Table 2 A snapshot of participants’ PA behavior (N = 9)

Very Active

Sarah (anorexia nervosa): “PA. So it’s my way to get to work. I live about 10 km from where I work, and I usually bike or run to work so it’s my main mode of transportation. And I also started competing again this year in road racing. So I deliberately exercise. Like my training is separate because […] when I’m training, I have something that I need to accomplish like a defined goal at the end of it. And then when I’m commuting, it’s PA to get to work.”

Teresa (anorexia nervosa): “I basically just do biking and that’s usually like only 25 min. If I’m going to the gym, then I would do like 1 h of full-body weights workout and then if I’m not going to the gym but like going to a class, it tends to be like the group power class that focuses more on strength, but still has a cardio component. I do probably 5 days of PA ranging between 5 days of intentional PA where I’m at the gym and then the other days I would just probably try to get in some more walking. So it ranges from like 1 h to like 1 h and 45 min if I’m at the gym. Also, my goal is to go for a walk every day and the walk is about 40 min and I do 6 to 10 min of interval training every day and when I’m really feeling happy, I also do some Tai Chi and also do some muscle strengthening exercises for certain parts of my body.” Teresa (anorexia nervosa)

Diane (binge ED): “I go for a walk for about 160 min per week and then interval training is […] 208 min total [per week]. I do a mix of PA and exercise. Exercise simply for exercise is about 50 min per week because it’s the interval training. […] Everything else I call PA but even my walking you know sometimes I walk with people who walk really fast and that’s a cardiovascular workout.”

Julie (bulimia nervosa): “5 days a week at the moment. I do have a set routine. It’s usually 30 to 45 min. Usually alternating between running or swimming. A lot of cardio. I try to incorporate weight lifting in a circuit training in once a week. And they [activities] are tied to social things so I have a swim class that I joined.”

Donna (anorexia nervosa): “Now I’m going towards 4 or 5 days a week for I think 1 h and a bit every time. So 5 to 6 h [per week]. […] Usually it’s just going to a gym, going on machines. Rowing or elliptical or treadmill to warm up and then just doing a bunch of weights. It depends what day it is. I do focus on groups. On one day, I just do shoulders, on another day, I do legs.”

Somewhat active

Karen (anorexia nervosa): “I walk every day. I do yoga about every day and then again. I’m just up on my feet and active at work and that’s about it. Usually 1 h of walking and then 20 or 30 min of yoga.”

Anna (bulimia nervosa): “1 h 6 days per week. Walking only.”

Isabelle (other specified feeding or ED): “Now, I guess I just go for a 30-min walk per day or maybe 1 h-long. […] I haven’t been really doing much in the past couple of weeks.”

Irregularly active

Maude (anorexia nervosa) “If I want to exercise, I exercise. If I’m too tired or sick, I don’t. [Now, I] do body [workout] and I do cardio.”