Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center

Tracking Your Teen’s Treadmill Time

IN ADOLESCENT HEALTH

Your teenage daughter has just joined her school’s soccer team and can’t get enough of dribbling the ball in the backyard, going to the gym for weightlifting, and running laps around the neighborhood. While part of you is relieved that she’s finally found a physical activity she enjoys, you’re worried that her two-hour workouts might be sapping her energy more than supplying it. You know the benefits of exercise to your teen’s health and growing body, but can there be too much of a good thing? Yes, say the experts at www.webmd.com. It’s estimated that about four percent of Americans suffer from exercise bulimia, also called compulsive exercise. And the numbers are rising, despite the fact that obesity is also on the rise among American teens. Exercise bulimia is a disorder, just like classic bulimia. But instead of purging the binged food, individuals push themselves to shed the calories with exercise. The condition is just as common in men as in women, and unfortunately, the havoc wreaked on their bodies can actually outweigh the benefits of exercising. The damaging effects of excessive exercising include:
  • overuse injuries
  • exercise amenorrhea (the absence of menstrual periods)
  • decreased estrogen production, which can lead to decreased bone mass
So how do you know if your teen is a compulsive exerciser? If your child is working out more than an hour a day (excluding school sports) you might have cause to worry. Watch for your teen becoming upset if he or she misses an exercise, exercising at odd times of the day, and constantly questioning his or her appearance. If you see these characteristics in your child, consult your physician or your child’s pediatrician. The good news is that complete recovery is possible if your teen seeks help from a physician or psychologist.
Conflict of Image They’re everywhere your teen looks. In movies, magazines, and on MTV, your child sees pictures of super-skinny models of perfection. So how does your teenager measure up? In their minds, they may not even come close. In an attempt to reach this unattainable ideal, your child may choose starvation, bingeing and purging, or excessive exercising as his or her method of losing weight. Each disorder is dangerous, and each is real. Often, men and women combine bingeing and purging with excessive exercise to lose the weight even faster. The warning signs of bulimia (constant bingeing and purging) include:
  • eating large amounts of sugary, high-fat foods at one time
  • making excuses to avoid eating with others
  • disappearing into the bathroom for long periods of time after eating
  • obsessing with appearance
  • mood swings
  • having to run an unexpected errand (going to buy food)
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