As students make plans to travel to tropical destinations for Spring Break, many seek unrealistic short-term goals of becoming beach-ready, often risking their long-term health.
Briana Bostwick, UF public relations senior and operations supervisor for Southwest Recreation Center, is familiar with this ritual.
"A week or so before Spring Break, the gym is flooded with people trying to lose weight really fast," Bostwick, 21, said. "I have heard many girls complain about not being ‘beach ready' and the male patrons talking about how they need to ‘bulk up.'"
The pressure to reach a goal weight within a limited time can have detrimental results.
"I have had to give sugar packets to a student who had not worked out in a long time," Bostwick said. "She worked out on a cardio machine until she became lightheaded. She had to sit by the front desk until she could stand up."
Excessive exercising could be a symptom of an eating disorder, according to the UF Department of Psychiatry's website.
The department opened its inpatient facility of the Eating Disorder Recovery Center at Shands at UF on Tuesday.
Anna Daggs, a 22-year-old pre-med junior, works closely with the center. A year ago, Daggs started a student-run organization called Be Real that works with UF and the center to help students with eating disorders find the care they need.
"I have witnessed people go too far," she said. "I have seen friends faint from a lack of food due to dieting all day to fit into a dress that night."
She said she's heard students talk about going running instead of eating dinner and going on week-long fruit-juice fasts to lose weight.
There are better ways for students to reach their weight-loss goals, she said.
Daggs recommended getting more exercise and eating breakfast to jump-start metabolism.
Some signs that might signal an eating disorder include a withdrawn attitude, exercise and food obsessions, not eating in front of people, being upset or moody all the time, counting calories and fad dieting.
Students interested in learning more about Be Real can check out the organization on Facebook or visit the blog at berealuf.wordpress.com.
