I chose to do my paper on eating disorders, particularly anorexia. I think this is a very interesting and sad topic. It is relevant to exercise physiology because that can be defined as "how people adapt to exercise under a wide variety of circumstances and environments." Another was to explain it is as "the study of athletes and physically fit; study of sedentary and clinical or diseased people." Many athletes feel the need to maintain a certain body weight. Anorexia and bulimia are the paths that some follow.
             Anorexia is defined as an eating disorder in which the person suffering from it always believes he/she is overweight and goes to extreme measures to keep their weight down. They are afraid of gaining weight. Due to this, the person does not eat very much and they have a very low caloric intake. Anorexic people never believe they are skinny enough. Not only does a person physically suffer from this; there is also a mental problem. They have a very negative self-image and low self-esteem.
             Competitive athletic programs may place the participants at a higher risk for eating disorders. There are some sports that place an emphasis on losing weight quickly. Wrestling is a good example. These athletes need to lose a significant amount of weight to be in a particular weight class. There are also sports, such as figure skating, in which appearance is important. These athletes develop eating disorders in order to look good and "presentable." Some sports, such as gymnastics, require little bodies to perform better. The smaller you are, the more flips you can do. Eating disorders are not only characteristic of these sports, or any sport in that matter. Anyone can suffer from an eating disorder.
             Eating disorders damage your body in many ways. A person's body uses fat and carbohydrates for energy. Carbohydrates also refuel the body after a workout. If the body has no fats or ...