Too Much of a Good Thing: Could Your Patient Have Pathological Exercise?

Abstract

Many leading causes of disease and mortality in the United States are intimately tied to an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, and this is news to no one.1 For many, life-long eating patterns and the perceived importance of exercise stem from childhood and adolescence. The habits, or lack thereof, displayed by immediate family and peer influences play an essential role in setting the lifestyle course for many youth, for better or worse. Despite the increasingly limiting time constraints that pediatric and adolescent primary care providers and psychiatrists face, it is essential to address unhealthy dietary habits and encourage regular physical activity to adequately promote child and adolescent health.