At BodyMatters we have recently had an influx of enquiries from people who frequent gyms and have noticed other members exhibit behaviour that appears to be suspiciously ‘eating disordered’. It can be a horrible feeling being either a staff member at a gym, or a gym member, witnessing someone’s weight drop to dangerous levels in front of your eyes- and feeling absolutely powerless to do anything about it.
Be mindful that it is impossible for you to diagnose an eating disorder: eating disorders are complex mental illnesses and you cannot tell just by looking at someone whether they are sick. Also be mindful that, whilst weight is in some ways an obvious indicator, many people with eating disorders are a “healthy weight”. A gym is often a mine field of eating disorders sufferers, however in many cases this is not apparent.
People with eating disorders usually display a cluster of symptoms. Some indicators that may be obvious in a gym setting include:
* Weight fluctuations or weight loss
* An exercise regime that increases in intensity- such as exercising every day of the week or exercising more than once per day
* An unsafe or compulsive quality to the exercise, such as with an injury or at an abnormal pace
* Exercise prioritized disproportionately to other aspects of the persons life
* Distress exhibited when the exercise regime is interrupted or cannot be completed
We firmly recommend you approach the person of concern and facilitate them into specialized treatment for the problem. Also, everyone in a gym environment can promote a healthy relationship with exercise to ensure the gym is not a breeding ground for eating disorders.
5 tips for coaches/ gyms
1. If you are concerned about someone, refer to your employer’s policies. These should include parameters around who is welcome to participate in a gym programme and procedures about potential managing health issues in members, including eating disorders. If this is not in the existing policy we recommend you raise this with your employer, who can approach an eating disorder specialist to assist in developing something appropriate. Having formal guidelines and parameters is very helpful in reinforcing your duty of care.
2. Approach the person of concern and establish a ‘health plan’. This will enable you to obtain vital information about their weight, height, strength etc and monitor how they are progressing. Should it become apparent that they do have a problem, or your concern about their health increases, you are well positioned to present your case.
3. Do not be afraid about approaching someone you have concerns about. Do so in a caring and non-judgmental manner. Educate yourself on eating disorders first. Seek to understand how they are going, rather than accuse them of having a problem. Your objective is to get that person into specialized treatment (contact The Butterfly Foundation for referral information). Ambivalence about the problem is a normal part of the illness, so they may not agree they have an eating disorder however they may still agree to consult a doctor.
4. Undertake research into what might be appropriate (and inappropriate) for a person to participate in if they do have an eating disorder. Exercise in a group, controlled environment is usually the most helpful to ensure these parameters are adhered to. Some guidelines can be found here.
5. Ensure the gym culture reinforces information and education about healthy exercise, establishing limits around this. Educate about the benefits of rest. Adopt and reinforce a health-based approach to exercise. Do not participate in weight-focused exercise.
5 tips for gym members
1. Alert your concern to management of the gym, and provide them with information regarding your concern. They may not have noticed the problem. Some gyms might turn a blind eye to the problem, for numerous reasons. However knowing that their members are concerned about someone’s welfare may push them into action if they are not doing anything.
2. Educate yourself on eating disorders. This will assist you in your judgment and understanding of their situation.
3. Approach them from a position of concern, not judgement. Talk to the person about how they are feeling.
4. Keep your concern and friendship broad- focus on them as a person, rather than being preoccupied about the possible eating or weight issues.
5. Suggest they ‘check in’ with a doctor or mental health professional.
Yay!!! i remember u guys were talking about this on fb the other day!!! this sort of thing is so necessary… i used to go to fitness first and there was this woman who was ultra skinny and doing lots of intense cardio … i had no idea what to do and besides i was ill myself with an ED… she would exercise for at least 2 hours at a time which doesnt sound too much but when you are that skeletal whatever the reason its dangerous!! i dont think any of the gyms staff ever said anything to her… : (
thanks for this it is a scary situation and it is hard to know what 2 do
Thank you for an excellent article! I think people so often either avoid the topic because they don’t know what to say or are judgemental due to limited knowledege of the facts of a disorder. You addressed both of these issues!
I love how you provided such practical tools for readers.
I disagree that fellow gym members should approach the “person of concern”. Instead, I believe they should approach the gym staff with their concerns. It’s most likely that staff are prepared to handle a situation such as this, and more likely to handle it in a more tactful and discreet manner. As a person with an eating disorder, I know I’d be much more comfortable and responsive being confronted by a staff member than another gym patron.
i agree with lucinda- when i was sick with ED i would have been horrified to be approached by a fellow gym patron at the gym!!
at the same time lucinda i think what the author has said is right, that many times gyms turn a blind eye to the situation in which case rather than watching someone deteriorate in front of your eyes you can try to do things to assist them at whatever stage of their ED they are at.
i remember from time to time seeing people who were very very skinny and overexercising and the staff did not seem to do anything, – and fair enough maybe no gym members reported anything to staff about it but surely staff must have known there was a problem, it was so obvious. : (
Fortunately Annnie, the staff at the gym that I used to go to were aware and acknowledged the fact that there were gym members that had eating disorders. My instructor knew that I had an ED, and was extremely supportive and understanding. He wanted me to feel comfortable at the gym and feel that I could go there and not be judged or scrutinized by the other gym members. He told me that it gave him peace of mind knowing that I was working out in the gym, where I could recieve immediate first aid treatment if needed. Sadly not all gyms realize that they have a duty of care to their patrons, and find it easier to turn a blind eye rather than get involved.
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My eating disorder (recovered for several years) resurfaced BECAUSE I went to the gym. within hours I was panicking, now I am unwell and although I want to, I can’t seem to touch a thing.
Maybe encouraging the people you’re worried about to stay away for a while is best.
Yh There is this lady at my gym and she does at least two hours of intense cardio, NON STOP… she comes in, stretches, and then gets down to cardio, everytime I go in there she is there on the same machine… it seems quite obvious to me and a few other members in the gym she has a problem but personally I don’t feel as if I’m in the right position to confront anybody because someone-else could easily suggest to me that I’m overweight so therefore I have an eating disorder… but literally it’s really bad her clothes are extremely big for her now and shes very skinny…. I want to help but not seem intrusive and I don’t want her to take it the wrong way, she might think I’m just jelous because I’m not slim like her… any tips/ advice???