Personal Fitness Professional - August 2008 - (Page 9)

We have the opportunity to lower this statistic, but we need to be able to recognize the warning signs and approach a client that appears to need help. Education We can only be as eﬀective as our knowledge allows. This is why it is vitally important to know the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, since they take many forms. As professionals, our role is Do not ignore the situation — address it. not to diagnose a client but to enModel healthy behaviors in your own life. courage them to seek help. We can Focus on health & performance, not weight. only do this if we know what to look Refer the client to a professional. for when it comes Stay within your scope of practice. to certain types of eating disorders. consulting lting tips would consume in one sitting — and then induce vomiting or use laxatives. They may do this as a release for their feelings of inadequacy and as punishment for the large amount of food they recently consumed. These actions take a toll on their bodily systems. A professional may recognize a person that has bulimia by their obsession with weight and food, frequent sore throats or swollen glands, frequent use of laxatives, bruised or callused knuckles, bloodshot eyes, light bruising under the eyes and depression. Be ﬁrm, yet empathetic. in private. Anorexia Nervosa A Talk person suﬀering with anorexia limits the amount and type of food they eat. As a result of low self-esteem and possible depression, they will seek to control the one thing in their lives they feel they can: food intake. The consequences are gradual but steady; there will be signiﬁcant weight loss. The person may be obsessed with being thin and complain of feeling fat, and they may also be obsessed with calories and fat content in foods. Some will turn to laxatives or diet pills to assist in starvation. In addition to weight loss, a ﬁtness professional can notice other signs associated with anorexia. They include thinning or brittle hair, ashen or gray skin, dizziness, complaints of feeling cold, low blood pressure, menstrual irregularities, constipation, insomnia, fatigue, mood swings and complaints of feeling worthless. Bulimia Nervosa A person living with bulimia will resort to bingeing and purging cycles in order to control their weight. They will eat a large quantity of food — more than the average person Exercise Bulimia Exercise bulimia, or compulsive exercise, requires the person to exercise beyond the limits that are normally considered safe. They use exercise as an outlet for their anxiety and to burn calories. For some, exercise validates eating. Exercise bulimics use the normally healthy activity of exercise in excess, oftentimes having a negative effect on their bodies. This excess often stems from a need for control in their lives and is used to forget about the anxiety, depression and guilt that they often feel. Compulsive Overeating and Binge Eating Compulsive overeaters and binge eaters have an “addiction” to food. They go through binge cycles as a way to cope with their feelings of inadequacy, low selfesteem and shame for being overweight. They tend to overeat to feel better, but they simply feel worse because of their actions — so they overeat again. People suﬀering from this addiction are at risk for a heart attack, hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney disease, arthritis and stroke. On the surface, all eating disorders may appear as nothing more than a weight gain or loss. In reality, they are linked to much deeper issues of depression, obsessive/compulsive disorders and emotional conﬂicts. Unless these issues are addressed, a person who suﬀers from an eating disorder will never fully recuperate. Liability The ﬁtness professional has an ethical and legal responsibility to a client that displays signs of an eating disorder. This liability must be addressed while continuing to stay within the scope of practice. The ﬁtness professional cannot: • Prescribe • Diagnose • Counsel On the contrary, a professional can: • Make general recommendations regarding nutrition and exercise • Screen for exercise limitations ➤ AUGUST2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 9 http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

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Personal Fitness Professional - August 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor It's a Weighty Issue Current Controversies Streamline with Digital Neuro-Linguistic Programming Continuing Education Mark Your Calendar Act Like You Know About Marketing Blog For Fun and Profit Exercise Spotlight Product Profile New on the Market Spotlight: Krystal Davis

Personal Fitness Professional - August 2008

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