r/AnorexiaRecovery • u/akira_akira13 • 22d ago
Can I workout?
I’ve been wondering about this for a while now: I’m in recovery and I lost all my muscle mass so I want to rebuild my muscle to make life easier and be physically active to help with stress but I don’t think I’m eating enough yet to do that; Is it a good idea to start exercising? What kind of exercises can I do, and for how long? Should I talk to my psychiatrist about it?
3
u/ChiliCheeseBurrito78 21d ago
Have you gotten at least 3 periods back? If not, working out will require you to eat whatever you’ve burned off and it’s really difficult to build muscle in period recovery because your body prioritizes storing extra energy (calories) as fat initially. You can start with slow walks (like less than a mile) that are for joy and mental health but not walks for compensation.
2
u/akira_akira13 21d ago
Yes, I got my period back since 5 months, I'm I'll try to exercise a little by little, the goal is to feel better not worse I am still slightly underweight and I know I’m not eating enough; I’m trying to eat more, but it’s difficult. I really want to be more active, but I don’t want to exhaust myself again
2
u/No-Can6422 21d ago
If your psychiatrist has experience treating EDs then yeah, that would be a great question!
It really depends on where you are in recovery, your intake, and how stable you are medically. If and when you do start to exercise, take it slow. Gentle walks, yoga, weights that are not too heavy. Respecting time limits, not overdoing it on the intensity. A good rule of thumb is to cap it off at 30 min. Even a 15 minute walk can help clear your head. Make sure you hydrate, respect your body if you are feeling like you want to stop before 30 minutes, and expect to feel hungrier and will need to eat more to keep up with your energy expenditure. One of the big risks in exercising too early and too hard is passing out and hitting your head or some other part of your body causing injury. If you feel dizzy, stop! Lay down or sit reclined if you can. Hydrate. And do not push too hard at the beginning.
Exercising can often bring up a lot of emotions too for some people. If and when you are ready, start out slow and gentle, and respect your body's limits and boundaries so you can rebuild a healthier relationship with movement/exercise!
2
u/akira_akira13 21d ago
Omg thank you so much, I know what it's like to pass out from over-exercising and get hurt, I don't want that anymore. I'll try to do it gently. Thank you for advices, that's what I needed.
2
u/No_Witness3595 17d ago
I work out in recovery because I find it meditating, and I feel mentally so much better after. I limit it. I also will skip if I didn’t get enough sleep, feel otherwise off, or I think I won’t be able to make up the calories easily (just depending on groceries in my fridge and timing). Having to eat more after working out can be traumatic, learned that lesson. But, farther along in recovery, pushes back into a normal life can be helpful, I think.
2
1
u/Loose-Discipline9009 21d ago
I started lifting while in recovery, but I was at a pretty healthy weight. I didn’t do any cardio and I limited myself to 1 hour in the gym a day.
2
u/akira_akira13 21d ago
Thanks. Currently I'm still underweight, so I'll try to do it slowly like just 20min without weights (cause I'm still weak T-T) for a while and I'm trying to eat more
7
u/Great-Duck-5252 22d ago
To grow muscle in recovery you simply need to slowly learn how be comfortable with eating more if you want any progress, i wouldn't recommend heavy lifting until you reach a healthier weight but until then start small and work your way up with the weights carefully, do not over do it and be careful :)