Benefits of Exercise in Substance Abuse Recovery in Palm Beach

It is well known that exercise stimulates your mind and body. Furthermore, exercise activates your body’s reward chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin which can considerably improve your mood. It is no wonder, then, that exercising is a core component of numerous addiction solutions Florida has to offer. The benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach include various physical and mental benefits, sense of purpose and accomplishment, and even include social support in some cases. In addition, exercise is a very holistic approach to recovery. In this article, we will explain exactly what kind of benefits you can expect from exercise, as well as provide you with some fun activities that you can incorporate into your recovery schedule.

How can exercise benefit substance use recovery?

The fact of the matter is that most people in recovery struggle with maintaining their overall health. Addiction takes its toll, after all, and many people choose to forgo their physical and mental well-being in lieu of using their substance of choice. The best way to get back into shape, both mentally and physically, is to simply exercise. By doing so, you will reap numerous benefits, including:

• Physical and mental benefits
• A holistic approach to recovery
• Sense of purpose
• Accomplishment
• Social support

Furthermore, exercise will help you curb your cravings, provide you with structure and routine, relieve stress, improve your self-image, help you sleep, and much more. Due to all these benefits, routine exercise is a core component of almost all inpatient rehab Florida programs. The beauty of it is that there is no “set” amount of exercise that you need to do each day. Someone might want to exercise for 10 minutes per day while someone else might want to exercise for hours. It is all individual but everyone gets to reap the benefits, almost regardless of how much time they devote to exercising!

With that in mind, let us show you exactly how exercising can help you recover from substance abuse.

Physical and mental benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach

First of all, exercise is extremely healthy for your body. By exercising, you will be strengthening your muscles and bones, and making it easier to lose, gain, or maintain weight. Whether you are undergoing Adderall addiction rehab, alcohol rehab, or any other rehab, exercise will make your program more likely to succeed. Furthermore, if you manage to exercise for at least two and a half hours each week, you will reduce the risk of many nasty diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The old Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano” (A healthy mind in a healthy body) perfectly illustrates how your body’s state can influence your mental state. Not only that, but you can get numerous psychological benefits but simply exercising. Here’s how it works: Throughout the exercise, your body releases endorphins which interact with your brain to decrease your pain perception. This is an effect similar to morphine but without any addictive properties. By feeling less pain, your mind gets to “relax” and it is easier to formulate positive thoughts and be optimistic.

Lastly, due to the fact that exercise is a routine activity, it will help you form good mental health habits, which are absolutely critical in addiction recovery.

Exercise is a holistic approach to recovery

Many people in recovery have a problem utilizing medications and other modern medical methods. For those people, exercise is even more crucial for lasting recovery. Holistic fitness is nothing new, after all, and more and more people choose to use this form of exercise to further their life goals, become and stay healthy, etc. For people in recovery, however, a holistic approach to exercise includes a specific “breed” of training, one that addresses the entire person. This form of exercise combines physical fitness with mindfulness, nutrition, and mindset coaching. Whether you are undergoing a holistic fitness program at an alcohol rehab center Florida or you are working under a holistic fitness instructor, exercising in this way can provide you with several key components to achieving lasting recovery.

You may get a sense of purpose through exercise

One of the more interesting aspects of exercise is the fact that it may provide you with a sense of purpose. According to a particular 2021 exercise study, people who exercise have stronger sense of purpose than those that do not exercise. Of course, there are a lot of individual factors at play here, and not everyone will suddenly find purpose through exercise but the fact is that exercising will help.

The way in which exercise influences your sense of purpose is by providing you with clear goals and achievements. With this in mind, it is quite important that you set proper goals for yourself, ones that you are able to meet. If you are in recovery, the best thing to do is to talk to your therapist and have them help you set those goals, as setting unrealistic goals might be counterproductive in some cases. However, even if you were to set them yourself, you have a good chance of finding a new sense of purpose through exercise.

Exercise offers accomplishment

By exercising, you are constantly meeting small (and potentially large) goals. This, in turn, provides you with a constant feeling of accomplishment, which is one of the most important benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach. Even if you are to only do 10 minutes of exercise each day, you will feel like you are doing something to help promote your recovery. After a while, you will start seeing the results of your exercise, which will make you feel even more accomplished. This sense of accomplishment will then drive you to excel further and keep away thoughts of relapse.

Speaking of relapse, one of the reasons why so many people relapse after treatment is because they simply do not feel accomplished in their “normal” life. For those people, exercise can provide an excellent way to feel good about themselves, which will increase their chances of successful recovery and minimize the chances of relapse.

Exercise may offer social support

There is absolutely no reason to exercise alone. In fact, exercising with others can be an extremely fun way to go about recovering from substance abuse. This is why many crack cocaine rehab centers offer comprehensive exercise programs where their patients can enjoy all the benefits of exercise in a group environment. The fact that there is someone to “cheer” you on and acknowledge your efforts directly, you may be even more motivated to exercise.

There are many social support programs available to you, even outside of your treatment center of choice. You can always find supportive people who will want to exercise with you. The fact of the matter is that exercising is always more fun when in a group. For people in recovery, having someone around and sharing their exercises with them can be incredibly valuable. Not only will it make the exercise more enjoyable, but being surrounded by people who can help you stay clean will go a long way toward achieving lasting recovery.

Fun ways to exercise without actually “exercising”

When most people think about exercise, they think about something that is difficult, grueling, and painful. While some exercises may be like this, not all of them fall into the same category. Contrary to a popular belief, exercise is not all about pushing your body to its limits. Not everyone wants to be a professional bodybuilder, after all. To get the benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach, all you need to do is spend some time being active. This opens up a huge number of possibilities, such as:

• Yoga
• Hiking
• Team sports

Before we get into the details of why these three activities are amazing for people in recovery, it is worth noting that taking up any hobby that makes you even the slightest bit active is going to make a difference, as well. Not everyone likes to hike, play sports, or practice Yoga, after all. Woodcarving, for example, can also be an excellent form of exercise. When it comes right down to it, any hobby is better than no hobby. Of course, the more active you are, the better, but even solving jigsaw puzzles can be an exercise worth pursuing.

That being said, there are good reasons why the three abovementioned exercises are better suited for people in recovery. Let’s see why that might be the case.

Yoga can be an excellent way to exercise

Mindfulness is a big part of any recovery process. It is no wonder, then, that an exercise that combines mindfulness with physical activity is excellent in promoting healthy recovery. Furthermore, Yoga can help you deal with stress, reduce drug cravings, heighten your self-confidence, and bring about numerous health and wellness improvements. It is no wonder, then, that Yoga is one of the most common exercise types in Florida prescription drugs addiction treatment. In other words, by practicing Yoga, you will be able to get all of the benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach.

Another reason why Yoga is amazing as an exercise is that it is perfectly suitable for everyone. Regardless of your physical state, you can always practice some form of Yoga. Everyone can start with the basic forms and progress toward advanced ones. The “ceiling” is also quite high, as some of the more advanced forms (Bikram, for example) can be extremely demanding even for the fittest individuals.

Hiking

The reason why hiking is one of the best forms of exercise for people in recovery is that it can provide them with a “retreat” from their daily struggles. Furthermore, it is much easier to clear your mind while hiking and reflect on your life. On its own, hiking is an excellent exercise that brings all the benefits of exercise with it. One of the best things about it is that you can choose your own pace and modify it as you go. Lastly, hiking is perfectly suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Furthermore, if you choose to enroll in a specialized hiking program, you will get to reconnect to nature, adopt a healthier approach to control, and experience personal empowerment and emotional growth. Yes, hiking is that powerful. Lastly, hiking can provide you with an excellent way to spend your time. This is particularly important for people in recovery, as they usually have more time on their hands than they know what to do with.

By playing team sports, you can get all the benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach

Team sports are, perhaps, the best form of exercise you can do in recovery. You will get all the benefits of exercise but you will also introduce a social aspect to it. By playing team sports, you will improve your social interaction skills, experience the joy of being part of a group, and maybe even discover your own potential! Most people in recovery have a feeling of being alone and left out, after all, which is why playing team sports can be so beneficial. Furthermore, team sports will open new avenues of friendship and relationships.

While team sports might not be for everyone, true, they are still a very powerful tool in the recovery toolbox. Aside from all the other benefits, you will also learn how to accept losses and failures by playing team sports. By playing, you will realize that everyone makes mistakes and that it is alright. This may even be the most important lesson you will learn.

Regardless of which form of exercise you choose, however, you will be able to get all the benefits of exercise in substance abuse recovery in Palm Beach from it. The best thing you can do is find an activity that you enjoy and commit to it. It will only go downhill from there!