When it comes to addiction recovery, the first thing that comes into mind is usually rehab.
While rehab plays a significant role here, it’s not the only step to recovery. In fact, it’s only the first step of this long process.
In reality, recovery is not simply trying to stay sober one day at a time – it’s about changing your lifestyle completely. This significant life change implies incorporating healthy habits into your daily life.
Two major parts of this journey are nutrition and exercise. Both are critical factors in the addiction recovery process.
The ultimate goal is to practice these healthy habits to live your life to the fullest, just like you deserve it.
So, if you want to learn how to incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery, keep reading this article!
Causes of addiction
People mostly talk about mental health issues when it comes to the biggest cause of addiction. And this is 100% justified. Depression, trauma, anxiety, and stress are frequently identified as addiction triggers. However, it’s also vital to acknowledge that exercise (or lack thereof) and bad nutrition may both contribute to addiction. Let’s see how.
Lack of exercise & addiction
Humans are naturally active creatures. Our bodies generate energy regularly, which must be expended. When this does not occur, we can encounter a variety of issues, both physical and mental.
Unfortunately, we live in a society that discourages physical activity. When people don’t exercise, their muscles get weaker. This might result in overall exhaustion and malaise.
As a result, people may feel compelled to use drugs or alcohol to compensate for a lack of vitality. If you don’t have the energy to socialize or do your daily responsibilities, it’s easy to slip into addiction in an attempt to stabilize your life.
Insufficient exercise is also known to play a significant role in depression, as proven by the numerous studies that recognize exercise as a possible therapy for depression. This can be attributed to hormonal imbalances produced by an unhealthy lifestyle.
Because depression is a major cause of addiction, it stands to reason that exercise might be beneficial in the battle against addiction.
Malnutrition & addiction
Our bodies need a variety of vitamins and minerals to function properly. These vitamins and minerals are obtained from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Unfortunately, the average American diet is severely deficient in these essential nutrients.
Therefore, if we don’t acquire the nutrients we require from our diets and don’t take the necessary nutritional supplements, our bodies will not function properly. These vitamins and minerals enable our bodies to develop the reactions required to produce hormones, neurotransmitters, and other substances needed for a healthy and stable mindset.
Numerous studies have shown that a poor diet might lead to mental health problems. People who don’t eat healthily are considerably more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. As a result, malnutrition can be the cause of addiction as well.
How to incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery
Now that you have learned how bad nutrition and lack of physical activity can worsen and even cause addiction, it’s time to find out how to incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery.
It might be as easy as eating more veggies and going for a daily jog if that’s enough for you. However, if you want to build a regimen precisely suited to helping you overcome your addiction, you’ll want to learn more.
Exercise & Addiction
The importance of physical activity in addiction recovery is immense.
We talked about how lack of exercise can lead to addiction. Now, let’s see how regular physical activity can help in the recovery process.
- It helps with the cravings
Many people find that doing anything physical gives them something to focus on. Rather than submitting to their substance cravings, people might focus on an empowering, healthy, and helpful activity.
In addition, group exercises may also develop positive social bonds with others, providing a sense of accomplishment. You can find these groups in many facilities for addiction recovery. These inpatient programs offer so much; generally, staying at the facility has many benefits. The patients are surrounded by a constant support system and professionals whose only goal is to help them.
- It has a significant impact on mental health
Exercise is also recognized as one of the most effective treatments for assisting individuals in dealing with mental health issues. Mental health disorders are frequently at the root of addiction.
Physical activity has been shown to improve focus, mental alertness, and mental performance while reducing stress-related tiredness. These characteristics, taken together, can create a feeling of foundation and stability, which can motivate someone to stay sober.
A 10-minute stroll can be just as helpful as a vigorous half-hour workout. At the very least, these brief bouts of activity can help you focus on anything other than your anxiety. In addition, yoga is an excellent option for activating every part of your body and relieving some stress,
Exercise also increases the production of serotonin and dopamine. Both of these neurotransmitters are frequently low in patients suffering from depression. In reality, most antidepressants function by helping the brain to utilize serotonin more effectively. This impact may be duplicated by engaging in frequent exercise.
Good Nutrition & Addiction
Eating healthy is a must if you want to change your lifestyle for the better.
To incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery, you need to know exactly what can help you in the process. So, let’s find out what good nutrition is and how it can help in the process of addiction recovery.
- Healthy diet for repairing physical damage
Certain substances, when abused, can lead to oxidation. Oxidation is a typical reaction to the presence of oxygen, although it can lead to the formation of free radicals over time. Free radicals are essentially renegade electrons that cause cell damage and tissue and organ degeneration.
Antioxidant-rich foods can assist in preventing or reducing the damage caused by free radicals and oxidation. Fresh fruits and vegetables, such as leafy greens, are high in antioxidants.
- Healthy fats as mood boosters
Our bodies, particularly our brains, rely on healthy fats to function. Two fats, in particular, EPA and DHA, are recognized to be critical for mood and cognitive capacity control. If you don’t receive enough of these essential omega-fatty acids in your diet, you’re more prone to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Now, finding a healthy balance of these fats might be difficult. However, fatty seafood such as salmon and sardines are excellent sources, so you can rely on these delicious treats.
- Thiamine for alcohol recovery
Thiamine is depleted in the body as a result of regular alcohol consumption. Most people believe that this is what produces a hangover. However, there is considerable disagreement regarding this. Regardless, long-term thiamine deficiency can have catastrophic consequences.
Thiamine, often known as vitamin B1, is essential for all tissues in the body. You may be more prone to dementia, heart disease, sight issues, and memory loss if you don’t get enough thiamine. You need to start incorporating peas, seeds, nuts, legumes, eggs, oranges, and fortified foods such as vegetable milk into your meal. All these products are rich in thiamine.
- Complex carbs for boosting energy
Refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, white bread, and processed pasta, are known to be unhealthy. They cause blood sugar spikes and extreme energy fluctuations, leading to diabetes and other health complications.
On the other hand, complex carbohydrates can deliver gradual and consistent energy throughout the day. Sweet potatoes, whole grains, and legumes are all high in complex carbohydrates.
- Protein for weight gain
It’s not uncommon for people suffering from addiction to lose a lot of weight. For example, it’s not unusual for drug addicts to have low muscle tone and mass. Protein is essential for regaining muscle mass lost during addiction. This is especially vital if you’re beginning a new training plan to recover lost weight.
Sleep is crucial
For a healthy lifestyle, you need to have a healthy sleep.
Those in early recovery frequently report having inconsistent sleeping patterns. It’s a known fact that sleep improves our general well-being, mental and physical. That’s why it’s crucial to find a way to get enough sleep.
This is exactly why you need to incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery. While physical expenditure of energy can promote healthy sleep throughout the night, a good diet can improve the overall quality of sleep. So, with the combination of both, you’ll improve your sleep and, thus, your recovery in general.
Conclusion
If you’re on a path of addiction recovery and changing your life completely, you need to pay special attention to physical activity and a healthy diet. There’s nothing more important for a healthy lifestyle than this.
As you can see, exercise can improve your mental and physical health, while proper nutrition boosts your energy and overall mood. All these things are essential in recovery. You need to remember one thing: recovery is not about surviving one day after another; it’s about changing your whole life for the better.
That’s why you must know how to incorporate good nutrition and exercise in addiction recovery. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. So, stay strong!