Over-exercising in anorexic and normal samples: Behaviour and attitudes

Abstract

Exercise, attitudes, motivation and behaviour were compared in groups of female anorexic patients and groups of males and females without eating disorders. The anorexic group were significantly more hyperactive, exercised more frequently and engaged in a wider variety of exercise behaviours. They were also more likely to exercise in secret and were more compulsive about exercising. They displayed a 'negative addiction' to exercise, and gave control of their negative mood states as their major reason for undertaking it. The theoretical and clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Validation of the German Version of the Commitment to Exercise Scale

“…This points to a subgroup of eating disordered patients with excessive exercising. In terms of the type of physical activity, eating disordered patients mostly conducted endurance sports or went to fitness studios -a finding consistent with the literature (e.g., Long et al [57] ). In contrast to the other groups and as expected, we found no significant correlation between exercise quantity and a problematic commitment to exercise in athletes.…”

Assessment and managem ent of eating disordered patients who over-exercise: A four-year follow-up of six single case studies

“…H yperactivity, as assessed by a 5-question subscale of the exercise questionnaire (Long et al, 1993), did not differ between the good and poor outcomes, nor did scores on the Comm itment to Exercise scale. The latter scale, which assesses exercise related cognition, did show that the good outcome group disagreed w ith the statement that they would ª change their Downloaded by [University of Otago] at 06:38 05 October 2015 schedule to m eet the needs to exerciseº , and that they saw exercise as less vitally important.…”

“…Pat ie n t s e lf -r e p o r ts o f e a ti n g d i s o r d e r sym p to m ato lo g y w ere co n firm ed b y a sig n ific an t o the r, w h o a lso co m p leted t h e A n o r e c t ic O b s e r v a t i o n s S c a l e (Vandereycken, 1992). Exercise was assessed by the Com mitment to Exercise Questionnaire (an adaption of the Com mitment to Running Scale; Carmack & Martens, 1979), and a purpose-designed questionnaire that assessed exercise, behaviour and cognitions (Long et al, 1993).…”

“…Thirdly, excessive exercise m ay becom e the major way of regulating negative emotional states. A recent survey of 21 consecutive anorexic adm issions found that controlling negative m ood states had become major reasons for exercise (Long et al, 1993). Finally, excessive exercise m ay describe a ª negative addictionº with a m arked com pulsive element.…”

The inpatient management of physical activity in young people with anorexia nervosa

“…Forty to 80% of patients admitted for the treatment of AN have an urge to over-exercise (Davis et al, 1997). Physical activity may be used as a means of weight control (Mond, Hay, Rodgers, Owen, & Beumont, 2004) or as a way of regulating and managing disturbing affects (Long, Smith, Midgley, & Cassidy, 1993).…”