Jill Will Run

Jill Will Run Note: As someone who is in recovery from an eating disorder, I like to share information about ED’s and how they can affect people in all different walks of life.  Sometimes it is nice to have something that is from a view other than my own.  Today’s post comes from Marina Salsbury.

While many college students are excited about the changes that take place when they’re finally able to move and start enjoying the life of study, new friends, college parties, and all of the enjoyment college life represents, it’s also an intimidating time. For some students, the stress from college might push them over the emotional edge into exercise disorders, eating disorders, or a combination of both situations.

Disordered Eating in College

College life is stressful and has numerous changes all students eventually face when they move out of their parents’ houses, register for classes online, and begin meeting new peers and teachers. For some students, the high stress combined with the sudden changes can harm emotional balance and lead to eating disorders. The heightened social pressure to staying thin, fit, and beautiful on top of other stressors leads college students into disordered eating habits.

Some figures suggest around 30 percent of students develop eating disorders while they attend school. More specifically, it’s disturbing to note around 60 percent of women attending college develop disordered eating. These shocking figures, massively higher than statistics for the general population, illustrate how much pressure exists in the college environment that makes it more likely students will fall into bad eating habits.

Exercise and Eating Disorders

While exercise in general is suggested by doctors to maintain a healthy body, in individuals who have eating disorders it can become a serious threat to health instead, due to the likelihood of developing compulsive exercise habits.

Compulsive exercise occurs when people exercise to completely burn calories from foods they eat or more than is healthy for their bodies and goals, and is characterized by feeling anxious or guilty for not exercising every single day. It’s difficult to draw the line between rigorous and compulsive exercise, particularly for athletes, but some indicators are present as warning signs of compulsive behavior.

In general, people are at risk who always exercise alone, discuss losing weight as their goal even if they have a healthy weight, exercise when injured or sick, seem anxious or irritable when they can’t exercise, suddenly increase the amount of exercise they do each day, or suddenly lose a large amount of weight.

Exercise and eating disorders are seen in both men and women, but in general affect more women than men throughout college. The two main factors that put female athletes particularly at risk of developing eating disorders are the sociocultural and psychosocial factors. In many sports, a lean body is preferred and might even be part of the way the athlete is judged, as in gymnastics or ballet. This sociocultural risk factor athletic girls might face makes them more susceptible to trying to lose weight to look thinner.

Psychosocial factors vary between individuals, but might include considerations like perfectionism, achievement-oriented attitudes, and high self-expectations necessary for an athlete to succeed. When those attitudes meet with low self-esteem, poor stress-management, and negative feelings, it might result in the development of an eating disorder.

While the risk of disordered eating combined with compulsive exercise is a problem athletes and students of all ages might face, due to the added stress on college students, they are more likely to develop these problems than the general population. In college, the pressure to stay thin and fit meshes with heavy study loads, homesickness, and other anxieties to create a situation where students, particularly young women, might turn to extreme measures to reduce their weight.

Determining Appropriate Exercise and Food

The amount of food and exercise an person needs depends on numerous factors such as personal health, athletic goals, and body type. For example, athletes working toward running a marathon will need to exercise more than the average student because they’re reaching for a specific athletic goal rather than a weight loss goal. The amount of food appropriate for each individual will depend on the number of calories burned in exercise, body weight and height, and specific nutritional needs.

In general, people should discuss appropriate nutrition for their personal needs with a doctor or dietician. This will help determine what foods are most needed by the body and an appropriate dietary plan. While specifics will vary, most people should eat around 1500 to 2000 calories a day while exercising between 30 minutes to one hour a day.

Eating disorders are a serious problem in college, particularly among women. Friends and relatives of college students should watch for sudden weight loss, extreme exercise habits that start suddenly, or any other odd behavior relating to exercise or eating. If students show signs of compulsive exercise, disordered eating, or both problems, friends and family should encourage them to seek medical attention and help.

Marina Salsbury planned on becoming a teacher since high school, but found her way instead into online writing after college. She writes around the Web about everything from education to exercise.