A young Georgia woman who was ‘obsessed’ with tracking her exercise and calories has ended up in hospital twice – for heart problems and a fatal eating disorder.

Dani Fernandez, a 25-year-old content creator, had always been athletically built growing up, but she began to develop an all-consuming need to hit the gym whenever she got the chance and track it all in her fitness class.

Ms. Fernandez would even cancel plans or skip vacations to continue exercising, feeling ‘guilty’ if she didn’t exercise.

‘My identity was in how much I exercised,’ she said. ‘I was obsessed with it. That’s all you can think about.’

Ms. Fernandez realized she needed to get help after she was hospitalized with bradycardia, a slow heart rate (left). Although he still works out (right), he now has other hobbies like reading

Ms Fernandez grew up playing football, although she had to stop at 15 when her weight dropped significantly. ‘I looked very fragile,’ she said.

She replaced training with daily gym sessions to continue burning calories and restricting her diet, exercising as much as possible and taking long walks. Then she extended her exercises.

‘The day has become scheduled,’ she said. ‘I would walk 30 minutes a day, but if I walked 45 minutes the next day, I would have to keep going. It kept increasing.’

‘I felt I had to earn my food by burning as many calories as possible.’

Ms Fernandez also ‘was very calculated’ and tracked all her workouts and calories on a fitness watch and app. ‘I wanted to control everything in my life,’ she said.

She was eventually hospitalized for heart problems and chest pains, which doctors diagnosed as bradycardia.

Normally, the heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute during periods of rest. However, bradycardia beats less than 60 times.

A slow heart rate can lead to long-term damage because the heart can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.

The condition is not always apparent, but symptoms may include chest pain, confusion or memory problems, dizziness or lightheadedness, tiring easily during physical activity, fatigue, fainting, and shortness of breath.

Exercise causes the heart to work harder to withstand the extra effort. Once you start exercising, your heart rate increases to pump oxygen-rich blood to the muscles that need it.

Over time, this improves circulation, which means the heart eventually 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, Mrs. Fernandez realized that she needed help. ‘I wanted to change,’ she said. ‘I was miserable.’

‘I thought you were going to die if I didn’t gain weight and recover and get better.’

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 it gives sufferers a distorted view of their body.

While no single factor, such as a fitness tracker, can cause the disease — which has the highest death rate of all mental illnesses — diet and calorie counting contribute.

Three-quarters of Americans with anorexia are women, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Experts believe that one to two percent of women in the US will develop it.

Anorexia is also common in teenagers and young adults. In fact, young people aged 15 to 24 with anorexia are 10 times more likely to die than their peers who do not have the disorder, NEDA estimates.

According to the Mayo Clinic, those who have first-generation relatives who have had anorexia are more likely to develop the condition. Additionally, those who are going through a life transition, such as starting a new school or grieving the loss of a loved one, are more susceptible 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 move to feel better rather than to lose 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.

In the clinic, Ms. Fernandez had to learn to ‘overtrain’ her brain to not focus on extreme exercise and calorie restriction. She also had to start taking nutritional supplements and drinking calorie-dense shakes to gain weight and give her the nutrients she was missing.

She spent six months in the clinic before she could return home. ‘They saved my life,’ she said.

Although she still exercises, Ms. Fernandez has devoted herself to other hobbies such as reading. She also returned to three meals a day.

‘I feel in a better place,’ she said. ‘Now I want to move to feel better rather than burn calories.’

‘I feel free.’