How Exercise Can Help With Recovery

While you’re starting to develop a routine and structure for your life after rehab for drug or alcohol addiction, it’s best that you make sure you include exercise with your plan. Proper exercise helps you not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Learn more about the many benefits of exercise as you take steps in your recovery.

Relief From Stress & Anxiety

There are bound to be varying degrees of stress and anxiety as you pick up the pieces and try to make sense of your new life, and exercise is a great way to relieve yourself of that anxiety and stress. In addition to your recovery, stress and anxiety can also be triggered by the everyday aspects of life, such as work, bills and even interactions with family and friends as you transition. Move around to keep from feeling bogged down.

Create a Routine

Creating an exercise routine helps you to better structure your days after rehab. You likely had a schedule while in rehab for addiction treatment, so you might as well keep that momentum going. Another thing about your exercise routine is that it can help you focus on staying sober. You’re likely to be less tempted to drink if you know you have a kickboxing lesson to look forward to tomorrow morning.

Reset Your Brain Chemistry

Rather than yearning for that old feeling of euphoria you may have relied on drugs or alcohol for, you can experience the same feeling when your brain releases endorphins while you’re exercising. Not only is this high healthier, it “resets” your brain chemistry to a healthier setting, one that’s better balanced and allows you to derive more pleasure out of your new drug- and alcohol-free life.

Channel the time and energy you once devoted to drug abuse to exercise. For suggestions on exercise routines that are well-suited for recovering addicts, be sure to reach out to a drug recovery specialist.