A young Georgia woman who was “obsessed” with tracking her exercise and calories ended up in the hospital twice, where she was treated for heart problems and a fatal eating disorder.
Dani Fernandez, a 25-year-old content creator, had always been sporty growing up, but started developing an all-consuming need to hit the gym every chance she got and track everything on her fitness watch.
Ms Fernandez even canceled plans or skipped holidays to keep up with her workouts, feeling “guilty” if she didn’t exercise.
“My identity lay in the extent to which I trained,” she said. ‘I was obsessed with it. It’s all you can think about.’
Dani Fernandez, 25, became obsessed with exercise as a teenager and developed heart problems and an eating disorder
Ms Fernandez realized she needed help after being admitted to hospital with bradycardia, a slow heart rate (left). Although she still plays sports (right), she now has other hobbies such as reading
Ms Fernandez grew up playing football, although she had to stop at the age of 15 when her weight had dropped significantly. “I looked very vulnerable,” she said.
She swapped training for daily gym sessions to continue burning calories and restricted her diet, exercising as much as possible and taking long walks. Then she continued to increase the length of her exercises.
“The day was planned,” she said. ‘I walked 30 minutes a day, but if I walked 45 minutes the next day, I had to keep it up. It just kept increasing.”
“I felt I had to earn food by burning as many calories as possible.”
Ms Fernandez “was also very calculated” and tracked all her workouts and calories on a fitness watch and app. “I wanted to be in control of everything in my life,” she said.
She was eventually hospitalized with heart problems and chest pain, with doctors diagnosing bradycardia.
Normally, the heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute during rest periods. However, in bradycardia it beats less than 60 times.
A slow heart rate can lead to permanent damage because the heart cannot pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
The condition is not always noticeable, but symptoms may include chest pain, confusion or memory problems, dizziness or light-headedness, tiring easily during physical activity, fatigue, fainting, and shortness of breath.
Exercise causes the heart to work harder to keep up with the extra effort. Once you start exercising, your heart rate increases to keep oxygen-rich blood pumping to the muscles that need it.
Over time, this improves circulation, meaning the heart ultimately doesn’t have to pump as hard. This lowers the resting heart rate.
However, excessive exercise can cause the heart rate to drop significantly and reach the threshold for bradycardia.
After this diagnosis, Ms. Fernandez realized she needed help. “I wanted to change,” she said. “I felt miserable.”
“I thought if I don’t gain weight, recover and heal, you’re going to die.”
Ms. Fernandez checked into an eating disorder clinic in November 2017, where she was diagnosed with anorexia.
Anorexia is the most common eating disorder in adolescent girls and gives sufferers a distorted view of their bodies.
While no single factor, such as a fitness tracker, can cause the disease – which has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness – dieting and calorie counting are known causes.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), three-quarters of Americans with anorexia are women. Experts believe that one to two percent of women in the US will develop it.
Anorexia is also common in teenagers and young adults. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 with anorexia are even ten times more likely to die than their peers who do not have the disorder, NEDA estimates.
According to the Mayo Clinic, people who have a first-degree relative who had anorexia are more likely to develop the condition. Additionally, those going through a transition in life, such as starting a new school or grieving the loss of a loved one, are more prone to anorexia.
After six months in an anorexia treatment clinic, Ms Fernandez was able to return home. “I feel in a better place,” she said. ‘Now I want to exercise to feel better instead of losing calories’
If left untreated, anorexia can lead to serious health problems such as anemia, heart problems, osteoporosis and kidney problems. In the worst case, the condition can be fatal.
At the clinic, Ms. Fernandez had to learn to “retrain” her brain so it stopped focusing on extreme exercise and calorie restriction. She also had to start taking supplements and drinking high-calorie shakes to gain weight and give her the nutrients she was missing.
She spent six months in the clinic before she was able to return home. “They saved my life,” she said.
Although she still works out, Ms. Fernandez has taken up other hobbies, such as reading. She also eats three meals a day again.
“I feel in a better place,” she said. ‘Now I want to exercise to feel better, rather than to lose calories.’
‘I feel free.’