Exercising?

I know in MinnieMaud (what I have been attempting for a week now) you aren't supposed to exercise? I've always been a very active person growing up and especially during ED. Yesterday, I went on the stationary bike and biked for 4 miles & walked a mile but within a half hour and did stretches for another half hour. I wanted to know if that was too much or just ok? Would just walking or just stretching/yoga be ok to do on a daily basis? Or nothing - no exercise- at all?

Hi
I haven't been following this blog for long and i don't know much about the MinniMaud guidelines... but from reading previous posts by people on here (if you check out the FAQ's there are lots of questions about exercise there) I understand that it is recommended that people in recovery do no exercise at all because it can continuously damage the body and keep it in starvation mode for longer, and increase the risk that the body wont make a full physical recovery.

It could leave your metabolism damaged and put further strain on your body because instead of using the energy to heal, it's using the energy on the exercise...meaning it hasn't got enough energy remaining to heal itself. Theres also evidence and lots of research to suggest that girls/women who are missing a period and exercise a lot are a higher risk of not getting their period back compared to girls/women who exercise less.

Of course, maybe talking to a doctor or a therapist, psychologist, nurse (anyone you may see for treatment) and asking them about your recommended exercise levels could be the best thing to do because everybody is different and although we may all have eating disorders, our pathways to health are all differing and not everybody needs to have the same treatment plan / exercise plan as somebody else.

MinniMaud guidelines are exactly what they are... guidelines. So this means that these are a guide that you could follow because they are proven to work and be successful for treatment and recovery, but everyone is different and your physical situation could mean that you need to do some things slightly differently.

Thats the problem with being online... we dont know for sure what people's physical situation is so it is always difficult to advice on what exercise you should or shouldn't be doing because unless you know the person in real life you don't know enough about their physical well being!!

I hope this helps, if i havent really given you a clear solid answer: i think that it would be sensible if you asked someone about what exercise you should be doing (like i said earlier: anyone who you see for treatment) or if you cant speak to someone you see for your treatment, maybe just ask someone you trust for some advice

Hope this helps, Happy new year!!!!

P.s: Sorry my reply is so long but i forgot to mention that light stretching/ yoga was something that was recommended to me when i was in hospital for treatment because the nurses said that it can help to reduce anxiety, stress and tension - plus it is really relaxing... so maybe yoga is something you could take up as a gentle exercise option compared to the biking which may possibly be a bit too strenuous?

Sorry this reply is way too long!!

thank you so much !!!

Your welcome !!!!

I mostly agree with the answers, but not so much with the "everyone is different" thing. Of course, we are all different, but when it comes to recovery, it's important to recognise that you are not a unicorn. Exercise will damage you body if you are in starvation mode - it's really that simple. Not to mention the fact that many of us use exercise as an anxiety remover. To ve able to develop new and healthier methods to get past anxiety, it's better to let go of ALL exercise until you know that you are doing it for the right reasons.

Yes, i totally agree with what you have said and of course, it is important to recognise that we are not unicorns and that the fact is that exercise whilst in starvation mode is going to damage your body.

What i really meant was that treatment is not exactly the same for everybody, and depending on your specific individual needs, your exercise requirements may be different than to what you read online so it is perhaps better to get propper advice from a healthcare proffessional, doctor or anyone you see for treatment or who is caring for you.

Tortoise101,please don't take my post as criticism It hard to give good advice, but you do a great job I was just afraid that someone would interpret your answer in a not so healthy way, as that happens quite often for people havibg this disease

Of course i was worried that what i had said was not clear so i thought i would clarify to like you said, ensure that it was not interpreted in an unhealthy way!!

Haha, we answered simultaneously But yes, we seem to agree Just be cautious about some medical staff, as they tend to have too little knowledge on EDs. Some actually recommend exercise during recovery even though all good research says otherwise. So the safest thing to do it to quit exercising completely

Yes you have made an excellent point there - and i did not take that into consideration when typing my reply!! I have certainly met some dodgy doctors during my recovery and i personally do not exercise because like you say, there is an awful lot of research to suggest it is not helpful whilst recovering!!
I have met some doctors where i knew more about the ED treatment than what they did!!

I have a great doctor actually She doesn't know that much about Eds either, but she's willing to learn - and that's crucial I switched to her after experiencing a really awful one that did not believe I could heal. So I agree - we need to be aware of who we choose to help us!

Yeah im glad you have found a good doctor - i really believe that finding the right person for your treatment actually makes a massive difference to your recovery because i used to have a therapist that i just couldnt get on with, and in the end my therapist transferred me to somebody else because i wasnt really progressing with him... And i was transferred to the therapist i see now, and the change of approach and therapy style has made a world of difference!! I have now made progress and im doing well!!

I'm soooo happy for you

Thank you! i hope that 2015 will be a good year and that things will keep getting better!!

thank you guys!! your advice really helps! I had a therapist too but she weirdly knew nothing about eating disorders, I knew way more than she did! I went to my doctor then he sent me to a place in philadelphia which helped a lot