Abstract:
In medical records, we see that the numbers of individuals with eating disorders are steadfastly increasing. Also, there is praise for skinny bodies and pro-anorexic body trends in the mass media and even more so, in the athletic arena. Especially in the entertainment sector and social media, we get exposed to the distorted body- related messages in an uncontrolled manner. In the social media age, people are getting influenced and they are developing unhealthy body ideals as a result. And this effect is observable in both males and females. However, there is still a growing need for further studies to figure out this conflict and the effect of extrinsic and intrinsic factors shaping body image ideals in both sexes. In this project, body image related perceptions in amateur athletes will be investigated as athletes have to strike the right balance between physical appearance and physical health for optimal sports performance. This is not an easy task in the sportsmen arena, as restrictive eating and purging is widespread and eating disorders are three times more common among athletes. Therefore, furthering our understanding about the interaction between physical exercise and cognitive processes underlying body perception is imperative. To this end, body image perception will be studied using a pre-/post- design in amateur athletes engaging in routine but intense physical exercise. We will be checking for the contribution of basal levels of cortisol and exercise-induced increases in cortisol as a mediating factor for physical activity related changes in body image appraisals.