Today, fitness is an integral part of a person’s life. The broad concept means the general physical preparation of the body. In a narrow sense, this is a wellness technique that allows changing the shape of the body, its weight and consolidating the result achieved for a long time. The system combines physical activity with a properly selected diet. Selection is carried out individually: depending on age, sex, State of health, features of the figure.
However, it must be recognized that the younger generation is under very strong pressure. The media constantly bombard readers with advice about what can not be eaten and how to do it.
An idea is formed: to be happy, you need to be slim and well trained.
With this approach, a person who always loses weight experiences a constant fear of getting sick or getting better. He has a serious deficiency of necessary substances in the body – a state of «hidden»hunger. This inevitably affects the work of the heart, causes a decrease in the amount of calcium in the body and premature wear of the joints.
fitness-pros and cons
Experts say: an exorbitant passion for a healthy lifestyle is fraught with mental complications. Instead, people are given an athletic neurosis-a kind of stress, a kind of reaction to the rapid change of weather. According to doctors, the signs of stress and athletic neurosis are similar: difficulty falling asleep, night or early anxiety – at three or four in the morning-wakefulness, and in the afternoon – a feeling of fatigue and constant haste.
Many mistakenly believe that such malfunctions in the mode-this is the modern rhythm of life. However, the constant feeling that it is necessary to run somewhere has nothing to do with reality, it is rather a nervous disorder. And supporters of fitness, which are becoming more and more, treat these «little things» with increased physical exertion, causing stress inside. Sociologists observe an interesting trend: a few years ago, Sports neurosis was mainly affected by men, today women suffer from it more often. Most of them are people aged 30-35 years.
According to psychologists, to a large extent in the current situation, celebrities are to blame, who show thin figures, masquerading them as the result of healthy eating and fitness, but «modestly» silently about the numerous plastic surgeries and the cruelest diets.
there is simply no place for any interest and hobbies in life.
Throughout the world, there has been a trend that seriously worries sociologists, psychologists and doctors: the desire to eat only natural foods began to develop into idefix (Franz. fixed idea — «obsession»).
Excessive concern for the quality of food even took its own name – orthorexia. Orthorexia nervosa (orthorexia nervosa) is an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to eat healthy; leads to noticeable restrictions in the choice of food.
One of the many addictions under which a person can fall, prone to them by nature. The term was first used by American physician Stephen Bratman in the mid-90s of the twentieth century.at present, there are no strict diagnostic criteria for addiction and the diagnosis of «orthorexia» can not be officially made, but professionals widely use the term to describe eating disorder. A person obsessed with the idea of» proper Nutrition «builds his diet solely on the principle of» usefulness » of products, despite his own taste preferences. Any violation of the diet, even minor, causes anxiety and a strong sense of guilt. At the same time, there is simply no place for interests and hobbies in life. Causes of orthorexia: various complexes, contradictions, fears. Steven Bratman suggests that one of the reasons for orthorexia is the desire for superiority over others.
healthy eating-benefits
In his opinion, an individual who feeds on a certain system is obliged to make significant voluntary efforts not to violate the established rules. A person has to give up his favorite products, he devotes a large amount of time to Reading Health literature, «correct» cooking, Etc. all this causes a sense of pride, a sense of exclusivity and a condescending attitude towards those who are not capable of such self-control and self-discipline.
According to S. Bretman, in the end, the idea of proper Nutrition becomes the center of interests of the individual, creates the illusion of «purity» and «spirituality», and also allows you to maintain high self-esteem. Some authors believe that orthorexia is a kind of anorexia nervosa.
It is worth noting that people suffering from anorexia nervosa and those prone to orthorexia share similar character traits: perfectionism, high levels of anxiety and the need to control their lives. However, the difference between anorexia and orthorexia lies in the fact that in the first case a person is primarily concerned about the amount of food and its calorie content, and in the second – about its quality, that is, its composition and way of cooking.
In addition, people with a history of orthorexia do not always seek to lose weight (unlike people suffering from anorexia). Although in some cases weight loss is of some importance to them, the main goal of orthorexia is to preserve and improve physical health, as well as the feeling of «purity»of the body. Other specialists admit that orthorexia is a kind of obsessive-compulsive syndrome, and not an eating disorder (such as anorexia and bulimia). However, it should be noted that a person prone to obsessive States is aware of the irrationality and futility of his behavior, while those who have signs of orthorexia are convinced that adherence to a diet improves their health.
Still others believe that orthorexia nervosa is not a mental disorder, but simply a social trend that can nevertheless have negative effects on health.
Signs of orthorexia:
continuous study of the news of Dietetics;
daily reflections on the need to lead a healthy lifestyle;
constant fear of getting sick or getting better;
careful planning of the menu for the coming day and week;
complete rejection of favorite but «harmful» food» ;
complete rejection of fats, carbohydrates;
refusal to eat outside the house, because it is not possible to make sure of the correct composition and method of preparing the dish;
rituals of «proper Nutrition» in various variations (water for cooking should only be purified, each dish should be cooked in a separate container, the products can not be stored in the refrigerator more than a day, etc.).
The presence of more than three symptoms indicates the possible development of orthorexia.
Vulnerable group:
Representatives of the weaker sex. As a rule, it is because of the desire to change their own figure that they begin to experiment. A young girl or woman, insecure about herself and her appearance, begins to read Special literature about products and their properties, revise her diet, communicate with like-minded people. At first it’s good, but gradually thoughts about proper Nutrition become an obsession. Foods that seem controversial for health are excluded; there is a frequent rejection of friendly meetings in cafes, because there is no healthy food; there are problems in communication with others-who constantly wants to listen to the reasoning about healthy eating?!
People who are very attracted to the adjective «correct»: the right way of life, proper Nutrition, the right approach to everything that needs to be faced. Owners of such a warehouse of character subconsciously aspire to approval from the outside, because the «good» can not be evaluated negatively: neither by itself nor by others.
Perfectionists are individuals who do everything in their lives «for the five», who aspire in everything to perfection, who impose high demands on themselves. As you know, health does not happen much.
fitness illusion
However, some young people seriously lean on the stick. In the perfectionist, there is a correlation between the improvement of well-being and the practice of physical culture, or what he eats. Other ways to put yourself in the desired state, a person simply does not see. Control is lost, dependence is embedded in the life of the individual and begins to dominate. Now orthorexic subordinates his life to eating right, but not to staying healthy. And he is not engaged in fitness for well-being, but lives literally to attend workouts.
Finess Head 