Obsession with Body Image

When I go to my athletic club these days, I see a very thin woman, borderline anorexic, working out obsessively. She is a young professional woman, probably in her late 20's, who has been going to my gym for more than a year. She gets to the club around the same time as me on week nights, then runs on the treadmill or uses the stair climber for an hour. Meanwhile, I warm up on the rowing machine, do a bit of strength training and cardio, stretch, and take a shower. When I leave the gym to go home and make dinner, I see "Annie Rexic" still going at it on the elliptical machine, barely moving the pedals.

Can You Exercise Too Much?

I work out regularly and I am slender myself so why does it bother me to see a thin woman with extreme exercise habits? Because it is disturbing to see a young woman doing something healthy to an unhealthy extreme. We know extreme dieting is harmful but there are long-term effects from extreme exercise as well: poor nutrition, menstrual dysfunction, and low bone density. In fact, eating disorders and over-exercising often go hand in hand. 

Is Annie just an avid exerciser or is she an obsessive exerciser? Besides being too thin, there are other signs that you may be exercising too much. According to Theresa Fassihi, Ph.D., there isn't a clear standard on how much exercise is too much. I know from reading running magazines that avid runners put in more than 50 miles of running a week. But I also know that avid runners don't typically choose to run so much on a treadmill unless the weather is bad. It seems rather compulsive to run eight miles or so on the treadmill as Annie does multiple times a week.

If you have an exercising disorder, you also may be very preoccupied about your body's appearance, weight and muscle mass. - Dr. Theresa Fassihi 

Yes, you can exercise too much. If you do over-exercise, you just might have an unhealthy body image. 

Learning to Have a Healthy Body Image

When I was young, I was very critical of my own body. My skin was too white. My hips were too wide, my legs too skinny, my butt and chest too flat. I was self-conscious about my perceived imperfections. I have the same "flaws" today but I have learned to have a much healthier, realistic body image. 

Rejecting criticism that doesn't fit. I have learned that people will criticize you for being thin just as people will criticize you for being over-weight.  When I was about Annie's age, an older co-worker asked me if I was anemic because I was pale and thin. I was offended by her question. I was fit and trim and protected my skin from the damaging rays of the sun. Appearances can be deceiving. I could be just as wrong about Annie's health as my coworker was about mine. I'm not a doctor. I don't know what is going on in her life or in her head that compels her to exercise so much. 

Loving your whole self. I have learned to see myself as more than the sum of imperfect body parts. I have learned to like all of me - my brains, my introverted personality, my kind heart. Sure, some of the parts of my personality and my body aren't perfect but when you throw them all together, I make a decent package (imho).  Isn't this the way we look at other people? We look at our friends and family and see that they're not built perfectly yet we love and accept them anyway.

Appreciating your genetic heritage. I see my father in the way I grin. I see my mother in my eyes. But my body shape isn't anything like my mother's. Many years ago, I visited my paternal grandmother and she showed me a picture of her standing next to my aunt. I had a sudden shock of recognition. My aunt's body shape was so much like my own. There is something really cool about seeing the way genes are passed down from one generation to the next. Besides that, what is the point of criticizing what is genetically determined?

Changing the things you can. I can't change the length of my legs or the width of my hips to make my body more proportional. I can't spot gain any more than a person can spot reduce. I can't tan because I don't have enough pigment in my skin. I learned to accept myself and to reject our culture's beauty ideals. To me, fitness is the best beauty secret. I learned that I have control over my fitness. I can make my muscles and my heart and lungs stronger. That's empowering! When you exercise regularly, three to five times a week, you see results. Not just on the outside but also on the inside. 

1. Being a healthy role model for other women. I am not a model of physical perfection but I am a model of healthy living, not just for young women like Annie but also for my peers. I model self-discipline and consistency. I model working hard and having fun. I model setting goals and achieving them. I make healthy eating choices more often than not. I exercise regularly three to five times a week with rest days in between so that my body can rebuild and recover. That's not obsessive - it's healthy. 

To me "Annie Rexic" looks like the thin women in photoshopped ads like the ones Target recently used to sell swimsuits to teenage girls. I am encouraged that our culture is beginning to reject the idea that women should look like this. I can't do anything about Annie's exercise obsession but I can look at her with compassion and show her what a healthy woman looks like.