Demi Lovato Opened Up About the Pressure They Felt to Spend Hours Exercising

Demi Lovato has made it clear that they prefer to let their fans in on the challenges they've faced rather than hide them. Teasers for their upcoming documentary, Dancing With the Devil, reveal that they went into specifics of their near-fatal overdose for the film. And in an interview for Glamour's March cover story, Lovato shared new details about how their eating disorder affected their mindset — specifically regarding exercise.

In 2017, Lovato opened up to fans about the progress they had made in recovering from bulimia. Around the same time, their trainer, Jay Glazer, owner of L.A.'s Unbreakable Performance Center, shared that Lovato had begun spending several hours in the gym, six days a week. On the surface, it seemed that the gym had become a "safe haven" for Lovato, Glazer told People in an interview at the time. But in hindsight, Lovato told Glamour that they now realize they had "fully transformed into 'beast mode,' putting in hours at the gym and embracing society's ideal of a perfect, sober pop star." Lovato explained that in retrospect, they believe they were exuding confidence, which in truth they were lacking. "I was excited that I was in a comfortable place in my body to show more skin, but what I was doing to myself was so unhealthy," they told Glamour. "It was from a place of, 'I've worked really f*cking hard on starving and following this diet, and I'm going to show off my body in this photoshoot because I deserve it.'" (

Lovato previously spoke about how they realized they had an unhealthy relationship with exercise on Ashley Graham's Pretty Big Deal podcast. During the episode, the singer stressed the importance of having a support system while recovering from an eating disorder. "When you don't have people that like, know the signs, around you — I think what I really needed was someone to come in saying, 'Hey I think you might want to take a look at how much you're working out,'" they told Graham during the podcast episode.

The singer recently celebrated the fact that they've cut back on workouts. "I don't over-exercise anymore," Lovato wrote on an Instagram post about the ways they're now rejecting diet culture. "This is a different experience. I feel full, not of food, but of divine wisdom and cosmic guidance." (

Even though Lovato's overall outlook on workouts has changed, they still take part in a form of exercise they've kept up with for years. Lovato has shared their love of jiu-jitsu and credited the mixed martial art for helping them feel empowered. (

Lovato has once again made it clear that their journey to a healthy relationship with food and exercise has had its setbacks. Their latest remarks are a reminder that although exercise can definitely benefit your health, more isn't always better.

If you're struggling with an eating disorder, you can call the National Eating Disorders Helpline toll-free at (800)-931-2237, chat with someone at myneda.org/helpline-chat, or text NEDA to 741-741 for 24/7 crisis support.