Trigger Warning: Eating Disorders
My first inclusion and wellbeing post is about relationships with food, with the aim of highlighting something that is rarely publicly talked about in the running and orienteering world. This information has been sourced from qualified practitioners, including Renee McGregor (leading sports and eating disorder specialist dietitian) and Rhiannon Lambert (registered nutritionist).
There’s a very fine line between thinking carefully about what we put into our bodies and obsessing over it and restricting it to harmful levels. How to maintain a healthy relationship with food can be a big challenge for runners and orienteers due to the constant pressure to perform, and due to a sport that pushes us to constantly compare ourselves to our competitors, amongst other things. I’m sure the stress of uni and lockdown are also having a negative impact on individuals and their relationship with food.
The key to healthy relationship with food is to remain open-minded. Being too rigid, restrictive, or strict about nutritious eating can cause long-term health problems. It’s important to remember that your diet isn’t just the food you intake, it’s your mentality surrounding eating, it’s how you perceive certain foods, it’s the information you consume, it’s the thoughts you feed your body and the way you talk to yourself.
What does a positive relationship around food look like?·
There is no obsession or stress surrounding food, or any anxiety towards social situations which involve food.
· Food is seen as both fuel and a pleasure.
· Food is supposed to be enjoyed and not everything has to be nutritionally dense. · · · Foods are not labelled as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
· There is no unnecessary restriction of certain food groups.
· You nourish your body with balanced foods, spaced out throughout the day.
· You make sure you fuel adequately prior to training and recover well after.
· Food does not control your thoughts or your happiness.
Impacts
A difficult relationship with food can have many long-term effects. One of those is the risk of developing mental health struggles, including eating disorders. Added to this, athletes can be more prone to things such as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), leaving them fatigued, more prone to injury, and hormonally imbalanced.
Men get them too
It is hard to overstate how important it is that male athletes speak up about their struggles. For every man who speaks up and redefines what an eating disorder looks like, there is someone out there who will realise I have done that before. There is someone out there who will realise that they are not alone and that there is no shame in getting help.
Despite the stereotype, about 1 in 3 people struggling with an eating disorder is male. Unfortunately, men are less likely to seek treatment for their eating disorder than women, which is an issue needing to be fixed. Freddie Flintoff (former professional cricketer) has done a really personal documentary regarding his struggle with bulimia, which I recommend watching.
Link here:https://www.bbc.co.uk/…/freddie-flintoff-living-with…
If anyone feels as though they are struggling at the moment, there are four things that you can do
· If you are financially able, book to see a counsellor or psychologist, alongside a nutritionist to work with them. There is absolutely no shame in this. You can recover and you can be happy again, sometimes we just need a little help.
· Visit Beat’s website at https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/supporting-someoneor ring their helpline on 0808 801 0677 (open 9am–8pm during the week, and 4pm–8pm on weekends).
· Listen to Renee McGregor’s and Kriss Hendy’s podcast ‘Trainbrave’ on all things regarding sustainable training and eating.
· Unfollow any accounts on social media that are harming your mental health.
Things to say to someone who may be struggling with an eating disorder
· “I might not understand, but if you need someone to talk to, I will help as much as I can.”
· “How can I best be a friend to you during this time?”
· “You’re worth more than your eating disorder.”
· “I know it’s difficult, but I’m proud of you.”
All in all, not knowing the right thing to say to someone with an eating disorder can be daunting. If you are not sure what to say, just being there to listen makes a big difference.
Reminders
· Eating disorders are not always visible.
· Kindness and support go a long way.
· Shaming yourself for eating something is unhealthier than anything you could have eaten.
· Weight is not an accurate sign of health.
· You do not have to earn your food and exercise should never be used as a punishment for what you just ate. Nourish not punish, always.
· You cannot outrun a poor diet.
· You are unique and will require something different to the person next to you.
· It does not matter what you ate yesterday or last week, you need to eat today.
I hope this has opened up the topic a little more, although it is only scraping the surface. As always, I’m here to chat when anyone needs.