Obsessive Workouts and Protein Powders: How Concerned Should We Be?
Reactions to the NY Times article and the Pediatrics study on teens and muscle-enhancing behaviors. I'm bothered by something I read. "Compared with a sedentary lifestyle of video games and TV, an obsession with working out may not quite qualify as a health hazard", as stated in last week's NY Times article . While the article brought to light the silent struggle many boys deal with—or rather, don't deal with—their obsession with weight training, dietary modification and steroid use to achieve the 'perfect' body—it failed big time in educating readers about when to be concerned, and what we can do to prevent this unhealthy trend. But this is not just about boys—the Pediatrics article identified that girls, too , are taking steroids and more frequently protein shakes to increase muscle mass while pushing activity. Yes, teens, both boys and girls, have become more focused on increasing their muscle mass. "Strong is the new skinny" is a curren...