Exercise alleviates anorexia and bulimia

Anorexic patients who participated in healthy exercise as part of treatment gained 40% more weight compared to those who did not exercise, reveals a study by the Renfrew Center Foundation, Philadelphia. "This news may come as a shock to medical professionals who do not generally include exercise in the treatment for anorexia and bulimia," states Rachel Calogero, coauthor of the study.

"The findings support the philosophy that the primary purpose of exercise should not be for weight loss. Rather, it should promote positive attitudes about the body through establishing a mind-body connection, and alleviating physical and mental stress."

"Because of widespread misconceptions about exercise for patients, treatment facilities don't typically offer special programming," points out Renfrew CEO Sam Menaged. "The discovery that healthy exercise contributes to recovery opens a whole new understanding of the way [to treat] eating disorders."

An exercise program should include three levels that build on each other: sensing the self, supporting the self, and strengthening the self. Exercises ought to be drawn mainly from yoga, Pilates, resistance training, and sports conditioning.

"The idea ... is to change the patient's attitudes about exercise.... Women are encouraged to do something different.... For example, if a woman struggles with comparing herself to others during exercise, she is urged to focus on her breathing, pay attention to how her body feels, close her eyes, and experience the exercise for herself," explains Kelly Pedrotty, coauthor of the study.

Exercise abuse is a typical symptom of eating disorders, affecting anywhere from 33-100% of patients, and one of the last symptoms to subside after treatment. Ironically, the use of exercise aids in the treatment for exercise abuse, in which sufferers engage in chaotic patterns of workouts driven by self punishment or a need to acquire the permission to eat.

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