Exercising when in recovery from eating disorders (ED) requires a delicate approach. While exercise is potentially beneficial in the healing process, it can also be a symptom of ED, manifesting as overexertion. Creating a healthy balance is important to ensure that physical activity helps rather than hinders recovery and is undertaken with the right intentions and mindset.
It’s possible to integrate exercise to align with each person’s unique journey while avoiding its potential as a complicating factor. By maintaining balance, we can ensure that exercise aids rather than obstructs the recovery pathway.
Over-Exercising as a Symptom of Eating Disorders
Over-exercising, often termed anorexia athletica, is a challenging aspect of eating disorders and is characterised by a compulsive commitment to physical activity. This condition often hides in the shadows of routine exercise, emerging as a cycle of obsession and compulsion where self-worth is intrinsically tied to rigorous physical exertion.
Although not formally recognised as a disorder in the DSM-5, dysfunctional exercise is closely associated with EDs like anorexia and bulimia nervosa. It involves patterns of exercising that are driven by unhealthy motivations such as appearance concerns, self-harm, and permission to eat, which often precede the onset of EDs and are lingering symptoms in recovery. Such intense focus on exercise masks underlying struggles, creating a landscape where balance is lost and well-being is overshadowed by the relentless pursuit of physical control. [1]
Collaborative Planning in Exercise
Effective exercise that’s ED-informed is a collective affair which should involve close-knit collaboration between healthcare professionals, including therapists, dietitians, and medical experts. They all bring their own perspective, ensuring an exercise plan is sensitive, realistic, and aligned with the person’s overall recovery goals. [2]
Therapists contribute psychological insights, dietitians offer nutritional guidance, and medical professionals ensure physical safety, and together, they create a support structure that surrounds the person in recovery. This collaborative spirit helps create a plan where exercise is approached with care, intention, and a thorough understanding of the need for balance.
Initial Stages of Recovery
In the initial stages of eating disorder recovery, the primary focus should be on nutritional healing. At this point, physical well-being takes precedence over exercise as it could inadvertently trigger unhealthy thoughts or behaviours.
In some cases, it might be necessary to abstain from exercise entirely during the earliest phases of recovery to safeguard against any potential setbacks, especially when the recovering person is severely underweight or malnourished.
The goal is to nurture the body, prioritising essential vitamin and mineral replenishment and stability, creating a solid foundation upon which the complexities of exercise can be gradually reintroduced in later stages of the recovery journey.
Gradual Reintegration of Exercise
Reintroducing exercise during recovery should be a carefully managed process – the journey isn’t just physical; it’s emotional, too. Some ways to make it more supportive and less daunting could include:
- Team Support: Incorporate various health professionals to build a circle of care. Having different areas of expertise involved makes planning more rounded and person-focused.
- Safety First: Always consider any health risks or issues that might negatively impact exercise. It’s essential to ensure that the planned physical activities don’t do more harm than good.
- Understanding Attitudes: Recognise that people’s thoughts and feelings about exercise can be complex. It is essential to understand this so that exercise becomes a positive part of recovery, not a challenge.
- Clear Plans: Having written guidelines helps to set realistic goals and track progress. They provide structure and clarity, ensuring exercise has a defined and helpful role in recovery. It also helps to measure if we are pushing ourselves harder than planned.
- Educational Support: Including information and support to help change unhelpful beliefs about exercise and body image can make a big difference. It helps to shift perspectives, making recovery feel more achievable.
- Encouragement: Build confidence and motivation by creating an atmosphere where achievements are celebrated and effort is acknowledged.
- A Step-by-Step Approach: Start slowly and create a tailored approach that allows for growth so progress feels manageable and less overwhelming.
- Varied Exercise: Different exercises offer different benefits, so customising activities can ensure it feels more like a personal journey rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Nutritional Guidance: Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand. Making sure the body is fuelled correctly is as important as the physical activity itself.
- Reflection Time: Taking time to talk about how exercise feels can be really insightful. It allows for adjustments to be made, ensuring that the approach remains as supportive and effective as possible. [3]
Choosing the Right Type of Exercise
While physical activity is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, it must be approached delicately during ED recovery due to the complexities involved. First, it might be helpful to learn to differentiate between healthy and dysfunctional exercise:
- Healthy exercise is often gentle and non-competitive. It may incorporate practices like yoga and pilates which can be therapeutic.
- Dysfunctional exercise is often rigorous, competitive, and excessively focused on the body’s appearance or performance.
To gain maximum benefit with minimum risk:
- Take It Slow: Join a group, as it encourages a sense of community and support. Try gentle yoga, Tai Chi, or mindful nature walks. Focus on mindfulness, emphasise breath and present-moment awareness, and move away from focusing on exercise intensity or calories burned.
- Watch for Triggers: Power Yoga or jogging which focus on strength, time exercising, and calorie burn, can be triggering, so it’s best to avoid number centric approaches entirely.
- Limit Technology Use: Avoid using fitness trackers and gadgets that track numbers and performance metrics.
- Realise Social Media Isn’t Real: When we’re getting back into exercise it can be tempting to look at social media for tips and end up comparing ourselves to the people on the screen. However, most fitness influencers only show their best sides and this sets unrealistic goals.
Connect with Assured Healthcare and Wellness
At Assured Healthcare and Wellness, our ED approach is blended with sensitivity and tailored precisely to your needs.
Contact us to experience a pathway to recovery that’s enriched with compassionate guidance, personalised strategies, and a harmonious balance that turns each step into a positive stride towards recovery.
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