If you are a person who loves to exercise, this blog post is not necessarily for you. Maybe you have been working on your physical health for a long time. Maybe you are an athlete who is always in training for the next big game or match or other competition. Maybe you are already swimming, running, doing Pilates, lifting weights, or some combination of these things and other fitness activities as well.
Again, if that describes you, you can probably find a different substance use disorder treatment or recovery topic to explore on this blog.
But if you hate to exercise, we hope you will stick with us. We are sympathetic to your position, but we also feel obligated to share with you the importance of physical activity to your health and to your recovery. We also want to assure you that you do not have to go into intensive training (like our exercising-loving pals who are still not reading this blog!) in order to get real benefits from exercise.
Before we go any further, a quick but important note: If you are thinking about taking up a new form of exercise or if you have not exercised for quite some time, we recommend talking with your doctor before getting started.
Why Exercise Is Important in Recovery
Exercise is important for everyone, of course, but it can be particularly important for a person who is in recovery from a substance use disorder. That is because your physical health and your mental health are intertwined—and both are important to your ongoing recovery.
Good overall well-being supports your efforts to leave drugs or alcohol firmly in the past. The flip side is also true: Poor physical and mental health can chip away at the foundations of your recovery and increase the likelihood that you will experience a relapse.
While you might not be a fan of exercising, we are confident that you would prefer to build some physical activity into your daily routine to avoid returning to your old routines of substance use.
You might be with us so far, but unsure of how you could even get started. Getting started might seem easier if you realize a key fact about exercise.
Any Exercise Is Better Than None
One of the most important things to remember is that any amount of exercise is better than no exercise at all. You might be overwhelmed by the idea of starting to exercise. Do you have to join a gym? Do you need special clothes? Will you hurt yourself before you do yourself any good?
These and other concerns are understandable, but you can set them aside by starting small. How small?
Well, you could add a 10-minute walk to your day (or even a 5-minute walk). You could choose to take the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator when you have the opportunity (or you could climb one set of stairs and then head for the elevator for the rest of your trip). You could find a 10-minute beginner’s yoga tutorial online (or even a 5-minute stretching video).
Our point here is that you absolutely do not need to start out as though you are in training for some impressive athletic competition. Instead, you can simply get yourself moving more than you are right now. That small step now can, over time, lead to bigger steps in the future.
You Can Add Exercise Over Time
While it might not happen for everyone, for many folks getting in the habit of exercising in a small way can lead to a pursuit of more fitness over time. After all, adding exercise to your life should result in improved physical and mental health—and it is only natural to want to continue improving your well-being by adding more exercise as your health improves. That could be a natural outcome of having a growth mindset.
Still, we want to include two important notes here: First, even if you never move beyond a daily walk, taking that walk is still better than not taking it. Second, be careful that exercise does not become a substitute addiction for you. Exercise is good for you—unless you find yourself letting it take over your life. You can learn more about substitute addictions here.
Exercise Your Option to Get the Help You Need
At Bel Aire Recovery Center—located near Wichita, Kansas—we help individuals who are struggling with substance use disorders. We are also able to address co-occurring mental health disorders that may be entangled with an individual’s drug or alcohol use.
From medically supervised detoxification to inpatient and outpatient treatment options, Bel Aire is ready to personalize a treatment plan that will help you leave drugs and alcohol in your past so you can build the future you hope for. And when your time in treatment comes to an end, you can still count on us for ongoing support and resources as your recovery journey gets started.
Getting help for a substance use disorder is no idle exercise. It is, instead, the first essential step in transforming your life. We are here to help you take that first step—and the many steps that follow as you live life in recovery.
