Fit Not Healthy (Paperback)

Distorted body image is a growing concern amongst women in educated, often affluent communities, fuelled by a public obsession with the perfect body and a skewed definition of what it means to look fit, healthy and/or beautiful. Sometimes that distortion results in obviously unhealthy behaviour, but, disturbingly, it can also manifest as an over-zealous focus on health and fitness. 'Fit not healthy' is the story of how one woman's determination to be lean, fit and healthy took her to the brink of infertility and death and how she pulled back just in time to regain her health and perspective and start a family. It is Vanessa Alford's hope that her story can save at least one woman from herself. Being fit is something many people aspire to--but what happens when an enjoyable challenge becomes an obsession?

Fit Not Healthy is the gripping story of Vanessa Alford, a young woman who enjoyed running as a way to keep herself fit and healthy. She soon discovers she has a talent for long-distance running and trains for her first marathon. She loves it--and soon sets her sights on the 2005 Melbourne Marathon. When she finishes in under three hours and in third place, Vanessa is offered commercial sponsorships and attracts the attentions of elite coaches. Instead of enjoying her win however, she is driven to improve her performance. She pushes her body harder and further, determined to become the best runner she can be. Despite her increasing success and her own training as a physiotherapist she soon finds herself trapped in a spiral of extreme dieting and exercise in order to improve her performances and maintain her "fit and healthy" look. Ignoring the growing concern of her family and friends, Vanessa denies there is anything unhealthy about her fitness training, until the day she finds her body has started rebelling against her. A compelling story about the dangers of overexercising and chasing perfection in a society that rewards and applauds the fastest and the fittest