Killer Workout

The virtues of dieting and physical fitness pervade our consciousness. But either can go too far, leading to self-starvation or compulsive exercising--or both. In fact, one may actually cause the other, warns W. David Pierce, Ph.D., of the Sociology and Neuroscience faculties at the University of Alberta. Here, he discusses a dangerous and increasingly pervasive phenomenon called "activity anorexia."

Nancy K. Dess: What is activity anorexia?


NKD: How have you studied this in the laboratory?


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NKD: Why does this happen?

WDP: Consider Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection. Animals would have gained a survival advantage by migrating when food was scarce, and by staying on the move until an adequate supply was found. A trek moved them away from famine and increased the odds of finding food--and surviving to pass on this trait.



WDP: Our culture brings dieting and exercise together. Current cultural values of thinness and fitness ensure that many people--especially women--receive social reinforcement for dieting and exercising. At some point, for some people, the eating/activity mechanisms begin to operate independently of culture. Their original goals or motivations become irrelevant.


WDP: Professionals' definitions make them sound completely different, but they may not be. The diagnostic criteria for "anorexia nervosa" focus on what people think and feel--about themselves, their bodies, and so forth. Activity anorexia is about what people do--how much they eat and exercise. My colleagues and I have argued that most cases diagnosed as anorexia nervosa, a "mental illness," are actually cases of activity anorexia, a problematic behavior pattern. You see, what people consciously think can be misleading.

NKD: For example?

WDP: A Canadian woman denied exercising but said she liked to walk. When asked where she walked, she replied, "To..."

NKD: Cleveland.

WDP: Basically, yes. To the mall--five kilometers away, four or five times a day. She didn't think of it as exercising. So careful assessment of actual behavior, in addition to what people think or feel, is critical.


WDP: I think so. Of those receiving a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, between 5% and 21% will die. If eating and exercising are central to the problem, then more attention should be focused on these behaviors. Specifically, sudden changes in exercise or eating--"crash" dieting--are warning signs, at least as important as a desire to be thin. Understanding this problem fully is key to figuring out how to prevent it or treat it effectively--which is literally a matter of life and death.

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