Exercising as a Family to Support a Healthy Lifestyle

Contributor: Kirsten Haglund, Community Relations Representative for Timberline Knolls and Founder and President of the Kirsten Haglund Foundation

Families play an essential role in every phase of the recovery journey. Due to the family’s great responsibility in shaping belief systems, habits, and values, this can be a tremendous force for good. Pre, during, and post recovery are all good times to assess (or re-assess) a family’s commitments to each other and to cultivating a healthy lifestyle by exercising.

When families decide together to make a balanced wellness program a part of their routine as a unit, it is incredibly beneficial for all, supportive for the individual in recovery, and can build a solid foundation for a healthy lifestyle that lasts long after the battle with an eating disorder has passed. Therefore, exercising as a family is something to consider making a priority.

So, what are the benefits?

Family Exercise Facilitates Physical Health

To begin, exercising as a family contributes to overall physical health. This doesn’t mean, however, that in order for exercise to be beneficial, every family member has to start running marathons – quite the contrary!

Exercising together can mean taking walks, easy bike rides, other outdoor activities that require movement and focus, like swimming, gardening, volunteer work, or playing with younger siblings or extended family.

Exercising together also makes exercise more likely, as it will come up more often as a suggestion amongst family members, and broadens the range of physical activities you can do. It also helps with motivation, and for young members of the family, lays the groundwork for healthy activity as a priority throughout their life.

Family Exercising Reinforces Mental Health

Two people walking on a path ExercisingExercising together also contributes to mental and emotional health. Activity that engages the body is great for every individual, as it increases circulation to the brain, feelings of empowerment and accomplishment, and a sense of self-care.

When exercising together, these benefits are amplified! Eating disorders and other family issues can lead to isolation, but working towards a common goal through exercise brings family members together and emphasizes teamwork.

The emphasis, of course, should always be on enjoyment, rather than competition, and if an individual is ever struggling, activity should stop and there should be room to talk about pain, feelings, wounds, or vulnerabilities exposed. There are also exercises like yoga, which can massively increase a family’s sense of self-awareness and well being, and when done together can actually help facilitate the healing process for everyone involved.

Family Exercising Can be Fun

children playing and ExercisingFinally, for perhaps no other reason, exercising together as a family should be a priority because it is fun! Before you dismiss this, understand that play, adventure, exploration, and activity is a deep need in every human being, no matter their age.

Exercising as a family is enjoyable, helps to build relationships, and gives family members something to look forward to. It can be a way to build fond memories and to reduce stress during difficult times. Every person needs fun in their lives which is something other than binge-watching shows on Netflix.

In fact, a great example of this can be found in nature. God created His creatures to be active and find joy in movement. If you spend ten minutes with a litter of puppies or kittens, you see they are the definition of “active” and sure have fun doing it! They romp together, scamper after toys, run, jump, even chase their own tails. They play until exhausted, then usually fall asleep in a heap of little bodies.

While having fun, they are unintentionally increasing blood flow to their hearts, building strength in their muscles and heart. If given the opportunity, human children, God’s most beloved creations, do exactly the same thing.

They jump rope, play tag, and do any number of activities where a ball is involved (some more coordinated than others)! That is if they are not distracted by a video game or phone app.

In the animal kingdom, this joy in movement – this “joie de vivre” doesn’t change. Without provocation, a horse will break into a run across an open field; a dog will chase a stick if someone just throws it. The point is, God wants His children to never stop moving, simply because it is the right thing, beneficial on every possible level: mind, body, and spirit.

Family Activity Increases Love for One Another

Mother is playing with her sonBeing active together as a family is a way for everyone to interact with each other rather than their computer screens, and increase the joy and love for movement and for one another that will reap benefits for years to come.

In short, investing time and energy into family activities can contribute to better physical health, better mental and emotional stability, and helps build lasting relationships through pure enjoyment of time spent together. Exercising together as a family is a simple thing to start doing, but leads to major growth in the long-term.

Start small and be intentional as you begin to make movement and activity a part of the family routine. With intention comes the creation of new, life-giving habits that bring hearts together and build a strong family unit capable of weathering any of life’s difficult storms.


Kirsten-Haglund-100x1501-202x250About the author: Kirsten Haglund continues to work as an advocate for greater awareness of eating disorders and resources for care. Since she won the crown of Miss America 2008, she has spoken on numerous college campuses, worked with youth and church groups domestically and abroad, lobbied Congress with the Eating Disorders Coalition, and started her own non-profit, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, to raise funds and assist families financially in seeking treatment for eating disorders. She is also the Community Relations Specialist for Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.


The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on January 3, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com