How do I develop a healthy relationship with exercise?

Question:

How do I develop a healthy relationship with exercise? I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum – over exercising and not exercising at all. I’m currently not exercising because I hate it so much, but I know my body needs movement.  What should I do?

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Dear Kate,

Moving our bodies is certainly something that can make us feel really good. However, as you’ve experienced, over-exercising can lead to a negative relationship with exercise and be quite detrimental to physical health. It is not uncommon for those who over-exercise to also have periods of no exercise and it can be very difficult to find a healthy balance.

Firstly, I advise speaking to your doctor and an exercise physiologist to check it is safe for you to re-commence exercising. Over-exercising places you at risk of repetitive strain injuries, stress fractures, and heart complications. If you have/are experiencing any of these, your doctor and exercise physiologist can offer safety precautions you may need to take whilst exercising.

In conjunction with any recommendations from your health professionals, I strongly suggest starting slowly. Exercise at a low intensity (eg walking rather than running) and for short durations; a 10 minute walk is fine. As your body adapts, you can increase the intensity, duration, and frequency. Keep in mind though, exercise does not need to be hard or for long periods to be beneficial. For most people, moderate intensity and a maximum of five hours per week is appropriate. I also encourage you to get rid of any movement trackers (eg wrist bands, calorie counters, and fitness apps) which may be triggering for you and listen to what your body is telling you instead.

Beyond the physical, finding a healthy relationship with exercise has a strong psychological component. As you hate exercising at the moment, you may find it helpful to think about ‘moving’ your body rather than ‘exercising.’ In my clinical experience, many people associate the word ‘exercise’ with structured and high intensity gym workouts, often focussed on calorie burning or aesthetics. On the contrary, the word ‘movement’ is a lot gentler, less structured, and is focussed on feeling good.

To help you ‘move’ rather than ‘exercise,’ endeavour to try different activities and in different environments from those you engaged in whilst over-exercising.

Some suggestions are:

• Go for a walk whilst catching up with friends
• Take up a dance class (I do ballet and love it!)
• Walk or ride to work/school
• Join a social sports team
• Engage in activities like ten-pin bowling, a game of tennis with friends, indoor rock climbing, or indoor trampolining
• Kayaking or hiking whilst also exploring nature.
• Try a yoga or stretch class (yoga is often very helpful for those with/recovering from an eating disorder, body image concerns, and/or over-exercising).

It’s perfectly ok to let these sorts of activities be your sole form of movement for the rest of your life. They will provide you with so many physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits. Should you later feel confident that you have a healthy relationship with exercise and you would find exercising in a gym environment at higher intensities to be enjoyable, go for it! However, it’s not a necessity, nor an expectation you need to hold for yourself.

As a guide, you may like to start aiming for half an hour of enjoyable movement, two to three times per week or 10-20 minutes of movement daily. Of course, adjust these amounts to suit your lifestyle and needs. Be kind to yourself if it doesn’t always happen as planned, it will take time to rebuild a positive and enjoyable relationship with movement.

Sincerely,

Jodie Mechielsen
BExSci&HM, MClinExPhys

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Jodie Mechielsen, BExSci&HM, MClinExPhys, GDipPsychSci

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Jodie has her Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology, has a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science, and is a qualified exercise physiologist, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor. She’s currently studying psychology, with the aim of becoming a clinical psychologist. Jodie is incredibly passionate about the advocacy, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating, as well as body image difficulties, depression, addiction, and anxiety disorders. She believes all bodies are good bodies, food has no moral value, and exercise should be something that makes you feel good, not something that serves to manipulate our bodies. Jodie loves a good rant about the importance of body acceptance, the failings of the diet industry, and that you don’t have to look a certain way to have an eating disorder. When she’s not working, studying or ranting, Jodie loves to speak French, dance and watch ballet, bake delicious foods, and spend some quality time with her husband and two cats.