Eating Disorder Awareness
Over the past few weeks there have been some rich discussions regarding eating disorders in climbing. Two IfSC medical professionals resigned earlier this month due to the inaction of the IFSC on implementing safety measures to safeguard athletes from the dangers of eating disorders. This is an important conversation! There are major risks to physical health and mental health when engaging in disordered eating behaviors to gain an edge.
Many endurance sport athletes (runners and rowers) and athletes in sports where the weight to strength ratio factors into performance (wrestlers and rock climbers) inherently struggle with how to safely use this tactic to gain that extra edge in competition. We can all understand the pressure to strive for a best performance and using all at our disposal to make that happen. Athletes, however, need to know the real dangers to both physical and mental health when one leans on this tactic. The truth is this strategy may have some short-term positive results but ultimately it undermines performance and more importantly, health.
This restricting strategy places an athlete at great risk as it creates a pattern of disordered eating which can for some, develop into a full-blown eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia have the highest risk of death of any mental health disorders! (Heiken, Hoek 2020). As we have these important conversations, we need to be careful not to judge and jump to conclusions. You can’t tell who is struggling and who is not by just looking at physique. A struggling athlete needs compassion and support.
Raising awareness to the dangers of manipulating weight as a strategy and educating coaches, parents and young climbers about this risky practice is a must. Let’s encourage positive strategies and engagement to promote health and longevity in sport.
We have a free download on eating disorders available for gyms and coaches to post in their gyms to raise awareness to this important issue.
Additional Resources:
National Institute of Mental Health
van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2020). Review of the burden of eating disorders: mortality, disability, costs, quality of life, and family burden. Current opinion in psychiatry, 33(6), 521.
Comments by Climbing Professionals:
Kai Lightner
Alannah Yip
Dr. Volker Schöffl
