Individuals who are involved in sports have to practice moderation and not over-do it
In some sports, such as wrestling, weight is an important issue. Weigh-ins, to determine a wrestler’s weight category, was a large issue for athletes who wanted to compete in the lightest group.
Some would go to such extremes as dehydrating themselves by visiting saunas and wearing vinyl suits while working out to try to lose water weight. When they re-hydrated after the weigh-in, they would get their energy back for the match.
Because weigh-ins are now done 1 hour before the match and not the day before, as was customary, as well as the National Collegiate Wrestling Association and the NCAA banning saunas and vinyl suits, this practice has greatly diminished.
“Former wrestlers have told me that after restrictively dieting to lose weight for a sport, their appetite may never get back to normal. They say that they’ll get hungry for no good reason because they’ve lost touch with what’s right for them,” said Myra Berkowitz, a nutritionist at Gannett and member of the Cornell Healthy Eating Program.
As for gymnasts, who have been known to go to extreme measure for thinness as well, coaches are saying the problem has been reduced by not focusing on weight and shape.
But, “We have had problems with exercise compulsion,” Melanie Dilliplane said, a gymnastics assistant, “Because gymnastics is an anaerobic sport- gymnasts will work for a high-intensity for only one to one-and-a-half minutes- some team members would go to the gym excessively for aerobic activity.”
Read the accompanying article titled, “Athletes and Eating Disorders.”
