Athlete’s Seek Help As Well
At first glance, athletes that need eating disorder help don’t seem to mix. Being active is a healthy choice that usually encourages a healthy diet. However, there are athletes that can develop an eating disorder. This type of eating disorder can be a little different from an eating disorder caused by other circumstances.
Quite a few athletes that develop an eating disorder do it to meet a specific requirement. There are some sports that actually have a desired weight, such as ballet. This is a common example because many ballerinas have been struggling with eating disorders for a while and have needed anorexia treatment. It’s a serious pursuit that requires a petite body type in order to do certain moves. Some people, men and women, are so driven that they start to starve their bodies to lose weight to get the ideal body type.
Not all athletes that develop an eating disorder participate in stereotypically female sports. For instance, wrestlers may wind up developing an eating disorder. This can be common because wrestling pays close attention to the weight of a participant. Each wrestler is put in a weight class that they usually need to stay in. If a wrestler is outside of that class they may be disqualified.
In order to stay within a weight class, a wrestler may go to extremes to shed pounds. One way to do this is to not eat. They may eat very little or not at all the day before the match. Some wrestlers focus more on shedding water weight. This can include wearing more layers than necessary. Wearing these layers helps the person sweat a lot in order to lose water weight fast. They will sit in a sauna fully clothed in sweats. Wrestlers may even spit a lot to also shed some water weight. Sometimes a wrestler will actually need to gain weight to stay in their class. This can be a bit trickier than losing the weight. Sometimes a wrestler will actually binge eat to gain weight quickly. Both the behaviors to lose weight and gain weight put wrestlers at risk for seeking eating disorder treatment.
Going to extremes to achieve a specific weight can seriously harm the body. Drastic weight changes can even damage the metabolism, which will affect a person’s ability to maintain a healthy weight later in life. If any sort of purging is involved for losing weight it can create an imbalance in the body. Repeating any of the behaviors can quickly cause an eating disorder because it becomes part of the person’s life.
If an eating disorder does develop it’s important to get help as soon as possible. Seeing a professional will help a person change the habits and overcome the cause of the eating disorder. An excellent eating disorder treatment program option is to visit a treatment clinic, such as Avalon Hills.
One of the most effective ways to receive help is through a one-on-one treatment program. This type of treatment is focused on the one person in order to meet their specific needs. As the treatment continues, a person will probably participate in group treatment. A combination of these treatment styles is also effective. The most important thing is for a person to get help if they’re suffering from an eating disorder.
