Most experts agree that exercise bulimia is hard to diagnose, but there are ways to tell if you might be using exercise in an unhealthy way to control your appetite, your weight, or your life.
According to About.com, "if you use exercise to purge or compensate for eating binges (or just regular eating), you could be suffering from exercise bulimia."
Here are the top 5 warning signs:
5) Missing work, parties or other appointments in order to workout
4) Working out with an injury or while sick
3) Becoming seriously depressed if you can't get a workout in
2) Working out for hours at a time each day
1) Not taking any rest or recovery days
Just like regular bulimia exercise bulimia has to do with control much the same way people with eating disorders use food as a way to take control of their lives. But About.com goes on to say, that exercise bulimia, "can turn into an endless workout if you're not careful since most folks never feel satisfied with their bodies or their fitness levels, no matter how much they exercise."
The dangers of too much exercise are very real.
Here are just some of the possible negative consequences of exercise bulimia:
- Injuries such as stress fractures, strains and sprains
- Low body fat - this may sound good but, for women, it can cause some serious problems. Exercising too much can cause a woman's period to stop which can cause bone loss
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Reproductive problems
- Heart problems
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