Physical Activity and Eating Disorders

Physical activity can play an important role in recovery from an eating disorder. Engaging in activities that are safe, nutritionally supported and tailored to the individual's level of physical and mental health can help to improve many aspects of recovery, such as core eating disorder thinking, physical health, and other psychological factors.  

Physical activity has a number of benefits: 

• Helps to rebuild a healthy musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system 

• Assists in joint flexibility and muscle strength 

• Assists with anxiety reduction and mood elevation 

• Provides an opportunity for positive physical experiences to promote acceptance of the body 

• Promotes general wellbeing 

• Assists the return to a normal, balanced lifestyle 

• Improves appetite 

While physical activity is important for general health and wellbeing, for individuals with an eating disorder, medical, nutritional and psychological health are the priority. As such, it is key to modify physical activity to everyone’s medical and psychological health.   

Is physical activity a behaviour of the eating disorder? 

Physical activity may be part of the eating disorder if: 

• Commitment to exercise far exceeds any reasonable effort to achieve physical fitness or good health 

• Exercise becomes more solitary and less enjoyable 

• Exercise continues despite injury or illness 

• Exercise continues despite medical recommendations to modify it 

• The motivating factor for exercise is weight loss 

• If withdrawal symptoms are present, such as irritability, anxiety, and depression when a person is unable to exercise 

• Feelings of guilt exist where exercise is omitted or prohibited 

• Exercise is rigid and it causes distress to miss a session, or stop early  

• Thoughts about movement become obsessive  

• It one of the only coping mechanisms someone has to regulate their mood  

• Exercise feels more like “tortur-cise” 

How can physical activity be included as part of treatment? 

A safe amount of physical activity is determined by a number of physical, behavioural, and psychological parameters, including: 

• Physical health status (e.g., cardiovascular, biochemical and hormonal profile)  

• Progress of weight restoration  

• Ability to meet treatment goals and refrain from eating disorder behaviours  

• Ability to be able to engage consistently in the meal plan 

• The quality of one’s relationship with exercise 

Based on those factors, physical activity can be modified in many ways, including the type of exercise, the frequency, and the level of intensity. 

A physiotherapist or exercise physiologist with experience working with eating disorders can prepare a graded physical activity program that incorporates a range of physical activity types, durations, frequency and intensities that are aligned with a patient’s treatment goals and health.  

The multidisciplinary team must agree upon the decision to progress the physical activity plan to ensure that increased physical activity will be most helpful from both a physical, behavioural and psychological perspective, and is line with treatment goals.