Dysmorphia: Male Anorexia

Many women suffer from anorexia, and now men have a similar disorder. It's called muscle dysmorphia, and if you body build, you may know what I'm talking about. The worst thing about this disorder is that some guys might have it and be completely unaware.what is muscle dysmorphia? Muscle dysmorphia is the opposite of anorexia. Unlike anorexia, which makes one believe that they're overweight, muscle dysmorphia bequeaths the illusion that one does not have big enough muscles. People with both anorexia and muscle dysmorphia share a condition called body dysmorphia, an illness that leads them to constantly imagine that their body needs to change even though it is fine by normal standards. Muscle dysmorphia is still a relatively new psychological disorder; doctors at Brown and Keele University in England discovered this disorder not too long ago, but it is definitely real. Dysmorphia is an obsessive-compulsive disorder that affects a person's perception of their body image.

Most men who have this psychological illness are rather muscular when compared to the rest of the population, but they nonetheless wear baggy clothes and refuse to take their shirts off in public out of fear of being ridiculed because of their (anticipated) small size. It can be quite serious and needs to be treated. Muscular dysmorphia might not have as direct an impact on a man's health as anorexia, but its repercussions can still have grave effects on a person's life. Men who have this illness will spend countless hours at the gym every day, lifting weights obsessively. They will always check to see if they gained mass, and constantly complain that they are too thin or too small and need to bulk up. They will be fixated on eating the right things and adjust their entire life around gaining mass. It might sound like virtually every guy at the gym, but dysmorphia is an extreme case of bodybuilding on the brain. Men with this condition exaggerate every aspect of bodybuilding to the point of delusion. Eating the right food will not simply be a conviction; it's going to be a phobia. Time spent away from the gym will cause anxiety and stress, and life outside the gym will suffer. Social life, job opportunities, work, dates, and anything else that can interfere with time spent at the gym will take a backseat. In extreme cases of dysmorphia, men will over-workout until they damage their muscles, sometimes permanently.

After age 30, your lean body mass begins to decrease at a more rapid pace than it did in your 20s, so it's a great time to take action to slow those losses. Building muscle mass after 30 isn't hard, but it does take finding the right strength-training program and being consistent with it. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, these losses typically begin after a person turns the big 3-0. By the time people are 75 or 80, most have lost half the muscle mass they had in their 20s, reports a review published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in October 2014. According to the University of Mexico, the body uses more calories to maintain muscle than it does fat. In fact, muscle mass accounts for 20 percent of total daily energy expenditure, while fat only accounts for 5 percent. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn all day long. Weight gain and obesity are linked to many serious diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even some types of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So building muscle doesn't just make you look better - it can also help protect you from illness and injury. Read more: What Are the Benefits of Gaining Muscle Mass? Simply becoming more active is a great first step. Spend less time sitting and more time walking, jogging, riding your bike, hiking, taking the stairs or playing in the park with your dog or your kids. Mow your own lawn and Prime Boosts Official rake your own leaves instead of paying someone else to do it. They also burn calories and fat. But you may also need to add in some dedicated exercise time to meet the amount of physical activity recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Finding other dedicated cardio and strength-training activities you enjoy will help you hit the target and achieve your muscle-building goals. Barre exercise: Combines ballet-inspired moves with yoga, Pilates and functional training. Vinyasa yoga: A physically challenging type of yoga that involves dynamic, flowing sequences linking breath to movement.

Classes usually inspire camaraderie and are sometimes held outside. Indoor cycling: Much more than just riding a stationary bike inside, these classes involve high-intensity cardio and often include strength-training moves on or off the bike. Pilates: A low-impact workout that targets the muscles of the core, as well as all the other muscles in the body. It is either done on a mat or on a machine called a reformer. Dropping into a class or the gym Click here and increase testosterone there isn't going to cut it. Schedule your workouts into your calendar just like you would a meeting and only skip them if absolutely necessary. If you are a self-motivated type, you can save a lot of money and time by doing strength-training exercises at home. You don't even need much space or Prime Boosts Official equipment - using only your own body weight can help you build strength and mass. An easy way to organize a home workout for building muscle at age 30 is in a circuit.