Exercise and Fitness in Recovery
- Oct 3, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 30
A consistent exercise routine is a cornerstone of a successful recovery journey. When you take the time to find an approach that fits your lifestyle, physical activity becomes an incredibly powerful tool for enhancing your mental and emotional well-being.
What are the main benefits of incorporating exercise into a recovery plan?
Engaging in physical activity provides an effective outlet for stress, helps improve the quality of your sleep, and strengthens mindfulness. It also helps you establish a consistent, positive routine, which is crucial for a successful and lasting recovery.
Curious about how exercise can holistically transform your recovery? We've got you covered. Dive deeper to discover how a fitness routine can be tailored to your unique needs and goals.
Incorporating a Daily Exercise Routine
Fitness in Recovery is integral to the healing process. While one’s emotional and mental states may seem separate from their physical wellbeing, the two are tightly intertwined when it comes to recovery and overall health.
Incorporating a physical exercise routine into one’s daily life is essential for an effective, holistic recovery, but that doesn’t mean that each individual needs to approach these routines in the same way. Knowing how one’s physical health ties into their recovery and the various exercise outlets available to them can help each individual create their own unique fitness plan pertinent to their daily lifestyle.
Fitness in Recovery: Discovering the Benefits of Physical Activity
One’s physical health can augment many other aspects of one’s recovery, creating an entirely new and transformed lifestyle. While jogging can help an individual improve their cardiovascular fitness, it also has many other effects that can benefit an individual’s journey to sobriety.
Working out is a great way to release pent-up stresses as it can direct an individual to proper, healthy outlets to expend anxious or frustrated energies.
Stress isn’t something that simply fizzles out if pushed back in one’s mind, and those navigating the difficult recovery process can have no shortage of stresses.
Constant feelings of change, withdrawal symptoms, strained relationships, or personal and professional stigmas are all both plentiful and complicated to process.
Having a directed outlet in which to channel this energy is essential in navigating these more difficult parts of one’s recovery journey. For those that have physically demanding jobs, such as first responders, one’s time exercising can continue to feel like work.
While cardio or weight training may be tied to one’s occupation and blur the line between one’s professional and home life, having a unique, more relaxing physical outlet such as yoga can be a great alternative that allows these barriers between personal and professional lives to stay in place while providing the necessary therapeutic outlet.
Creating a Routine
Routines and schedules hold a lot of power throughout one’s recovery. The ability to create an expected and consistent schedule is crucial for mitigating stresses and detaching from the workplace or other stressors of one’s life, and incorporating an exercise routine can continue to scaffold this essential skill.
By maintaining a daily workout routine, one can continue to schedule and structure their day, ensuring there isn’t too much downtime while guaranteeing regular access to coping and processing strategies. Scheduling one’s workout can also help an individual further refine their daily routine by working at specified times for healthy meals or to take time away from social media or electronics.
Sleep is a common hurdle for many throughout the recovery journey, and the energy expended by regular physical activity can aid an individual in not just getting to sleep but staying asleep for an entire restful night. By having a tired body and an outlet for the mind to process stress during the day, sleep, which once seemed elusive, can be more readily accessible and rejuvenating for each individual.
One’s physical exercise can force them to be more cognizant of their bodies, improving their kinesthetic sense and awareness of the way their bodies and muscles are feeling on any given day. These skills are essential in many mindfulness practices, and physical activity can be a way to begin balancing one’s physical and mental needs while improving one’s awareness of their own feelings and inherent physical responses to daily stressors.
Choosing the Form That Works for You
Fitness in Recovery comes in many forms, and finding the right one for each individual is crucial in developing an effective exercise routine. Working out in a personal gym with weights and a treadmill, jogging alongside a pet, or going to Zumba classes can all be valid forms of tending to one’s physical health.
Hiking can be especially powerful with the unique resources available in Utah, being able to tend to one’s physical needs while also providing a serene and natural air in which to detach from the daily stresses of one’s life. This feeling of freedom can hold immense therapeutic value in a way that addresses many of one’s needs in recovery in a holistic and unique way.
Finding the right recovery environment for all of one’s recovery approaches, from a safe space to rest to a comfortable place to exercise, can make a huge difference in one’s progress, and working with professionals and nutritional guidance can form a complete picture of one’s healthy, transformed future that incorporates all of one’s physical, mental, and emotional needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
• What are some of the mental and emotional benefits of exercise during recovery?
Physical activity is an excellent way to reduce stress, as it provides a healthy outlet for anxious or frustrated energy. It also helps improve mindfulness by increasing awareness of your body and how it responds to daily stressors.
• How does exercise improve sleep for those in recovery?
Regular physical activity helps improve both the quality and duration of sleep. By expending energy during the day, your body is better prepared for a restful night, making sleep more accessible and rejuvenating.
• How can a daily exercise routine help in structuring my day?
Creating a regular workout schedule is key to establishing a consistent daily routine. This structure helps you mitigate stress, manage your time, and ensures you have regular access to healthy coping and processing strategies.
• What kind of exercise is best for someone in recovery?
The best form of exercise is the one that works for you. This could include anything from using a treadmill or weights, jogging, taking a Zumba class, or going for a hike. The key is finding an activity that fits your lifestyle and needs.
• Why is it important to choose a form of exercise that doesn't feel like work?
For some, especially those with physically demanding jobs, certain exercises might blur the line between personal and professional life. Choosing a different outlet, like yoga or hiking, can help maintain a healthy boundary while still providing the necessary therapeutic benefits.
Navigating the path to recovery is a deeply personal journey, and at Chateau Health and Wellness Treatment Center, we're here to walk it with you. Our team understands that true healing involves caring for your physical and mental well-being in a holistic way. We're committed to helping you create a sustainable wellness plan that incorporates beneficial routines, including physical activity, to support your long-term success. If you or a loved one is ready to take the next step toward a healthier, more balanced life, please call us at (435) 222-5225. We are ready to help you find your unique path to a transformed and healthy future.
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About The Author
Ben Pearson, LCSW - Clinical Director
With 19 years of experience, Ben Pearson specializes in adolescent and family therapy, de-escalation, and high-risk interventions. As a former Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient program, he played a key role in clinical interventions and group therapy. With 15+ years in wilderness treatment and over a decade as a clinician, Ben has helped countless individuals and families navigate mental health and recovery challenges.
Danny Warner, CEO of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings a wealth of experience in business operations, strategic alliances, and turnaround management, with prior leadership roles at Mediconnect Global, Klever Marketing, and WO Investing, Inc. A graduate of Brigham Young University in Economics and History, Danny has a proven track record of delivering results across diverse industries. His most transformative role, however, was as a trail walker and counselor for troubled teens at the Anasazi Foundation, where he directly impacted young lives, a personal commitment to transformation that now drives his leadership at Chateau.
Austin Pederson, Executive Director of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings over eight years of experience revolutionizing mental health and substance abuse treatment through compassionate care and innovative business strategies. Inspired by his own recovery journey, Austin has developed impactful programs tailored to individuals facing trauma and stress while fostering comprehensive support systems that prioritize holistic wellness. His empathetic leadership extends to educating and assisting families, ensuring lasting recovery for clients and their loved ones.
