Eating disorders

Today I want to talk about eating disorders, a very delicate and serious topic that affects a large part of the population, especially people between 12 and 25 years old, mostly women. Unfortunately, the age range is increasingly broad, and a large proportion of men of all ages can suffer from it.

Sport, a helpful tool

We live in a consumer society where image is a symbol of success: perfect bodies (in magazines, blessed by "Saint Photoshop"), sculpted, those skins, those muscles... The saddest thing is that we live in a society affected by a Global Epidemic: OBESITY.

How is this possible? I mean, they sell us a body image standard that is impossible and they contaminate our food to make it more addictive so we gain more and more weight!

Being a teenager in this era is very tough; eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are very dangerous and very difficult to fully cure.

Precisely, our sport, fitness, bodybuilding... or whatever you call it, is a great helpful tool. You might think I'm wrong, because it's also true that in this philosophy of life of ours, there are many bigorexics, people obsessed with food, people who sacrifice their lives to pursue a sculpted body. Gentlemen, that is not our sport. As the saying goes: there has to be a bit of everything in God's vineyard.

How a fitness lifestyle can help with eating disorders

An authentic Fitness or Bodybuilding lifestyle is a very positive way to help heal all people suffering from eating disorders:

• You improve self-esteem through exercise.
• You "face" the mirror: looking at yourself directly and accepting yourself, seeing that you are a beautiful being, with your flaws and virtues and without it causing you suffering.
• You improve your eating habits and understand that to improve your body, our system is THE BEST:
• Eating 5 times a day, hydrating your body well by drinking water.
• You learn true and correct concepts about nutrition.
• BALANCED diet: a little bit of everything, a lot of nothing... that's the key to a healthy body.
• Nutrition - Emotions Connection. With improved nutrition through sport, not only will your muscles be stronger and more beautiful; you strengthen the "muscle" of the brain, your head, your thoughts, your feelings... you are better nourished and have more control over compulsive behaviors. - You teach your body to cope with these crises (not eating, binge eating - vomiting, harming yourself by abusing laxatives). You feel stronger, and you no longer feel like doing those things.
• Your social life improves: there are very good people at the gym! Extroverted people, quiet people, strange people, serious people, old people, young people... but we all go for the same reason. To disconnect, have a good time, forget about everything else, and focus on yourself and feeling better.

I could talk about this topic far exceeding the 400 words I need to stick to for this article (in fact, I already have) and believe me, this sport saves lives, and I say this from personal experience. Many, many years ago, a young woman who almost didn't make it... who ended up competing professionally, who is now a nutritionist and physical trainer, and who collaborates for a great team called Weider Nutrition Spain.