Body Image and Mental Health in Fitness Competition

0 to Elite course · Lesson 95 of 100 · Level 5: Elite

Competing asks you to judge your body closely for months. For some people that is motivating. For others it can slowly turn into anxiety, obsession and disordered eating. This lesson is about protecting your mental health while you chase your goals.

Why body image matters in fitness

Body image is how you see, think and feel about your body. It is not always the same as how your body actually looks. In physique sport you spend months looking at your body in the mirror, in photos and on stage. That focus can be helpful in training. It can also make small flaws feel huge.

In lesson 94 on reverse dieting you learned how to recover your body after a show. This lesson is about your mind. You can’t separate the two, and in our view a healthy mind is part of an elite physique.

The risk of disordered eating in physique sport

Dieting, tracking food, weighing yourself often and comparing yourself to others are all part of most contest preps. These are also known risk factors for disordered eating. Disordered eating means an unhealthy relationship with food, such as strict rules, guilt, bingeing or compensating after eating. It can develop into an eating disorder, which is a serious mental illness that can affect anyone, of any gender, age or size.

It is also worth knowing that disordered eating doesn’t always look like eating too little. It can look like rigid “clean eating”, cycles of restricting and bingeing, or exercising to “earn” food. Men in physique sport may also struggle with feeling they are never big enough, sometimes called muscle dysmorphia. Any of these deserve to be taken seriously.

Physique athletes can be at higher risk because the sport rewards extreme leanness and close attention to the body. That doesn’t mean competing is wrong. It means you should go in with your eyes open.

Warning signs to watch for

Look out for these in yourself or someone you train with:

• Feeling anxious, guilty or panicked if you eat something “off plan”.
• Strict food rules that keep getting stricter, even off-season.
• Bingeing, then trying to make up for it with extra cardio, skipping meals or other behaviours.
• Avoiding social events because of food.
• Checking your body in mirrors many times a day, or avoiding mirrors altogether.
• Your mood depending on your weight or how you look that day.
• Missed periods, constant tiredness, feeling cold, dizziness or poor sleep.
• Feeling you can never be lean or muscular enough.

Getting support: if any of these sound familiar, please speak to your GP. Eating problems are easier to recover from the earlier you get help. In the UK, Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, offers helplines and support for you and for people worried about someone else: visit beateatingdisorders.org.uk. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, call 999 or go to A&E, or contact Samaritans on 116 123.

Protecting your mental health while competing

1. Know your why. Write down why you want to compete. Good reasons are about challenge, learning and enjoyment, not fixing how you feel about yourself.
2. Have an off-season life. Keep friends, hobbies and flexible eating outside of prep. Competing should be a chapter, not your whole identity.
3. Limit checking. Set fixed times for progress photos and weigh-ins rather than checking all day.
4. Watch your feed. Unfollow accounts that make you feel worse about yourself.
5. Choose a coach who cares about your health. A good coach asks about your mood, sleep and relationship with food, not just your weight. We look at this in lesson 96 on working with a coach.
6. It’s okay to step back. Pulling out of a show, or deciding competing isn’t for you, is a strong decision, not a failure.

If you are worried about someone you train with, talk to them privately and kindly. Focus on how they seem, not on their weight or food. Let them know support exists, and Beat also has guidance for friends and family.

Training should make your life better. For more on the link between exercise and how you feel, read our guide to exercise and mental health.

Your action steps

1. Write down why you want to compete, and read it back honestly.
2. Read the warning signs list and note any that apply to you, without judgement.
3. If any apply, book a GP appointment or visit beateatingdisorders.org.uk this week.
4. Set fixed times for weigh-ins and progress photos, and stick to them.
5. Plan one non-fitness activity a week that you enjoy, in prep and off-season.

Frequently asked questions

Can bodybuilding cause eating disorders?

Competing doesn’t cause them on its own, but strict dieting, frequent weighing and close focus on the body are known risk factors. Watch for warning signs and speak to your GP early if you are worried.

What are signs of disordered eating in athletes?

Signs include guilt or panic after eating off plan, increasingly strict food rules, bingeing and compensating, avoiding social events because of food, constant body checking, missed periods and ongoing tiredness.

Where can I get help for an eating disorder in the UK?

Start with your GP. Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, offers helplines and support at beateatingdisorders.org.uk. In an emergency, call 999 or go to A&E.

Keep going

Previous: Lesson 94: Recovering After a Show: Reverse Dieting Done Right

Next: Lesson 96: Choosing an Online Coach for Bodybuilding at Elite Level

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