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When people work out and exercise, cross training is used to make sure the entire body gets a comprehensive workout, and to avoid injuries from focusing too much on one body part or repetitive motions. In yoga, the concept of yin and yang promotes a similar type of balance.
Yoga is an important part of my own movement routine, but it also includes a balanced mix of walking (for cardio and mobility), and strength training (for my bones). You may choose other forms of movement like dancing, swimming, sports or gardening.
Long-term recovery from an eating disorder also requires a multi-faceted approach. At any given time you may be focused on a food plan, the emotional issues you’re working on in therapy, your progress through the 12 steps, the health of your relationships, or other elements of your life.
Whatever you’re working on, it helps to be able to approach a problem from several angles. What works one week may not work the next, and so you need to try something different, or be proactive and switch it up before it stops working. That’s what we do in therapy, no matter what the situation.
Over the next seven weeks, I’ll share my favorite formulas for living in recovery. These are concepts you can apply to virtually any situation, and which you can swap out until you find one that works at that particular time.