Exercising for the wrong reasons: relationships among eating disorder beliefs, dysfunctional exercise beliefs and coping

Physical exercise is both a healthy and a maladaptive behaviour—yet, it is often unquestionably recommended as a coping strategy, due to its anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. This study examines maladaptive beliefs associated with eating disorders and to the clinical condition of exercise dependence (or addiction) in relation to coping. One hundred exercisers completed measures of eating disorder beliefs, dysfunctional exercise beliefs, types of coping and level of exercise. Eating disorder beliefs were related to dysfunctional exercise beliefs concerning physical appearance, social desirability and inability to function mentally or emotionally. Eating disorder beliefs were positively associated with emotional coping and negatively correlated with task‐oriented coping. Exercise beliefs were associated with avoidance coping (distraction). On some components of eating disorder beliefs, between 2 and 15% of exercisers held scored within a clinical range. Unless clinicians exclude the presence of dysfunctional exercise beliefs, eating disorder beliefs and maladaptive coping, they might be paradoxically encouraging exercise for the wrong reasons.