Although it may seem counterintuitive, exercise could be used as an intervention for — or even a way to prevent — eating disorders.

“When it comes to eating disorders, exercise has always been seen as a negative because people use it as a way to control their weight,” says Heather Hausenblas, an exercise psychologist at theUniversity of Florida. ” But for most people, exercise is a very positive thing.”

Hausenblas says results of her research show it’s not necessarily bad for people with disordered eating to engage in exercise. In fact, she says, “The effects on self-esteem, depression, mood and body image can reduce the risk of eating pathologies.”

Psychology of exercise

Researchers surveyed 539 normal-weight college students, most of whom were not at risk for eating disorders. They evaluated the students’ drive to be thin, along with their exercise habits and risk for exercise dependence and used statistical models to find potential relationships.

They found that, more than its physical benefits, the psychological effects of exercise could help prevent and treat eating disorders. The findings are reported in European Eating Disorders Review.

Read the full article at ConsumerAffairs.

ill like a paratrooper, often three times a week. Most days she took the dog for a brisk, hour-long walk. She didn’t eat unhealthily – the rest of the family ate exactly the same meals, and did a fraction of the exercise she did. She ought to have been the slimmest of the bunch: that she remained overweight was a frustration to her, and a mystery to all of us.

From StairMasters to kettlebells, Rosemary Conley to Natalie Cassidy, we understand and expect that getting in shape is going to require serious effort on our part – and the reverse is true, too, that we expect exercise to pay back the hours of boring, sweaty graft with a leaner, lighter body. Since the days of the Green Goddess, we’ve known that the healthiest way to lose weight is through exercise. It’s science, isn’t it?

Well, science has some bad news for you. More and more research in both the UK and the US is emerging to show that exercise has a negligible impact on weight loss. That tri-weekly commitment to aerobics class? Almost worthless, as far as fitting into your bikini is concerned.The Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit medical research establishment in the US, reports that, in general, studies “have demonstrated no or modest weight loss with exercise alone” and that “an exercise regimen… is unlikely to result in short-term weight loss beyond what is achieved with dietary change.”

It sounds faintly heretical, if not downright facetious. And it’s a scientific discovery that most health professionals are, naturally, keen to downplay. After all, exercise is still good for us. It’s just that, in defiance of decades of New Year resolutions, it’s unlikely to make us slim.

Read the full article at The Guardian.

Researchers revealed that individuals who took part in exercise programs that were designed to make you feel better about yourself instead of weight loss, tended to have a healthier approach towards eating and life.  Depending on what exercises the individual does, weight can even be gained back in the form of muscle.

During exercise, health officials suggest the need to emphasize that fitness can be used to make the body feel rejuvenated rather than just burn calories.   The study showed that individuals who took part in healthy exercise with anorexia gained more than one-third more weight than those who didn’t have anorexia.

Exercising also plays a very valuable mental role in that it can alleviate an individual’s anxieties about eating.  Individuals may also learn the importance of how exercising can increase your self esteem, and improve your quality of life.