Subtle ways fitness culture fosters eating disorders

Reports show that most people who make New Year’s resolutions set goals around fitness and improving physical health. This can be an admirable goal that may have benefits for your mental health as well. But with the rise of “fitness culture” — including “fitfluencers” on social media — it’s crucial to understand how external factors can influence your behavior. 

Fitness culture is a sociocultural phenomenon that focuses on certain types of fitness, not just for physical health but also to change body appearance and size. The specific goals of fitness culture vary from the glamorization of thinness or the celebration of muscular bodies. 

While some aspects of fitness culture may be inspiring or motivating, it can also encourage symptoms of eating disorders. If you think your fitness goals are turning into an eating disorder, it’s important to get professional support.

What’s the relationship between fitness and eating disorders?

It can be hard to measure the connection between fitness culture and eating disorders, but one way scientists look at this relationship is through studying athletes. Researchers have found that up to 45% of female athletes and up to 20% of male athletes live with an eating disorder. This suggests athletes may be more likely to develop an eating disorder when compared to the general population.

Not only can fitness culture contribute to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder, but it may also lead to lesser-known conditions like anorexia athletica and orthorexia.

• Anorexia athletica: While not recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), anorexia athletica still needs to be taken seriously. This condition commonly affects athletes and involves symptoms like excessive calorie restriction and overexercising to lose body fat.
• Orthorexia: This condition is characterized by an obsession with “clean” eating. People with orthorexia may become hyperfocused on nutrition labels and refuse to eat anything that doesn’t fit their rigid requirements. Orthorexia isn’t yet recognized in the DSM-5, but it’s a serious condition that can lead to or be linked with other types of eating disorders.

These two conditions are particularly dangerous because they’re often disguised as a dedication to fitness. People who live with anorexia athletica or orthorexia may not even realize their behaviors are signs of an eating disorder. This can make it more difficult for them to get the diagnosis and treatment they need.

How can your fitness journey promote an eating disorder?

Setting a goal to improve your physical fitness doesn’t typically lead to an eating disorder. It can be positive to focus on fitness, as physical health can impact our mental health. But for some people, taking fitness to the extreme may develop into an eating disorder or body dysmorphia.

Some of the ways fitness culture can subtly foster eating disorders include: 

Unrealistic standards on social media 

People who frequently follow “fitfluencer” accounts on social media may be at a higher risk of developing a negative body image, body dysmorphia, and unhealthy eating behaviors, including symptoms of orthorexia. 

So much of what fitness influencers post on social media is edited or filtered. This can set an expectation to look a certain way that’s humanly impossible. People — especially young people who haven’t yet developed digital literacy — may resort to disordered eating to try to achieve that look.

Eating disorder communities online

There are also eating disorder communities that can be found online, both disguised and undisguised. Some eating disorder communities are helpful, like ones offering peer support to people recovering from eating disorders.

Other eating disorder communities, however, may attempt to disguise themselves as fitness or weight loss communities. These communities can be harmful because they promote unhealthy weight loss strategies and expectations that can lead to eating disorders for some people.

Fasting

Some people include intermittent fasting as a part of their fitness journeys. It’s a popular tool among fitness influencers. Although fasting may be done in healthy ways, without the supervision of a medical professional, it may turn into a form of severe calorie restriction. This can lead to eating disorders like anorexia for some people.

Bulking and cutting

Bulking and cutting is when people try to build lean muscle through alternating between calorie-dense and low-calorie diets. Research has shown that bulking-and-cutting dieting patterns have become very popular, with around half of men aged 18–30 (and one in 10 women, transgender people, and gender nonconforming people) engaging in this type of dieting.

Researchers have also found a high correlation between bulking-and-cutting dieting patterns and eating disorders. People who engage in bulking and cutting — primarily men — are more likely to develop muscle dysmorphia, also known as “bigorexia.” 

Exercise addiction

Some people may also develop exercise addiction, which is a compulsive urge to workout even when there may be physical consequences. Studies have found that exercise addiction frequently co-occurs with eating disorders. Exercise can be positive for your mental health, but balance is key. 

Building a healthy relationship with fitness

Physical health and fitness are components of a holistically healthy life. But there can be a blurry line between wanting to be healthy and trying to meet an unrealistic standard that society has set. 

Fortunately, there are many ways to build a healthy relationship with fitness, including: 

Practicing self-acceptance 

Think about your motivations for setting fitness goals. Do they come from a place of self-love — wanting to nourish and care for your body — or from a place of self-loathing? Are your fitness goals a way of punishing your body or trying to change it because you dislike the way it looks? 

Building digital media literacy

Fitness culture can contribute to eating disorders through media, including social media. To combat this, it’s essential to build digital media literacy — the ability to think critically about the images and information you find online. 

In addition, if you notice any account making you feel guilty about your eating habits or bad about your body, unfollow them. A fitness journey isn’t about comparing yourself to others. It’s about building habits that make you feel better in your own life.

Working with a therapist 

A therapist can help you discover your motivations for wanting to eat healthier or improve your physical fitness while identifying any concerning signs of an eating disorder. 

If you’re concerned that you may have an eating disorder, know that help is available. Many effective treatment methods, from therapy to nutrition education, can help with body dysmorphia and eating disorders. It’s important to work with a mental health professional to receive a diagnosis and build a treatment plan that works for you and your lifestyle.

Find care with Rula

Setting fitness goals in the New Year isn’t wrong — in fact, improving your physical health is likely to improve your mental health as well. But our current culture around fitness and the pressure it puts on people to look a certain way can subtly foster eating disorders. Be critical of what you see online and focus on your own goals — not comparing yourself to others.

If you’d like some extra support with staying grounded in your goals or for eating disorder treatment, a therapist can help. Through Rula, 120 million individuals are eligible to receive therapy covered by insurance. 

Find a therapist with Rula