“Risks and Consequences of Vigorexy”

Attention Getting-Opener:
As we had heard, vigorexy is an addiction to exercise or a disorder in which
people do exercise or sports continuously without considering the consequences of
this, because these people are always forcing their bodies to the maximum and it is
very dangerous.

Today, we will be able to know the risks and consequences of vigorexy.

I. Risks.
II. Consequences.
Transition: Now, I will start by explaining you about the risks of Vigorexy.

• Risks that Vigorexy has:

In 2004, I wrote a book called: “Foundations of Personal fitness”, in which in the
chapter six of the book I put my attention in the distorted body image of vigorexic
people and I explained the risks that vigorexy has on those people, for example:
• Insomnia: Vigorexic people consume steroids as a way to increase their
muscular mass and as a risk, they suffer insomnia for the big amount of
medication they take.
• Infertility in women: Most of the time, vigorexic women are in the gym, and
they do too much exercise with heavy machines and it can affect the uterus for
the weigh that it receive and cause infertility in women in the future.
Also, in an investigation I did in 2007 in the “San Diego County Rehabilitation Center
for Eating Disorders, Chemical Dependency, Trauma Treatment and Pain
Management” I found these risks of Vigorexy:
• Depression: Vigorexic people tends to feel depression, because they are most
of time in the gym and for this reason they lose their social life and friends and
this cause loneliness; also, they lose their jobs and significant relationships over
their workout schedule.
• Suicide: As these kinds of people have a distorted body image, they feel
uncomfortable with their body and as a result they commit suicide.

Transition: Now, we know about the risks that a vigorexic person can suffer. Let’s
continue by explaining to you about the consequences of vigorexy.

• Consequences of Vigorexy:
• Several health problems and injuries: it can occur when exercising
excessively. In an article that I wrote after of a investigation I did with my
colleagues in psychology Dr. Brenda Woods and in medicine Dr. Kevin Wandler
in 2006 for the non-profit organization “Finding Balance”, we found that training
through pain can cause broken bones, pain of tendons, muscles, joints, high
blood pressure, heart diseases, sleeplessness, irritability, lack of appetite,
constant tiredness and difficulty on concentrating.
• Disproportion between body parts: In 2008, I worked with my colleague the
psychologist Dr. Claudio Schenker in the “Fitness Science Annual” and we
found that the vigorexia habits cause physical and aesthetic problems, such as
disproportionate displastic, also between body and head, due to excessive
weight and diet. For example, a person could have a strong and big body, but
with a small head.
• The diet that people who are experiencing Vigorexy consume: According to
an investigation I did in 2004 for the non-profit organization in USA “TeamSmart
 International” and with the work I did with the psychologist Dr. Claudio Schenker
in 2008 for the “Fitness Science Annual”; I discovered that the diet is another
frequent and important consequence of Vigorexy. These people consume too
much protein and carbohydrates and too little fat. Their goal is to increase
muscle mass, but this practice can cause disorders with other organs
(especially the kidneys, liver and metabolism) for the imbalance of
macronutrients performing an extra work.
• The use of anabolic steroids: According to the same investigations in
“TeamSmart” in 2004 and for the “Fitness Science Annual” in 2008. People with
Vigorexy will use these steroids because they believe they will be more
physically fit and increase muscle mass. The use of these substances can be
very dangerous. These drugs can produce an abnormal development of male
characteristics of the body, as well as irregular menstrual cycles, a reduced
sperm count, acne, cardiac problems, water retention. Also, the consumption of
these substances increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, liver injury,
sexual dysfunction, decreased size of the testicles and an increase for prostate
cancer,
• Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder: In 2008, I did an investigation
with my colleague and friend the American psychiatrist Harrison G. Pope, from
the Medicine college of Harvard, Massachusetts, where our studies were
published for the “Medicine Magazine”; we found that the vigorexia should be
considered a disorder of obsessive-compulsive, because of the obsession on
exercise and increasing the muscles, but also the distortion of the body
scheme. These symptoms make patients feel like failures as they abandon
social activities, including work, with the purpose to train and exercise without
resting.

Transition: Now, we are aware about the consequences of Vigorexy in our body and in
our health and how this disorder can be dangerous in our life.

Summary
We should now understand that Vigorexy has:
I. Risks.
II. Consequences.

Memorable Concluding Remarks

As a conclusion, it is important to say that this disorder has many dangerous

risks and consequences, not only for our body but also for our health, so we should
think about if to damage our body is necessary to be accepted in this world or not.