Endorphins, endorphins, endorphins
Exercise is a proven stress reliever! If you suffer from anxiety or depression, exercise can be a perfect medicine for you. Allowing your body to release extra energy and turn it into endorphins will put you in a better overall mood. It will also allow you to tackle issues throughout the day with a clearer mind. Exercise also helps wire your brain to increase the amount of new nerve connections that may have been damaged from your addiction.
You will also be able to sleep better at night having expelled all that extra energy throughout the day. Sleeping better gives you extra energy throughout the day, and becomes a positive cycle that is all tied together. Exercise also aids in cardiovascular health, diabetes, lowers the risk of some types of cancers and helps to stimulate your immune system.
You don’t have to be a fitness junkie
There’s nothing wrong with being committed to a workout routine or fitness program. However, if that’s not quite your style, don’t worry – we aren’t telling you to become a full-blown fitness junkie! Even just some light exercise everyday, such as a 30 minute jog or a light yoga session, will show you tremendous benefits. If you have a pet dog, taking him or her around the block a few times also counts! If you’re able to, walking to work or school instead of driving if you live close enough will give you a clear mind to start your day, as well.
It can be hard to find an exercise routine or regime that is right for our bodies and tastes. If you’re not sure what might be up your alley, or have no idea where to start, join a local gym and take advantage of the group classes. You can test out all types of different exercises and figure out what you might like the most. Who knows, you might fall in love with Zumba or Spin class and you would never have known it!
Adding structure to your day
Taking time to work out everyday will add structure to your life. Having something to schedule your day around will help keep you sober and on a healthy path. If you have a 10am yoga session that you love going to, you will be better able to plan your day and have something to look forward to. In addition, going for a light jog before going to work will force you to wake up earlier and go to bed earlier, giving yourself a structured bedtime and wake up time. This will prevent you from staying out late or derailing your path.
When you begin exercising, you will also be forming tons of healthy habits. Starting off with one healthy choice at the beginning of the day causes a domino effect in making healthy choices the rest of the day. If you exercise in the morning, you’ll want to eat a healthy breakfast to give you fuel for that workout. You’ll be drinking tons of extra water, staying hydrated and taking better care of your hygiene. Exercising and eating healthy usually go hand-in-hand, which will keep you on a better, healthier track everyday.
Building positive friendships
Joining a martial arts studio, yoga class or local gym could also lead you to some new friends who share the same interests as you. Having a group of people you enjoy working out with will help further build your new social circle of healthy, happy people who have your best interested in mind. If you are ready to explore friendships outside of your recovery and sober circle, it is super easy to find different groups online. Websites such as Meetup or Eventbrite give you the opportunity to join different groups such as running groups, training groups and more.
You might also be interested in joining a regional league, such as hockey or softball, to be part of a team sport. This could include something that you used to play in high school or college. It may have been years since you played sports before your active addition took control of your life. However, if you always found enjoyment in sports, it is never too late to go back and do what you love and enjoy. Being part of a team will give you more positive friendships and people to spend time with who share the same interests as you. Time to brush off those skills!
About Pinelands Recovery Center
Recovery from addiction isn’t just about kicking the drug or putting down the drink – it’s about changing your entire life and all your habits. Building new, healthy habits will help keep you on track and ensure a healthy, happy life. Long-term sobriety involves taking care of your mind and body, and exercise helps check off both of those boxes.
Pinelands Recovery Center of Medford is widely known as one of New Jersey’s finest, most respected addiction treatment facilities. With comfortable 30-bed accommodations and a 24-hour professional staff, we can offer clients a serene, relaxing environment amid the lush piney woods. This stress-free setting with its sense of warmth and welcoming enables you to feel comfortable and confident about your clean and sober life ahead.
We will establish clear goals, both general in nature and specific to your needs. We continue to
monitor those goals, to make sure that our clients are progressing and buying into their recovery
plan. We thrive on assisting clients in feeling connected to the recovery community, share and
demonstrate effective coping techniques, help clients to modify attitudes and patterns of
behavior and everything else you will need to be happy and productive living a sober, healthy
life.
We ensure that clients complete their planned concrete tasks, encourage hope, optimism and
healthy living. Our recovery program is not a revolving door treatment program; it is a recovery
model designed to help clients go on to lead productive, happy lives. For more information, visit
pinelandsrecovery.com