Decorated Australian cricketer Meg Lanning has revealed that her dangerous obsession with over-training and dieting put her health at risk and ultimately led to her retiring from international cricket at just 32 years old.
Talking about the Howie’s Gaming Podcast Lanning spoke about constant “excessive exercise and under-fuelling” while representing his country.
At one point, the batter, considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, was running up to 90km a week as her weight dropped from 64kg to 57kg.
Lanning, who won seven World Cups in her distinguished career, denied she had an eating disorder but admitted her mood swings would have been obvious to her teammates.
Australian cricketer Meg Lanning has revealed the dangerous obsession that shook her physical and mental health and led her to retire from international cricket at just 32 years old.
The all-time great cricket star (pictured playing for Australia) spoke about running up to 90km a week in addition to his cricket training.
‘I was exercising too much and lacked fuel. I got to the point where I was doing 85-90km a week. I was in denial. It became a ‘I’m going to show you’ kind of thing,” Lanning said.
“It was kind of a spiral. He was not in a position to be able to tour and play cricket and give the levels of commitment needed for that Ashes series mentally and physically.
‘Naturally, I feel good spending time with myself, but there were very few people I would like to associate with. I would get very irritable, very moody, if someone asked me something.
‘I lost from 64 kg to 57 kg. It wasn’t ridiculous. [but it was] significant.
“The proportions were out of control. I did not realize [it affected] my ability to concentrate.
“I didn’t really want to see other people. I became very disconnected from friends and family.
Lanning denied that he had an eating disorder, but admitted that his mood swings due to physical exhaustion would have been obvious to his teammates.
‘He [running] It became a kind of obsession. She could escape mentally. I would put on headphones but I wouldn’t take my phone with me. I would have my [Apple] watch with me and listen to music. No one could contact me.’
Manning explained that he often had difficulty sleeping after pushing his body to dangerous levels and, as a result, “dreaded the night.”
In November last year, Manning announced she was stepping away from international cricket and was excited about her future.
She stated at the time: ‘I’m exploring a few different options in the background. The good thing for me is that I don’t have to rush into anything.
“I can keep playing and keep participating. When an opportunity arises, I can take advantage of it.”