Gymnastics And Eating Disorders

By Author: Murray Hughes
Total Articles: 15
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Gymnastics can be a high-stress and high-maintenance sport
for even the most emotionally stalwart of children. After
all, gymnastics pressures its participants for physical
perfection -- for flawlessness of form in gymnastics
routines and, sometimes, in appearance. You should always
keep an eye on the progress of your child or children.
Meeting and opening up lines of communication with their
coaches, speaking to their peers and their peers' parents
will help you keep watch over their physical and emotional
states. Creating a network of eyes and ears like that will
certainly take a load off of your mind, that's for certain,
especially if you find yourself unable to make all of your
child's meets or practices.

Emotional and Physical Distress

Emotional distress can most certainly develop as a result of
peer judgment or insults and even from off-color comments
made by coaches. You need to keep close watch over what
happens here, because extreme emotional distress can result
in more serious problems in the future, including bulimia
...
... nd anorexia, two of the most common -- and most dangerous
-- eating disorders known today. We will discuss those
later, however. Be sure to talk to your child about how he
or she is feeling. Talking will usually bring problems out
into the open, so that you can work toward correcting them
and restoring the confidence that is inherent in your
child. Self confidence is one of the many keys to good
health and to success in gymnastics.

Physical distress is sometimes more easily spotted than
emotional distress. If your child has been injured in an
event or during practice, you can usually see the bruises,
the scrapes, or the swelling. Sometimes, though, physical
distress in a gymnast can be somewhat puzzling. If your
gymnast has suddenly taken ill, feels muscle cramps or
stiffness, is fatigued all of the time, or complains of
general soreness, it may be wise to check up on his or her
progress with the coaches. Overexertion can definitely
lead to problems--sometimes, it may even be necessary to
decrease the amount of strenuous exercise until conditions
improve. In the meantime, you should make sure that their
nutrition is proper -- that they are eating enough, and,
certainly, that they are taking in enough fluids.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that stems both
from physical and emotional distress, in most case, as a
result of judgment passed by peers or coaches or by society
itself. In today's world of stick-thin models, where
appearance is everything, your gymnast may be pressured to
drastically and quickly reduce body size. Typically, the
behavior associated with bulimics is binge eating and then
purging. In other words, they may take in thousands of
calories of fatty food, only to vomit it back up again; all
the while, they may also use laxatives. This will eat away
at the enamel of the teeth, causing the gums to recede
(eventually, all of the teeth may need to be removed), and
also cause the salivary glands to swell. The laxatives
eventually cause rectal bleeding. A person who has this
disorder may retreat to the bathroom for long periods of
time or keep large stashes of high-calorie food around the
house.

Those afflicted with bulimia nervosa are typically easier to
coax out of their routines than those who have anorexia
nervosa. They are also more responsive to therapy. It
might not even be necessary for hospitalization, save for
the severest of cases, which typically include dehydration.
Good communication can help prevent all of this from
happening.

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is certainly the more severe of the top two
eating disorders that afflict young gymnastics athletes
today. Anorexia is rather like bulimia in that an anorexic
does not allow food to be digested -- but they take it one
step further, and avoid food completely. Laxative use may
be present, as well, which is exceedingly dangerous. An
anorexic will shy away from situations that involve food.
Eventually, the malnutrition will get to a point where
blood pressure drops, body temperature drops, bone density
decreases, hair falls out, and the skin becomes grayish and
scaly. Lanugo, a downy body hair, may also develop.
Anorexia is fatal in up to ten percent of cases, and if it
is not, it may require hospitalization and psychiatric
treatment in the end.

This is, of course, why you must maintain communication with
your gymnast and his or her coaches. Encourage your child
or children. Don't let emotional distress develop into
something far more serious. Let them know that they are
already incredible for their involvement with gymnastics.
They don't need to take mean comments to heart -- and they
do need to relax occasionally. Have fun with them! It's
best for all involved.

And with that, good luck to you.

By Murray Hughes
Gymnastics Secrets Revealed
The book EVERY gymnastics parent should read

http://www.gymnasticssecretsrevealed.com/gymnastics-articles/gymnastics-eating-disorders.htm
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