There was only a few minutes left of the run but I felt for sure I was going to pass out. We’d be running for almost 30 minutes straight and I was ready to just crash out. There was something about the run this morning that was particularly hard for me.
I’ve never been much of a runner. Even before I obtained sobriety and way back before addiction I was terrible at it. If I think back to my football/soccer days I remember always being the slowest and worst runner on the team! A bad runner for football/soccer is never a good combo!
I like to snap photos when I’m out running for inspiration later on. Here are some recent ones:
In my sobriety however, I have found an appreciation for being fit and healthy. I try and spend time working out at least a few times a week. For a while I was doing crossfit as well (although I injured my ankle on a run – funny coincidence…) which I really loved. Getting into a gym and throwing some shit around is a ton of fun. It can also be a great stress reliever as well!
There are some incredible health benefits for those of us in recovery which are peer reviewed and part of research findings. Here are the general benefits:
Provide Pleasurable States Without Use of Alcohol
Alcoholics may find exercise to be a positively reinforcing alternative to drinking.
Provide Positive Alternatives to Drinking
Exercise can also serve as a healthy, positive means of filling unstructured time
Reduce Depressive Symptoms and Negative Mood
Both aerobic and strength training exercise programs during the course of alcohol treatment have resulted in decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms
Decrease Stress Reactivity and Improve Coping
Exercise can serve to reduce stress reactivity and to supplant drinking as a primary coping mechanism
Increase Self-Efficacy
Enhancing one’s self-efficacy is likely to result in positive behavior change.
Decrease urges to drink
Moderate-intensity exercise may provide short-term relief from urges to drink alcohol
All these findings (plus more details if you want to view the scientific details can be found via the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website ) point to something that should be a cornerstone in your recovery; physical activity.
For more information on how you can implement changes to your health and exercise check out Section 2 Lecture 3 of the 30 Day Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Plan
Here’s to your recovery,
Nick
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