Simply put, this condition results from not eating enough food to fuel one’s exercise and training.  RED-S can impact male and female athletes in any sport or activity and at any level of ability. Receiving inadequate nutrition can have a marked impact on the body.  Reproductive health issues, including low libido, an increased risk of stress fractures, gastrointestinal issues, and decreased immunity, can occur.  RED-S can also negatively impact psychological functioning by exacerbating existing depression and anxiety.

“The skinnier I am the faster I am.”  “Overtraining leads to winning.” “I can never eat those cookies!”  I have heard these types of comments many times over many years of working with athletes.  When these inner thoughts become an athlete’s axiom, then the actions that follow—restricting food, excessively exercising, etc—can lead to physical and mental health problems.

Just as dangerous are the cruel comments from the outside that an athlete may have hurled at them about their body and performance.  And the source of these comments can come from classless trolls on social media to others whose opinions the athlete deeply values, including coaches, teammates and parents.  The words stick and metastasize.  They feed on the athlete’s self-esteem and desire to please, leading the athlete to manipulate their food intake to help manage their intense feelings.

The goal becomes to challenge rigid thinking and neutralize negative beliefs before they become entrenched and a part of an athlete’s mindset.  Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness.  Allowing yourself to experience your feelings without reacting to them.  Pursuing excellence, not perfection.  Recognizing the importance of having an identity outside of your sport – your role as an athlete augments you, it does not complete you.  And knowing the important function of food in training and competing.

Being physically active and participating in sports can nurture the body, soul, and mind.   It is an idea that is ancient, quite literally, dating back to the original Olympics in Greece. Sports help us connect to ourselves and to others.  Being coached can teach us discipline and focus.  Competing challenges us to stretch and grow.  Movement not only involves the physical self but also the mental – an athlete’s mindset can make or break a game.  But the foundation for all of this is food. Without it, the body and all that it can do stops.  It all starts with adequate fueling.  You may be familiar with the quote “form follows function” stated by famed architect Louis Sullivan.  I would say that in the world of athletics, as an athlete builds a healthy relationship to their sport, form and function follow food, for nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy mind and body.