The Best Exercises for Addiction Recovery
Drugs and alcohol can do serious damage to a person’s physical health, especially after years of abuse. Although rehab centers help people to stop misusing these substances, fully recovering from addiction takes time. Addiction recovery exercises are one way to help speed up the healing process and get people on the path to a healthier lifestyle.
Recovery Exercises to Help You Get Healthy After Rehab
Because of it many benefits, exercise and addiction recovery should go hand in hand, but some people in early recovery may not know where to begin. Without guidance, they may struggle to make exercise a regular part of their routine. Other people new to recovery may dive in and overdo it. While this approach can be effective at first, these people can burnout and or even put their physical health at risk.
Because of the physical health concerns brought on or exacerbated by substance abuse, the best exercises and fitness programs for recovering addicts will start slowly but follow a more regular schedule. Especially if you are just leaving an inpatient rehab and haven’t exercised in a long time or have underlying physical health problems, low-intensity workouts for addiction recovery can be highly effective until you are able to build yourself up to more strenuous activities.
Some of the best low-intensity exercises for addiction recovery to start off with include:
- Walking
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Strength training
- Biking
- Slow ballroom dancing
The most important thing is to get active and follow some sort of workout program for addiction recovery. Once you find your footing, you can work your way up to more intense exercises for addiction recovery like running or circuit training. Other beneficial exercises for sobriety after you get in shape may be workout classes or team sports so you have the added benefit of meeting new people with a similar interest. If you are having trouble finding the motivation to get moving, recruit a friend or someone you know in recovery to work out with you. Having someone to exercise in recovery with you can make the process more enjoyable.
Everyone is unique and will progress at different paces, but it is important to listen to your body. If it hurts more than it should, stop. If you have any physical health concerns or underlying health problems, talk to a doctor before working out to find out what addiction recovery exercises are best for you and your body.
