Your Reaction: What if you found out your trainer, instuctor, or medical professional had an eating disorder?

Word to the wise is that when it comes to your health you should always involve trained, certified professionals or "partners in prosperity" as I call them because good health is wealth.

However, if you are on a journey to lose weight and improve your eating, how would you react if you found out that your trainer, your aerobics instructor, your nutritionist, or your doctor had an eating disorder like bulimia, binge eating, or orthorexia? Just because someone is a certified trainer or medical professional for a living does not immune them from having health issues themselves.

Years ago, I had a trainer who I'll call Perky because that perfectly describes this woman. She was this vivacious 28-year-old with arms like Jillian Michaels who equally kicked my ass and helped me get in the best shape of my life. In particular, she helped me improve my posture greatly as I am a major slumper.

In the first 6 months, I was seeing Perky 4 times a week and we became friends as we also had much in common outside of the gym. Perky had a wicked sense of humor, and she'd have me in stitches when my thighs were throbbing from her across room lunges. We'd go out to lunch, go shop, go dancing, and hang out in cafes. And then one day, the truth came out.

Perky revealed to me that she too was suffering from bulimia. Like me, it started in college in the dorms, and that ever since then, she has been in and out of treatment. She told me that she was currently active with the bulimia, and in treatment again. Perky felt so much pressure as a trainer to look perfect and thin that it triggered her ED.

...EDs are common in the "pretty people professions" like fitness, marketing/PR, and fashion ...

Perky was going to quit her job and her profession all together because she felt like an incredible hypocrite and fraud. She felt like no one would take her seriously as a trainer if people knew that she had an eating disorder. She was a fitness pro and theoretically, she should know better. She explained it like, who would go to an accountant who was broke or bankrupt, or go to a shrink who was mentally or emotionally unstable.

I could totally see where Perky was coming from and I could feel for her. As a friend, I wasn't totally shocked because I know EDs are common in the "pretty people professions" like fitness, marketing/PR, and fashion. As a client, I was a bit surprised because while we trained she was the consummate professional and always came across as confident and highly knowledgeable. I recommended Perky to friends, and they got good results from her too.

Selfishly, Perky helped me create some lean mean legs with calves that looked hot in heels, and my ass, let's just say the rear view in the jeans was something to behold. Perky was well worth every cent I paid her. I would never have guessed that anything was not well in Perky's personal life. But again, many with EDs could also win Oscars for their portrayal of "Everything is fine and dandy."

Perky ended up quitting her training job at the gym because the hypocrisy feelings she felt just became too much even though she was in treatment. She did continue to train with me privately for a few months for some pocket money, and because frankly, at the time, I didn't care about her ED in terms of whether I felt she was qualified to be my trainer.

Yes, behind the scenes, Perky was engaged in something contrary to good health which perhaps I should have cared about considering she was advising me on my fitness. But I didn't. Would I feel the same way if my accountant was broke? I guess it would depend on the circumstance. I think each case is individual. Perky was in treatment, and she was good at making my muscles look good. She did her job well. In my eyes, there were no ethical, moral, or personality issues, typical reasons I won't work with someone. But I also know that not everyone is as open minded as me.

So, how about you? How would you react or feel if you found out your trainer, instructor or medical professional suffered from an eating disorder?