EP 228.5: How to Give Yourself Permission to REST When Exercise Controls Your Life (+ The REST Method) **Must Listen Fav!**

If you exercise too much but can't stop, if rest days fill you with anxiety, if you've convinced yourself that constant movement equals worthiness—this episode is your permission slip to finally rest. Lindsey shares her personal journey from exercise addiction to freedom, revealing the powerful 4-letter word and method that saved her life: REST.

You'll discover why your brain equates rest with laziness, learn the REST acronym that breaks the compulsive exercise cycle, and understand why rest isn't a reward for work—it's part of the recovery work itself.

What You'll Learn

✨ Why exercise addiction is common in eating disorders (and how to recognize it) ✨ The false beliefs that keep you trapped in compulsive exercise patterns ✨ How "dedicated" becomes destructive (and when to be concerned) ✨ The REST method: A practical 4-step approach to breaking exercise addiction ✨ Why rest days anxiety is normal in recovery (and how to manage it) ✨ Biblical perspective on rest and recovery (Matthew 11:28)

Exercise Addiction Warning Signs

Do you recognize yourself in these patterns?

• Exercising every single day, multiple times per day
• Eating while standing to "burn more calories"
• Doing random exercises throughout the day (crunches, etc.)
• Believing rest makes you lazy or weak
• Feeling anxious or guilty about missing workouts
• Exercising even when injured or exhausted
• Viewing movement solely through a calorie-burning lens
• Isolating from friends/activities that involve sitting

The REST Method Breakdown R - RELAX

• Surrender and give up control
• Pause, pray, stop, step away
• Let go of the bondage to constant movement
• Practice: Try stopping your workout 1 minute earlier each day

E - EVALUATE

• Get in tune with your feelings and emotions
• Reframe emotions with facts
• Challenge thoughts: "Will I really 'blow up' if I don't go to the gym?"
• Ask: "Am I actually going to heal my disordered relationship with exercise?"

S - SET AN INTENTION

• Define what your best self means to you
• Plan and pre-decide your actions
• Ask: "What's one thing I can do to step in her direction?"
• Focus on who you want to become, not what you want to avoid

T - TAKE ACTION

• Put that step in motion and practice
• The hardest part: actually doing what you've been thinking about
• Don't wait for your eating disorder to give permission
• Remember: The action here IS resting

Key Mindset Shifts Rest Isn't Laziness—It's Living

"You aren't lazy, you're living. You're allowed rest."

Rest Is Part of Recovery Work

"Resting isn't a reward for work. It's part of the work. It's part of the recovery work."

Your Body Needs Repair

"If you don't rest, you can't repair. If you don't rest, you can't restore. If you don't rest, you can't reflect."

Cultural Lies vs. Recovery Truth

• Culture says: Hustle and go, go, go
• Recovery truth: Two rest days