EB is Exercise Bulimia. It is a condition and term developed by somebody much smarter than me. EB is diagnosed when a person is addicted to the gym. Injury or illness will not prevent an EB sufferer from getting to the gym. If an afflicted person can’t make it to the gym, intense feelings of anxiety and depression will follow.
How big is the problem? If 1/3 of adults are sedentary and 1/3 have sufficient physical activity then 1/3 of adults have EB.
People with EB think that the same fitness routine they’ve been doing for fifteen years will suddenly yield the results they’ve been hoping for. What to do? We need to teach those with EB about the “Genetic Lottery” and we need to show them the limited list of benefits that come from sufficient physical activity. That list and the importance of the ticket you pull in the Genetic Lottery are shared in How To Be Old, Chapter Five.
The EB crowd rarely are entrepreneurs or creative souls. Too much time in the gym takes away the time and energy required to have a business or pursue creative endeavors.
The acronym FAIS stands for “Fat Aerobics Instructor Syndrome”. It is not a mean-spirited term. The science behind FAIS states that the more you do a certain activity, the more your body will be acclimated to it. You will become extremely efficient in terms of your energy output. I’ve been a swimmer and a cyclist for many years. I can assure you that the calories I consumer after a swim or bike ride are far greater than the calories I utilize during the activity. A person with EB needs to be taught the importance of “fooling one’s body” by changing up their exercise routine.
A few years ago, at the fitness facility I use, I proposed National Switch Week. The members would spend one week doing a different activity than normal. The muscleheads would get in the pool, the swimmers would get into yoga class, and the stair climbers and treadmill fans would be introduced to the weights. It was a great idea and it still is. However, my proposal was not adopted as the personal trainers thought they wouldn’t generate any fees during the Switch Week.
I’ve been around the fitness industry and fitness facilities for a long time. If you were to ask me who suffers from EB the most, the answer would be easy. Spinners. People who spin think there is something magical and mystical (in a SoulCycle sort of way) about spin class. I was once in a spin class when the instructor asked everybody to increase the resistance on their bikes. Some of the spinners were at zero resistance. They didn’t increase. They thought pedaling fast with no resistance was a great way to exercise and would soon give them the body that the Genetic Lottery didn’t. (The spinner’s prayer: “If only I could find the right instructor with the right routine and the right music…”)
Dorian Yates was Mr. Olympia six times. He was dominant in his field for the years 1992-1997. How does a British bodybuilder get into this piece? Dorian only worked out one hour per day five days per week. He understood the importance of PRT (Progressive Resistance Training) and rest. The spin class set (and all those w/ EB) could learn a lot from Mr. Yates.
This month marks the sixth anniversary of the publication of my article “There used to be a bookstore” in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It tells the tale of a great bookstore that was closed and replaced by a fitness facility. A journalist read the piece and boosted it on his social media. Many people have read this piece.
Your chance to read it is now by clicking HERE.
