The Athletic Womens Survival Guide

Being able to push your body's limits to thrive in training and competition is the hallmark of a great athlete. But for many women this pressure to succeed can become a double-edged sword, motivating them to excel yet also distorting their perceptions of what are healthy and productive training practices. The result too often is a set of three serious health concerns that make up the female athlete triad. The triad consists of (a)disordered eating, which includes a wide spectrum of behaviors from fasting to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa; (b)amenorrhea, a disruption of monthly menstrual cycles resulting in estrogen deficiency due to excessive exercise and other factors including disordered eating habits; and (c)osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass, which has been linked to estrogen deficiency and may lead to stress fractures. These three conditions may, and often do, appear separately in many active women but whether experienced singularly or as part of the triad, the conditions are a real threat to today's female athletes. If you are a female athlete or active woman, if you care about one as a parent or friend, or if you coach and counsel female athletes, The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide is the one resource you need to learn how to manage and prevent the triad. Dr. Carol L. Otis, an international authority on this condition, explains how to prevent falling into the triad and gives strategies for reclaiming a strong and healthy body. Drawing on years of experience with athletes of all abilities at UCLA, Dr. Otis also offers inspiring examples of women who have fallen into the triad trap and how they've fought their way out. Because the triad is preventable, the book provides recommendations for changing the attitudes of the people dealing with female athletes. Suggestions are included for coaches and parents on providing positive reinforcement about the female's weight, self-esteem, and body image. With the help of The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide, athletes can find out how to get help so they can once again train, compete, and be healthy all at the same time. About the Author As physician for the UCLA Student Health Services, Carol L. Otis, MD, has worked with many women, seeing firsthand the devastating effects of the triad. She received her medical degree from the University of Southern California and currently serves as the chief medical advisor for Women's Professional Tennis (SANEX WTA Tour). Dr. Otis was also a former assistant team physician for the UCLA varsity athletic teams and adjunct assistant clinical professor in UCLA's Division of Internal Medicine. Dr. Otis has worked with athletes in numerous sports, acting as physician for the Boston Marathon, Ironman World Championship Triathlon, gymnastics teams at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. She's worked to draw awareness to female athlete issues through her position as former chairperson of the Strategic

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