2026-13 - You Don’t Have to Push Yourself Anymore: Reclaiming Exercise After an Eating Disorder

In this episode of Fly to Freedom, I’m joined by Charlie for a really honest and important conversation about healing our relationship with exercise, stepping away from diet culture, and learning how to reconnect with ourselves in midlife and eating disorder recovery.Charlie is a body positive fitness coach and menopause specialist, and from the moment I met her at my gym, I knew there was something very different about her approach to movement and wellbeing.One sentence she said to me completely stopped me in my tracks:“You don’t need to push yourself to your limits anymore. You are allowed to take the easier option.”It sounds simple, but honestly, I nearly cried hearing it.After years of compulsive exercise and believing movement had to involve punishment, exhaustion, or “earning” food, it completely changed how I viewed exercise and what a healthy relationship with movement could actually look like.Together, Charlie and I talk about:Reclaiming exercise after an eating disorderCompulsive movement and exercise addictionWhy movement should feel empowering, not punishingHealing body image and self-worthThe pressure women face to constantly performDiet culture and “good girl” conditioningMidlife identity shifts and rediscovering yourselfPerimenopause, hormones and emotional wellbeingWhy self-care and nourishment matter so muchLearning to listen to your body instead of fighting itBoundaries around comments about weight and appearanceFinding joy, playfulness and freedom againWe also talk openly about the reality of midlife as women — the exhaustion, the pressure to hold everything together, and the liberating moment where you realise you are allowed to stop performing and finally become yourself.This conversation felt deeply personal to me because so much of my eating disorder recovery involved rebuilding my relationship with movement and learning that exercise does not have to come from self-hatred.It can come from joy.It can come from empowerment.It can come from care.And honestly, that changes everything.About CharlieCharlie is a Menopause Coaching Specialist with 12 years in the fitness and wellbeing industry. Qualified in Personal Training, Life Coaching and NLP, she brings a wealth of knowledge on midlife women and a strong understanding of not just the physical but also the emotional and mental challenges of peri/menopause.You can find Charlie and learn more here:Menopause Better App––––––––––––––––––––The ED Recovery Companion AppI’m also incredibly excited to share the ED Recovery Companion app with you.We created this app to support you in the moments recovery feels hardest — not just when you’re listening to a podcast or in a therapy session, but in real life, while you’re actually living recovery.Inside the app you’ll find:Meal supportJournaling toolsRecovery guidanceCoping supportAn AI version of me you can talk to throughout your day using the same approach I use in my coachingIt’s designed to help you feel supported, understood and gently guided back towards recovery when things feel difficult.The app is completely free to download and I would absolutely love to welcome you inside.Download the app here:ED Recovery Companion App––––––––––––––––––––If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to welcome you inside The Eating Disorder Recovery Circle, where you’ll find support, understanding, recovery tools, courses, workshops and a community of people who truly understand what eating disorder recovery is like.You can learn more here:The Eating Disorder Recovery CircleYou are never alone in this.