Fit Not Healthy

Fit Not Healthy is the gripping true story of Vanessa Alford, a young woman with a passion for running whose unwavering will and determination to be the fastest leads her down a dangerous path of extreme dieting and self-destructing exercise, taking her to the brink of infertility and irreversible physical and physiological damage. Vanessa Alford is a self-driven, ambitious, educated, motivated young woman who graduates from university in 2002 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy. Growing up she enjoys running to keep fit and competing in different sports. In her early twenties she discovers her talent for running long distances and two years after completing her first marathon she enters the elusive sub three-hour club at the 2005 Melbourne marathon, finishing in third place and running a commendable time of two hours and fifty-four minutes. It is around this time that a healthy hobby begins to evolve into a dangerous obsession. Driven and determined to run faster than ever, instead of enjoying her success, Vanessa subjects her body to long, grueling workouts and deprives it of the rest it needs. She couples her extreme training with a restrictive diet, desperate to maintain her lean physique. Aware but in denial of the harm she is inflicting on her body, an inner voice takes control, forcing her to push her body to the edge and count every calorie she puts in her mouth. The voice inflicts immense guilt on her if she misses one training session or if she consumes more than her calorie ‘allowance’. Before long Vanessa finds herself running 150km per week and living predominantly on fruit and vegetables. Despite her training as a physiotherapist and nutritionist, she continues to push her body to its absolute limit, completing every training session at the highest intensity possible, in total denial of the damage she is doing. Family and friends are forced to watch on in despair as Vanessa ignores their pleas to slow down and consider her health. Also disregarding physical warning signs, she continues to down the path of self-destruction, until one day her body begins to rebel in a way that she could never have imagined. This book shares Vanessa’s journey from extreme elation of a podium finish at the Melbourne marathon and undeniable potential as a runner, to the lowest point in her life and the struggle she faces for several years. Initially confined to bed, within six months her energy levels return and despite suffering debilitating neurological symptoms she begins running again, ignoring her body’s cries for rest, determined not to let the mysterious illness control her life. She searches far and wide for a medical explanation, begging others to unravel the cause of her symptoms, totally oblivious that only she has the answer she is searching for. From the outside looking in, Vanessa is extremely fit and appears healthy. She can run faster than most and over the years she is offered sponsors in Australia and in Singapore, her face recognised on advertisements in train stations, running magazines and around university sports arenas. She is a role model for many who are inspired by her unwavering discipline and dedication to health and fitness. But what no one can see is the never ending daily battle she faces with herself and with the inner voice, totally blinded by her obsession and entangled in a web of confusion and self-sabotage. Fit Not Healthy is a story about becoming self-absorbed in running and losing the true meaning of life, of not knowing what is important anymore. Vanessa’s story resonates with athletes and non-athletes. While many may argue that to be an elite athlete you need to be obsessed, the danger is that this obsession may uncontrollably spiral into an addiction and in Vanessa’s case may have devastating consequences. Vanessa hopes that her story can serve as a harsh warning to others who are torturing their body with extreme exercise, overwhelmed by a desire to excel. Or to those exercising to extreme and restricting their calorie intake, driven by a distorted body image and an overzealous focus on fitness and ‘healthy’ eating, fueled by a public obsession with the perfect body and a skewed definition of what it means to look fit. She hopes that this warning can save at least one woman who is treading a similar path from suffering the devastating and debilitating consequences she endured and to regain a healthy perspective on life. Most importantly, Fit Not Healthy provides an important reminder to us all of the importance of listening to our body and striving for a balanced lifestyle. It reminds us of what is - or should be - most important in life….our health.