People who have struggled with substances are often encouraged to get back into activities they previously enjoyed, like a form of exercise, or start some new habits that can help them continue in the recovery process. Recovering individuals can take advantage of the physical health benefits of exercise and other related activities. If you are beginning the recovery process, not only does this help you take care of your body, it also fills some of the time you previously used for drinking or taking drugs. Drug abuse can affect the body and mind, and the effects of exercise can be positive for both of those areas, too. When you feel good about yourself and you take care of your body, the positive thoughts and confidence in yourself this creates also help with relapse prevention.
If you or one of your loved ones has recently begun the recovery process and would like to know more about how the effects of exercise can have a positive impact on your body and mind, call us today. We’re here to help people who have struggled with substances and want to move forward with a happier, healthier lifestyle.
How Does Exercise Help with Addiction Recovery?
One of the symptoms of addiction is wanting to repeat the feeling you had when you took a particular substance. Many people in recovery struggled with substances that when they took them, their bodies released endorphins. Another of the effects of exercise is it helps you reintroduce healthy endorphins into your system. Minimizing stress is another relapse prevention technique, which is also a side effect of a healthy exercise routine. Three other benefits of exercise as you recover from addiction are:
- Improved Mood
- Increased Energy
- Stronger Immune System
These are in addition to the fact that a healthy exercise routine in moderation is good for your overall health, which will assist you in not finding a reason to try drugs and alcohol again as a form of self-medication.
Which Kinds of Exercise Help with Addiction?
Like with addiction treatments for substance use disorders, there is no one exercise plan that will work for everyone. If you worked out or participated in a particular form of exercise before your issues with substance abuse, it could be good to get back into that same activity. If you were not, there are plenty to choose from in both formal class settings and more casually on your own. When you recover from addiction, it’s also often a good idea to make new friends outside of your previous group, if they also had drug abuse issues. Exercise classes can be a perfect environment for this to happen. Here are some types of exercise recommended by drug abuse treatment center professionals:
- Yoga
- Cardio
- Walking
- Hiking
- Running
- Swimming
- Aerobic Classes
Why Including Exercise in Your Addiction Treatment Plan Matters
Many inpatient and outpatient treatment programs promote and incorporate the benefits of exercise. People who are experiencing mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms can benefit from regular exercise as they go through alcohol or drug detox. As addiction affects the mind and body, the mental health benefits of exercise are also very helpful for people in treatment programs. Unless you are recovering from an injury or have health reasons that prevent you from certain types of movement, a healthy exercise routine is almost always a good thing for your overall health.
Exercise Therapy At TruPath
At TruPath we encourage all types of activities that are beneficial for someone’s overall health and addiction recovery. If you would like more information about how you can incorporate regular exercise into your routine to assist with your recovery process, call us today.