SPRINGER: Muscle obsession unhealthy

Although it is normal for everyone to wish for a better body, some people take it too far.

We are familiar with the unhealthy pursuit to be thin that can manifest as either bulimia or anorexia. However, doctors are now seeing a new variety of body obsessions.

Muscle dysmorphia has been described by some researchers as a condition that causes individuals to develop a pathological pre-occupation with their muscularity. Others have termed the condition "reverse anorexia nervosa."

Most of the research done on the topic of muscle dysmorphia has linked it to body dysmorphic disorder, a pre-occupation with a defect in appearance.

An example of dysmorphic disorder aired on a late-night news program. The story presented a man that was so obsessed with his abdominal area that he could neither look at nor touch his own stomach.

He feared his abdominals were flabby and disgusting. He even taped pictures around his house of the "ideal" midsection from various fitness magazines. In reality this man was not fat but had an unhealthy obsession about his body.

Simply, people who suffer from muscle dysmorphia want to be bigger. They want to gain muscle, not fat.

Most are convinced that they are too small and obsess about being frail and weak. Like victims of anorexia, they harbor a body image that is in conflict with their actual appearance.

Author Staci Mason, points out in IDEA Magazine that unlike anorexics, who consider themselves too heavy, people with muscle dysmorphia perceive that they are small and scrawny.

Because individuals with this condition appear to be very fit, the condition often goes unnoticed until the situation becomes dangerous.

Although this condition is difficult to identify, there are some tell-tale signs. Often, sufferers lift weights for hours each day. They overtrain because taking a day off would defeat everything they have worked so hard to gain. In addition to overdoing resistance training, they may engage excessively in cardiovascular training for an hour or more daily.

Some also abuse anabolic steroids in an attempt to achieve the muscle mass they think exercise alone cannot provide. Even when informed about the dangers involved with these substances they are willing to take the risk.

Many victims also have a history of disordered eating patterns. Of course, not everyone who has made great improvements with their physique and diet suffers from this condition. It is the individuals who take exercise and dieting to an extreme, usually prompted by sociocultural influences, that are in danger of hurting themselves.

The consequences involved with muscle dysmorphia usually manifest on the home front. Relationships with friends, family and significant others can be ruined.

Problems arise when individuals selfishly put their extreme exercise programs before the needs of other people in their lives. Since people with this disorder are extremely self-conscious at all times, they cannot relax and enjoy life without worrying about being ridiculed for their self-perceived inadequacies.

Approaching someone that you think might have this disorder is very difficult. Like any eating/body disorder, getting the person to admit they have a problem is nearly impossible.

By showing the person the negative results of their behavior such as health detriments and torn relationships, they might be able to recognize the problem.

Education is the best way to prevent this disorder by encouraging healthy exercise and eating habits.

Kim Springer and her husband, Mike, are Certified Personal Trainers and owners of Springer Training. They can be reached at 233-9442 or at their Web site www.springertraining.com.