 |
|
||
     |
|
you are in: nutrition >> sports nutrition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whether
you are an athlete on one of Brown's varsity teams, someone who
works out regularly at the gym, or are just considering getting
more physically active, you may be wondering how what you eat and
drink affects your performance. The world of sports nutrition can
be particularly confusing, because you may get conflicting information
from magazines, web sites, coaches, or friends. Should you eat special
foods before you compete? Should you take special supplements to
bulk up? Can you be a vegetarian and expect to be powerful? Checking
out the topics and web links in this section will help you fuel
up for fitness. Do
nutrition needs of an athlete differ from other students? To compare how your nutritional needs as a more active person might differ from the non-athlete, you first may want to review nutrition recommendations for all healthy people. Check out our section about the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. You may also want to take a look at the current Food Guide Pyramid, with its range of recommended servings that meet the varying needs of most individuals, including many athletes. The 5
major food groups in the Food Guide will give you the major nutrients
your active body needs:
An athlete's
specific needs within each of these nutrient groups is discussed
below. How
Many Servings Do I Need Each Day? Number of servings per day
**You need 4 servings of dairy products (including calcium-fortified dairy substitute products) per day until age 24, when your bones near their maximum bone density. 3 servings plus a 500 mg calcium supplement is also sufficient. ***Olive oil, canola oil and other oils from plants, nuts, and seeds are the heart-healthiest sources of fat, but animal fats like butter and higher-fat dairy choices can also be part of a healthy diet when used in moderation. Click here for more information on serving sizes. Adapted from: U.S. Department of Agriculture and
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How much protein do I need?
Recommendations for daily protein intake (male or female):
*For example, a 150 pound recreational exerciser would require about 60 g per day of protein, or the amount contained in 5 ounces meat or meat substitute, plus 3 servings of dairy products. Additional protein, over the needed 60 g per day, would be consumed in grain products. **For
the athlete whose goal is to build larger quantities of muscle mass
(body builders, football linemen, etc.), food intakes are shifted
upwards in terms of total protein intake. Using the example of a
200 pound body building athlete, with protein needs of 0.7g protein/lb
of body weight, total protein per day = 140 g, or the equivalent
of 11 ounces of meat or meat substitutes, plus 4 servings of dairy,
and 11 bread/grain servings. This may seem like a lot of food, but
remember that 1 slice of bread is a grain serving and 3 ounces of
meat is a protein serving. By spreading out your intake in meals
and snacks throughout the day, you will find that it is fairly easy
to get your protein and other nutrient needs met and stay energized. Many athletes, especially those whose goal it is to gain muscle mass and who are in strength-type sports often hear that "more is better" when it comes to protein intake. Millions of dollars each year are spent on special protein supplements, and you may be eating double portions of entrees at Food Services in an effort to bulk up. It is a fact that the protein needs of athletes are higher than the less active person. These needs are easily met, however, in the average diet of most student-athletes, and extra protein supplementation is NOT necessary Protein eaten in excess of recommendations will be used by the body as a fuel, as would be carbohydrate. If you take in more protein or carbohydrate than you need for muscle production or fuel, the body will store the excess as fat tissue. Some researchers have examined excess protein intake (more than 4.5 g/lb body weight per day), and are concerned that there may be possible health concerns with this type of diet. Some risks include kidney damage, loss of calcium from bones, dehydration, and an overall unbalanced diet. Athletes who eat many high protein foods and take protein supplements in addition may be at risk for some of these health concerns. Protein supplements can be a useful add-on to your diet if you are truly not eating a well-balanced diet. This means including at least 2 main dish type protein foods per day (or 3 if you are male and at the highest level of training), plus getting several good quality grain servings and 3 dairy or dairy-substitute products per day. We recommend eating a well-balanced diet rather than using protein supplements. They are usually very expensive, and are often recommended for short-term use only. It is far less costly, and just as fuel-efficient, to get your protein from the foods and drinks easily available to you…and tastier as well! An important
physiological fact is that added protein intake alone will not build
muscle. To see an increase in muscle mass, you will need to do strength
training and add extra calories to your diet. These calories should
be mostly in the form of extra carbohydrates, with only small amounts
of additional protein. How
many carbohydrates do I need? Here
are some examples of carbohydrate amounts per serving:
Foods from the meat/meat alternative group and from the fats/lipids group do not have appreciable amounts of carbohydrates. Recommendations
for daily carbohydrate intake for most athletes:
As with protein, you can easily meet your carbohydrate needs without special supplements. Two exceptions would be:
Carbohydrate is really the "key player" of all the nutrients for your sports nutrition power plate, whether you are a serious athlete or are just ramping up your activity level. They are essential as the most immediate and efficient fuel to the muscles. Carbohydrates also function to spare the body's having to use protein as a fuel source. In its circulating form in the blood, carbohydrate is called glucose, and its storage form in muscles and in the liver is called glycogen. When you first begin to exercise, your body draws on the circulating glucose as its first source of energy. If you haven't eaten in a long time, your glucose levels are likely to be low (you've probably heard the term low blood sugar). If you are an early morning exerciser and go out for a long run before eating, this can be a real problem. You may have trouble completing the run at full speed, or have real trouble focusing well in morning classes, even if you do eat after exercising. Many morning athletes find that taking in some juice or water and a plain piece of bread before exercising can help solve this problem. Glycogen, as the storage carbohydrate, kicks in when circulating glucose drops to a lower level. Although the body cannot store large amounts of glycogen, you can help increase these stores by replacing the carbohydrates (either liquid or solid form is fine) in your body immediately after exercising, especially within the first half hour. Good examples would be: cranberry juice and fig newtons, high carb sports drink and pretzels, a bowl of cereal with low fat milk and banana, or a bagel with jam and fruit juice. Exercised muscle fibers are the most ready to take up carbohydrate, as they have just been worked, and will easily store an increased level of glycogen, helping you be "pumped up" even more for your next workout! Without
enough carbohydrates, your performance as an athlete will be seriously
impacted. Some of the current low carb diets emphasize eating a
limited amount of carbohydrate, not even adequate for most students,
whether or not they are active in sports. As an athlete following
this type of diet, you would find that your energy levels would
be chronically drained. How
much fat should I be eating? Recommendations
for daily fat intake: Fat plays
many important roles in your body. Some of the main reasons that
it is very important to get the recommended levels of healthy types
of fats and lipids in your diet daily are because fat:
Some athletes, especially in an effort to maintain a lower body weight (e.g., those in sports that emphasize appearance or require a weight class -- gymnastics, diving, wrestling, and figure skating) sometimes restrict their intake of dietary fat to unhealthy levels, occasionally far below the minimum recommended 20% of total calories per day. This can lead to nutritional imbalance in your diet, forcing you to take in most of your energy from carbohydrates and protein. If you stay on a fat-restricted diet for an extended period of time, your body can begin to suffer physiological consequences such as fat soluble vitamin deficiency disorders, loss of skin tone and hair health, poor quality of membranes necessary in the nervous system, and loss of the menstrual cycle. It can also increase the severity of mood disorders like anxiety and depression. No other nutrient can provide what fat can! It is also not uncommon for someone who is restricting fat to be also limiting whole categories of important foods (dairy, meats or fish, grains, etc.). This leads to other nutritional imbalances, and a further erosion of health, not to mention the ability to perform well as an athlete. Female athletes who restrict fat too severely, along with a high level of training, often lose their periods. Because estrogen levels are too low in the body, calcium begins to be lost from the skeletal frame, and the woman can develop what is known as the Female Athlete Triad (the concurrent presence of disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods, called amenorrhea, and bone weakening, or osteoporosis). If you think this describes your situation, it is very important that you consult with a medical provider, in order to treat this condition. New guidelines from the NCAA reinforce the importance of addressing this issue.( “Amenorrhea is common in athletes, but it is not normal or healthy.” – NCAA document: Managing the Female Athlete Triad.) If you are in this state for a long period of time, the impaired mobility, chronic pain, and occasional deformity caused by severe bone loss can last a lifetime. Some
research done in the late 1990s indicated that endurance athletes
might benefit from a higher fat diet, to spare carbohydrate stores
from being used up early on in a long event. Although some athletes
have begun to use this type of dietary pattern when training for
endurance events, the results have not been proven to be entirely
satisfactory. In addition, you should keep in mind that long term
use of a high fat diet is known to be linked with higher levels
of blood lipids, a risk factor for heart disease. How
much calcium do I need? Recommendations
for daily calcium intake: By your mid-20's, your bones will have reached their "peak bone mass." You have this last window of opportunity to get as much calcium into your skeletal frame as you can. Three servings of dairy products per day would only get you to about 900 mg, and for many students, even getting that much is a challenge. If you can get your intake up to 4 servings, you're doing just fine! If you are in the range of 3, but are consuming a lot of calcium-fortified foods and/or are taking a calcium supplement (available in the Brown Health Services pharmacy on the 2nd floor), your bones are thanking you. Anything lower than that means you need to start thinking about calcium NOW - to prevent problems of stress fractures and osteopenia (loss of bone tissue, which can eventually lead to osteoporosis, a more serious condition, and often irreversible). If you are avoiding dairy products because you think they are "fattening," you can go with the low fat versions. If you have lactose intolerance you can easily find lactose-free versions of milk in Brown's Food Services. You can also purchase low lactose milk and other dairy products in local markets. Try taking a lactase enzyme tablet or two (available in local pharmacies) right before eating a regular dairy product, to ease digestion. No need to miss out on late night pizza parties! "Weight bearing exercise" (e.g., walking, running, tennis, soccer, basketball and especially strength training with weights) also contributes to a strong skeletal structure, but cannot make up for a poor calcium intake, which only you can provide. There
are several myths that seem to keep circulating about milk's effects
on athletic performance. Nancy Clark, Boston area sports nutritionist
and consultant for pro and amateur athletes, writes about some of
these "Milk Myths" in her book Nancy Clark's Sports
Nutrition Handbook (available for loan from the Health Education
library):
Am
I getting enough iron? Food sources of iron include meat (especially red meats), poultry, fish, egg yolks, iron-fortified cereals, breads and other grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, dark green leafy vegetables, and dried fruits. Recommendations
for daily iron intake: When your blood is too low in iron, this is called iron deficiency anemia. As an athlete, when you become anemic, you usually have a lot less energy as you participate in your sport or activity. The reason for this is because an important function of iron in the body is to form substances in the muscle that help bind oxygen, necessary for the muscle to perform for you. In addition, iron helps to manufacture enzymes that help with the energy-making process. Athletes
are sometimes more likely to develop anemia than less active students.
This is because iron is lost in sweat, urine, and feces, as well
as in small breakdowns in tissue that occur in the pounding of feet
in long distance running and other surface contact. If your eating
patterns don't replace these iron losses (e.g., if you are restricting
calories, you don't eat meat, fish, or poultry, and aren't careful
to eat high iron alternative sources), you could be at risk for
developing iron deficiency anemia. Periodic testing of iron status
is often recommended for athletes. You may want to ask your coach
or medical provider about this if you have been experiencing fatigue
and/or think your iron intakes have been low. A long-term deficiency
in iron can markedly affect your performance as an athlete, and
if you have developed anemia, the earlier you start treatment the
faster you can be back at your peak level of performance. Although
iron deficiency anemia is usually not considered a serious illness,
full recovery can take from 6 to 9 months. Prevention is certainly
preferable to treatment! What
about other vitamins and minerals? Do
special supplements help me put on muscle or perform better? When you look on web sites or read articles to do your own research, always beware of studies done by companies or individuals selling products. Look for scientific studies published in reputable journals, not just anecdotal stories. Also be sure the studies were done on humans and not animals - results are not always the same on different species. If you
are a competitive athlete, know that many substances contained in
supplements have been banned by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic
Association) and/or the IOC (International Olympic Committee). You
can be eliminated from competition if you are found to have taken
these substances, even if you were not aware that the supplement
you consumed contained that substance. You can go to the web site
of the NCAA
to look for lists of banned substances. Commonly Used Sports Supplements Amino Acids - Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are claimed to increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, and increase growth hormone secretion. Recommendations: Large intakes of single amino acids may interfere with absorption of protein, cause intestinal upset and metabolic imbalances. You are better off consuming recommended levels of protein foods as stated above. Androstenedione - This drug became well known after several baseball players used it during record-setting home run seasons. This chemical, which is present in the body naturally, is technically a steroid. Its action does increase muscle mass. Proponents of "andro" claim that since it occurs naturally, it should be a legal anabolic steroid. Its manufactured form, which has been around since being synthesized in the 1930s, is legal, but has been banned by the NCAA, the IOC, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the National Football League, and the Association of Tennis Professionals. Recommendations: Because no safety data are published, and andro is known to raise testosterone levels in users, just as with illegal steroid users, some of the same unhealthy side effects could result. You would be wise to stay away from this supplement. Chromium Picolinate (CrPl) - Claims for this supplement are that it increases muscle mass, is a safe alternate to anabolic steroids, decreases body fat, and increases insulin sensitivity. Both chromium and picolinic acid do function in the pathways in the body that help with energy metabolism and insulin function. The original studies supporting these claims were poorly designed, and further studies have not backed up the earlier results. The Federal Trade Commission has been able to stop some of the false claims about CrPl's ability to cause weight loss and loss of body fat. Recommendations: Because athletes lose chromium through increased urine losses, they should be sure to include a wide variety of foods in their diet. Since chromium is widely available in many foods, special supplements are not necessary. Creatine - Creatine, along with phosphate, occurs in the body naturally as a very important component of your energy metabolism system. Research has shown that the effects of supplements of combined creatine phosphate are due to increased muscle mass, making this supplement especially useful for athletes who are involved in "short burst" activities, such as lifting heavy weights, making tackles as a football lineman, etc. Creatine has been found to have no benefit for endurance athletes. Some anecdotal reports have linked creatine usage with muscle cramping, muscle and tendon pulls, and slower injury recovery, but research does not back up these claims. Recommendations: Because there is still no long-term data available on the safety of creatine, young athletes should be especially careful about using of this supplement in high doses and over longer periods of time. If you have decided to use creatine, the current dosage recommendations are to complete a loading phase of 20 to 25 g per day for 5 to 7 days, then a maintenance phase of 5 g per day. It is thought that it takes about 4 weeks to completely eliminate creatine from your system, once you have stopped taking it. Ephedra/Ephedrine (Ma Huang) - Claims for ephedra are that it improves athletic performance and will promote weight loss. Ephedra has been used in Chinese medicine practices for thousands of years. It was first used commonly in this country as an ingredient on many nasal decongestants and cold medicines. A few years ago, it showed up as an ingredient of many non-prescription weight loss pills. A direct effect of ephedra is to raise one's heart rate, because it is a stimulant. It does not increase your energy as an athlete. There were very serious consequences in some individuals, and several deaths were linked to the use of ephedra, until the U.S. government finally pulled all substances containing ephedra from the shelves. If you see a product containing ephedra, know that it NOT effective for weight loss or athletic performance enhancement, and it could be very dangerous to take, especially in combination with other, even something as benign as caffeine! Herbs claimed to be "natural anabolic agents" that build muscle (e.g., yohimbe, smilax, tribulus, wild yams, and gamma oryzanol): The body is unable to convert these herbs into testosterone or other anabolic steroids, and they do not increase muscle mass. Ginseng is an herb historically used for Chinese medicinal practices. Current research does not back up earlier studies that claimed that ginseng enhanced exercise performance. Protein powders and other protein supplements - See a discussion of protein as a nutrition supplement above. (Adapted
from Sports Nutrition, 3rd Ed., C.A. Rosenbloom, The American Dietetic
Assn., 2000) How
should I eat before I compete or exercise? As a general rule, your ongoing eating patterns should be high in good quality complex carbohydrates (as opposed to simple, sugary carbos), and moderate in both protein and fat. If you are using the Food Guide Pyramid to help you look at your eating patterns, you will find this a good place to start planning meals and menus as an athlete as well. Refer to other sections of this page for more information on good sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You will usually find that your energy will remain highest during a competition or exercise routine if you have eaten a light meal or snack about 2 or 3 hours prior to exercising. This allows your body to have some available energy in the form of circulating glucose, without having too much food in the stomach to slow you down or feel uncomfortable. This small meal or snack should be mostly carbohydrate, could have some protein, to let it stay with you a little longer, and should be very low in fat, to allow your stomach to digest this food quickly. Some examples of pre-exercise snacks could be:
If you are timing full meals on the day of your competition, you can usually figure that it will take about 4 to 5 hours for complete digestion of a normal sized meal. Some athletes find that they are more nervous before competing, and the anxiety usually slows the digestive process. Allowing more time before exercising, eating a lower fat meal, doing relaxation techniques, or even trying liquid meals (fruit smoothie with blended low-fat yogurt and fruit; Instant Breakfast made with non-fat milk) have all been techniques that have helped athletes with nerves. If you are trying something new with your eating regime, it's not a good idea to wait until the day of competition to experiment. You could upset your digestive system and have even bigger problems than too much food in the stomach! If you are competing in an event that is early in the morning, then you will need to depend heavily on the last meal and snacks you have the evening before as your "pre-game" meal. Again, try to eat foods that are high carbohydrate, moderate protein and fat. You should also try to have a light high carbohydrate snack as soon as you can after you get up on the morning of competition. A bowl of cold cereal with some dried fruit and a small amount of non-fat milk may be enough to get you through an early morning event. You can always add more calories later in the morning. The biggest challenge for many athletes are events that are scheduled off and on throughout a day, or endurance events that last for more than an hour. It is extremely important to be well fueled for the days leading up to the event. If you are competing in a marathon or other intense, endurance event lasting longer than 90 minutes, you may benefit from what is known as carbohydrate loading. This involves a tapering off of exercise in the week before the event, while at the same time increasing the amount of carbohydrates you are taking in. This enables the body to store additional glycogen for available energy during the event. Some athletes who are participating in long cycling or running events find that the gel form of carbohydrates are a convenient and lightweight, although expensive, way to get quickly energized without losing time in an event. Remember to drink plenty of water along with these concentrated forms of carbohydrates! For sports
such as tennis and wrestling matches and other events that may stop
and start throughout a day, you want to be sure that you have started
the day well-fueled and hydrated (more on fluids below). As each
event ends in the day, be sure to take some easily digested high
carbohydrate food and/or drink (juice, crackers, low-fat cookies,
bagels, fruit and dried fruit, low-fat cereal bars, etc.). If you
have 2 or more hours between events, you have time to add some protein
to your snacks and meals (e.g., a small lean turkey sandwich without
mayo, yogurt, glass of low-fat milk, or low-fat cheese). Does
it matter what I eat after I exercise? You should try to eat or drink about 0.5 g carbohydrate/pound body weight after exercise or competition, and again within 2 hours. Examples would be about 100 g carbohydrate for a 200 lb athlete or 65 g for a 130 lb exerciser. This is particularly important if your workouts are strenuous and/or last over a few hours per day. Here
are some examples of average carbohydrate content of common foods.
You can check labels of your favorite foods to get an idea of carbohydrate
content in grams.
Research
in the late 1990s has shown that some protein, in addition to the
recommended carbohydrate intake after exercise, can also contribute
to your body's increasing its stores of glycogen for future workout
needs. The combination of nutrients can also contribute to muscle
synthesis, but even athletes focusing on strength training and body
building do not need to overload on extra protein. Refer to the
earlier section on protein to learn more. Is
there a way to know how much water or fluid I need as an athlete? Some
guidelines from the American Dietetic Association for assessing
your needs for water, depending on your weight and activity:
To stay well hydrated well-hydrated before, during and after exercise or competition, Ellen Coleman, sports nutritionist, recommends these guidelines in her book, The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 1996 (available for loan from the Health Education library):
It is recommended that you occasionally weigh yourself before and after a workout to see how much weight you have lost. This will be fluid loss, and you can figure that for every pound lost, you will need to replace that with 2 cups, or 16 ounces, of water. You cannot depend on feeling thirsty to know when your body needs water. By the time you notice that you are thirsty, you have lost about 1% of your body weight. A 2% loss of body weight in fluid can actually decrease your performance by 10 to 15%! It is important to get in the habit of increasing your fluid intake routinely if you are active, not just on competition days. During extreme conditions (either hot OR cold weather and at high altitudes), your intake should increase even more, because your body is working harder. Water is usually the best fluid to use for fluid replacement, but if you are involved in an "all day" activity, you should consider a commercial sports drink that has carbohydrate added. A less expensive alternative is to dilute any fruit juice by about half with water. Try drinking your fluid when it is cool, but not too cold - it will leave the stomach more quickly and get into your system at this temperature. Keep
in mind that some juices, high water content fruits (e.g., watermelon,
berries, and peaches), and non-caffeinated drinks can substitute
for some of your water. Generally it is recommended that at least
half of your water needs be met by plain water to spare your kidneys
from having to filter out too many extra substances. You can increase
your water intake by getting in the habit of always having a glass
of water with meals, in addition to low-fat milk and/or juice. You
can also carry a bottle of water in your backpack, take water breaks
instead of coffee breaks, alternate sparkling waters with other
beverages at parties, and drink before, during, and after any physical
activity. Also remember than caffeine and alcohol dehydrate you
and increase your fluid needs. A specific nutrient that your diet may not supply enough of is protein. This may be especially true if you are female and have been limiting your calories to reduce extra body fat for a sport that demands a limited weight or expects a certain physical form (e.g., gymnastics, diving, crew coxswain). Good protein choices to look for as a vegetarian would be nuts and seeds, peanut butter, soy products, tofu, garden burgers, legume-based soups, and any dairy products. It is also important to remember to keep your proteins varied throughout the day, to ensure that you are getting a mixture of the essential amino acids you need for the building blocks of protein you are creating for muscle, all cells and tissue. Vegetarian athletes usually take in adequate amounts of carbohydrate, because they consume large amounts of grains, cereals, fruits, starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Calcium can be a nutrient that is not eaten in adequate amounts in the diet of vegetarians, especially female athletes, who are prone to stress fractures and shin splints, and may not be having regular menstrual periods because of heavy training. If you are not a vegan, be sure you are getting at least 4 servings of dairy products/day (also a super source of protein!), or 3 servings and a good calcium supplement. Because vegetarians have eliminated red meats and poultry, the best sources of "heme" iron (the most easily absorbed form of iron in their diets), iron is often low in the diets of vegetarians. For athletes this is a special concern because anemia is more common. To learn more about this anemia of athletes, refer to the section of this page on iron. If you are a vegan type of vegetarian, who eats no type of animal product (and therefore have eliminated dairy products, eggs, and fish from your diet as well as red meats and poultry), your diet may be lacking in vitamin B12. Be sure that you take either a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement daily (a good idea for most people) and/or drink a soy based milk substitute that has been fortified with vitamin B12. The more varied your diet is, the more likely you are to have a nutritious, well-balanced diet that includes all the vitamins and minerals and other nutrients that you need to keep at the top of your sport. This is especially important for vegetarians, who sometimes get in a rut with their eating patterns. If you are eating on meal plan at Brown, and find yourself always heading for the same items at the Ratty or the V-Dub, try to think a little more creatively at meals. See how you can combine things from the salad bar with the good homemade breads, grains and soups, and try some of the vegetarian dishes that you may not have tasted before. Keep expanding your palate! You may find new things you can add to your list of favorite foods. You may
also want to ask yourself the reasons why you made the choice to
become a vegetarian in the first place. Be honest. Some athletes,
and others, find a vegetarian diet and lifestyle an easy way to
manage weight. While there is nothing inherently unhealthy with
being a vegetarian, and there are many health considerations to
recommend this style of eating, for a few people this eating pattern
can be a stepping stone to more serious eating concerns. It can
be easy to increasingly limit one's diet all for the sake of "healthy
eating," and then find one or more of the following events
are occurring:
Eating concerns can easily turn into a more serious eating disorder, and can happen to and female athletes. If you think this is a problem for a friend or teammate, you have many Resources at Brown to which you can turn. You may also want to check out our web pages that deal with eating concerns. For more
detailed information about vegetarian eating and nutrition suggestions,
click on Being a Vegetarian. When
does "enough" exercise become "too much" exercise?
Warning
signs that someone is exercising excessively include:
All of these behaviors are strong indicators that good intentions for a healthy lifestyle may have gone too far. This person may well be at risk for a sports injury, an eating disorder, or other serious health problems, not to mention the potential for social isolation that this type of heavy training schedule usually brings on. You may
be questioning how to best approach someone you are worried about.
Usually it is not recommended that you focus directly on how much
this person is exercising or how little s/he is eating. This usually
puts the person on the defensive and may drive a wedge between the
two of you. Keep your comments as statements from your own perspective
("I" statements, vs. "you" statements). An example
could be, "I've noticed that you look pretty wiped out after
some of these long workouts. I'm concerned. Are you OK? Want to
go for a cup of tea when we leave the OMAC?" You may not get
a direct or positive response after your first effort, but your
words will be heard, and s/he will know that someone cares and has
reached out. Sometimes your voice will be the one that will make
the difference, and enable a person who has felt completely alone
to begin to feel that there is someone who is there for her/him.
You can also be ready to offer information about some of the resources
Brown has to offer students who might want to talk about patterns
of compulsive exercise and/or eating concerns. Click on Resources
at Brown, and Worried
About a Friend's Eating to learn more. Resources
at Brown
Olney-Margolies
Athletic Center ("OMAC") 401.863-3537 Smith
Swim Center 401.863-3014 Meehan
Auditorium 401.863-2236 Links
You Can Use
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|