Sometimes recovery doesn’t just require less exercise. Occasionally it requires a complete, total break from it. As I’ve met more and more girls and women that have struggled with eating disorder or disordered eating patterns, I’ve noticed that there is something really crucial about either taking a complete break from exercise or greatly reducing your exercise load.
That’s not quite my story, but I’ve had to say, ‘No’ to a lot of distance running and heavy cardio as part of recovery. Honestly that’s not easy when you find exercise enjoyable. For me exercise was always fun; I didn’t find it a complete chore, but the amount I did was too taxing on my body.
It also turns out that exercise can be more of a stressor than a ‘de-stressor’ especially when you’ve lost your period. I didn’t figure this out until I began reading from Robyn at the Real Life RD.
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