Fitness in recovery with an eating disorder is possible. Whether you’re trying to implement more exercise in recovery from anorexia, bulimia, or an eating disorder that falls somewhere else on the ED spectrum, this post offers tips for implementing fitness routines that can work with your eating disorder, not against it.
Please note: This post is written by our WWB founder, Laura Frater, who is in recovery from an eating disorder. Laura does not hold medical qualifications of any kind. We advise that you consult your doctor before making changes to your diet and exercise routine.
This post is all about fitness in recovery from an eating disorder
1. Cap The Time That You Workout
When you’re trying to incorporate physical fitness in recovery, we highly recommend setting a time limit for your workout.
If you’ve previously overexercised to lose weight, working out for a “overly long period” (whatever means to you) can activate ED behaviors.
So get yourself a cute timer and set it for, say, 30 minutes. Once it goes off, gently encourage yourself to cool down and remember that you can workout again tomorrow.
2. Choose Workouts You Enjoy
When asking if should physical fitness be incorporated into recovery, we say yes. BUT, you should incorporate workouts you find fun!
Why would you spend time moving your body in a way that doesn’t feel good for you? If you hate running, why are you making yourself go on a run?
Honor your desires and do a fun workout!
3. Workout With Friends
This tip is not for everyone, BUT we highly recommend trying it if you’re even a little curious about how much fun it’ll be!
Working out with others can be motivating when the workout gets tough, but it’s also just a lovely excuse to hang out with the people you cherish the most.
4. Set A Realistic Workout Schedule
You’re busy. So why try and bite off more than you can chew?
If you can fit in a 15 minute workout, that sounds just a fun as a 30 minute workout!
5. Workout In The Morning
Sometimes when we’re in ED recovery, we can overthink our workouts during the day. That’s not the case for everyone, but it can linger on our minds in an unhealthy way that contributes towards ED behaviors.
Our top tip? Make room for fitness in recovery in the morning before you start working.
This post was all about fitness in recovery from an eating disorder
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