Of all the tools we gather to help us stay sober, exercise in recovery might be one of the most helpful and supportive for our sobriety. Although seemingly simple, a regular exercise routine can actually be a powerful and effective tool for self-care, holistic healing, and transformation.
Managing Depression and Anxiety: Exercise in Recovery
As many of us have experienced, exercise can be quite helpful in managing depression and anxiety. Physical activity and movement increase dopamine, one of the neurotransmitters responsible for helping us to feel happy and content. The endorphins from exercise are natural mood lifters. Exercise can help with the feelings of stress, overwhelm, and worry that often accompany addiction. When we exercise, we automatically feel our spirits lifting. The happier we are, the stronger we can be in our sobriety.
Exercise in recovery can help with the low moods and lack of motivation we feel when we’re struggling with depression and anxiety. When we find ways to better cope with our mental health issues, we’re also supporting our sobriety. Exercise in recovery can also help us manage any triggering feelings, mood swings, and addictive urges that might arise. Self-care rituals that help us to feel better and more motivated can also serve to empower us in our recovery, making it even easier for us to avoid relapse or to bounce back after relapse.
Sedentary Lifestyles as Coping Mechanisms
Many of us have been living sedentary lifestyles for years, often due to the overwhelming stress and burden of our addictions. We might have used staying in bed all day or endlessly watching TV on the couch as coping mechanisms. Over time, the lack of exercise can worsen how we feel.
When we’re not exercising regularly, we can exacerbate our feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety. The sense of accomplishment we get when we prove to ourselves that we can be consistent with our new habit of regular exercise can also encourage us to stay sober.
Sense of Fulfillment: Exercise in Recovery
Boredom and a lack of fulfillment can be quite triggering, potentially leading us to relapse. Exercising regularly can help us feel fulfilled and give us something to look forward to. This can be especially true with activities we find engaging or that teach us new skills, such as dance or martial arts.
We feel more fulfilled when we know we’re taking better care of ourselves. It’s hard to feel bored and unhappy when we’re being active and having fun doing things we enjoy.
Exercise in recovery can help us feel more confident in ourselves. We might find it easier to prevent relapse when we feel happier and more satisfied in our lives overall. Relapse is something so many of us have experienced, and relapsing doesn’t mean we won’t get better. Programs like those at Athens Area Commencement Center can teach us even more about relapse prevention.
Our goal to exercise regularly can become powerful motivation for us to take better care of ourselves and to stay sober.
Creating a Daily Routine: Exercise in Recovery
To help make exercise a part of your daily routine, try an exercise that you find fun and that you can look forward to. Try having a dance party, solo, or with friends or family. Online dance tutorials and workout videos can be really fun. Get out for a walk and explore nature. A play session with pets can be a great workout. Family hikes and tennis games, as well as going biking or skating, can become something you start looking forward to all week. Exercising with loved ones can be a fun way to spend quality time.
Making exercise fun can help us to actually want to exercise in recovery. Staying committed to a daily self-care regimen can help us follow through with our commitment to our sobriety.
Being Consistent with Exercise in Recovery
Many of us struggle to stay consistent with new habits. This can be especially true with exercise in recovery. Many of us have not taken care of our health for many years, often due to our struggles with addiction. Our physical health and our exercise routines often get neglected.
When we’re depressed or using heavily, self-care might be the last thing on our minds. If you’re struggling with addiction, reach out for help from a professional addiction treatment center like Athens Area Commencement Center.
Using a Day Count for Exercise in Recovery
One way to be consistent with exercise in recovery is to stay on track with this new habit the same way we do with our sobriety, by using a day count. Many of us use a day count to keep track of how many days we’ve been sober. We can also count how many days in a row we’ve exercised. The more days we add to our day count, the more confident we feel.
Accountability for Exercise in Recovery
Another way to stay consistent with exercise in recovery is with accountability partners. Exercising with other people can help us all stay committed to our shared goals. We can provide mutual encouragement, hold each other accountable, and keep one another motivated.
Community and Connection: Exercise in Recovery
Exercising with people we enjoy spending time with can make us that much more likely to stay active. We might consider joining a sports team, hiking club, or walking group. Group exercise activities can provide a sense of community and connection, something many of us are missing. Being in a supportive community reminds us we’re not alone as we work to heal.
Exercise in Recovery: Enjoying Self-Care
Choosing an exercise we enjoy makes it something we’re more likely to stick with rather than a chore we’d rather avoid. We might even find ourselves getting excited to exercise. When we feel proud of ourselves for staying committed to this new habit, we’re encouraging ourselves not only to keep exercising but also to stay strong in our sobriety.
Recovering from addiction involves finding the healing tools and creating the habits that will support us in our sobriety. Exercising regularly as part of our recovery can be a powerful tool for emotional management and relapse prevention. When we choose to exercise, we give ourselves the gift of better health, along with another way of motivating and uplifting ourselves as we do the work to recover. Any new habit or lifestyle change can be hard to implement when we first get started. Similarly, reaching out for help with our addictions can be one of the toughest things we ever do. Take that first step and call Athens Area Commencement Center at (706) 546-7355.