By: Evelyn Spear
 |
| Lindsey Smith is holding a potato smile. Smith was diagnosed with severe disordered eating tendencies during her freshman year of college. |
 |
| Smith is stretching her left leg before a workout. “Doctors never gave me an official diagnosis because my body weight never dropped low enough on the body mass index,” states Smith. “Either way, I lost weight dangerously fast and was told to stop working out.” |
 |
Smith is practicing a balance stretch. Going to the
gym is one of the ways that Smith likes to spend her free time. |
 |
| Smith stretches by holding onto her toes. A large step in her recovery is returning to the gym and learning not to push her body beyond its limits. |
 |
| The Recreation Activity Center on the Georgia Southern campus has a running track on the second floor. “Since transferring to Southern, I have been able to make the RAC a safe space for myself,” says Smith. “I even have two jobs here.” |
 |
| Smith prepares to run laps around the running track. Smith likes to warm up for the rest of her workout by running four laps. |
 |
Smith rounds the corner on the last lap of her run. After
finishing her run, she moves to the weight machines. |
 |
Smith reties her shoes after completing her run. “I’m
excited that I can start to work out again, but I try to be mindful that I am
doing it for the right reasons,” says Smith. |
 |
| Smith adjusts the weight on a hip abduction machine. This machine is designed to work the muscles in her legs. |
 |
Smith exercises on a hip abduction machine. This is
one of her favorite machines because it is tucked into a corner where few other
people go. |
 |
Smith holds onto the handles of a weight machine. “I
like using machines for my workouts because I can measure my progress more
easily” says Smith. |
 |
Smith removes her microwavable meal from the freezer. Some
days, Smith has a hard time eating. |
 |
| Smith opens the package of potato smiles and popcorn chicken. As a part of her recovery, she has simple meals like this one to make cooking easier. |
 |
Smith begins to arrange the food on the plate. “I have
good days and bad days,” says Smith. “On bad days I won’t eat until someone
tells me to.” |
 |
Smith creates a circle of potato smiles around the
popcorn chicken. For Smith, even little things like a smile on her food can
make eating easier. |
 |
Smith places her meal into the microwave. Her favorite meals are ones that can be
cooked quickly. |
 |
Smith starts the microwave. Smith calls meals like
this “safe food”; these safe foods are things that she feels comfortable eating
on her bad days. |
 |
Smith removes her meal from the microwave. “My safe
foods are very important to me because they don’t require me to be adventurous
or try new things,” says Smith. “I can eat them without thinking about it.” |
 |
Smith dispenses ketchup onto the plate. Recovering
from an eating disorder is very difficult, but Smith has spent several years
learning to listen to her body and take care of it. |
 |
Smith begins to eat her meal. “I may not be where I
want to be yet,” says Smith. “But I am proud of myself and how far I’ve come.” |
