In addiction recovery, guests will learn how to live differently and replace their bad habits with healthy habits. Exercising is one healthy habit with a multitude of benefits. Exercising doesn’t just promote physical health, but also mental and spiritual health. Royal Life Centers at Spokane Heights seeks to strengthen guest’s connections between their mind, body, and spirit— physical activity works to strengthen these connections.
Creating a work-out routine isn’t all too hard, however maintaining that work-out routine is more difficult. Our biggest obstacle to successfully making healthy habits is ourselves. Too often we lose our initial enthusiasm and energy, get distracted with other things going on in our lives, or don’t see results quickly enough— so, we end up breaking healthy habits. With exercising, there are so many positive motivators to continue on with working exercise into your routine.
Here are 10 ways to make exercising a habit in drug rehab:
1. Shift Your Perception
Shift your perception when it comes to thinking about regimented exercise versus physical activity. You can be exercising when you’re doing daily activities, like walking or running. Do activities you enjoy, like playing tennis, basketball, soccer, etc. These are all forms of exercise.
2. Enlist A Friend to Help
Working out is easier to remember to do when you have another person holding you accountable. Including a social aspect to your exercise routine can help you find more joy in physical activity.
3. Start Your Morning Off with Exercise
Try some light stretching when you wake up in the morning to improve blood circulation and incorporate physical activity into your day.
4. Take a Walk
Taking a walk for ten minutes, three times a day gives you thirty total minutes of exercise. Who knew an exercise routine could be so easy?
5. Start Adding One More Rep
Start your exercise routine simple, with minimal reps of each pose or lift, and then add one more rep every two days, you’ll add three more reps by the end of the week and slowly start to build your stamina up.
6. Reward Yourself
Experts say that behavior changes are hard to make, but adding rewards into the mix motivates us. If you complete your work out for the day, reward yourself with 10 extra minutes in the bath or shower, or maybe a 20 minute nap. Exercising is worth it for your health, but small rewards will help make it easier for you to continue exercising.
7. Remind Yourself
Leave a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, that way when you’re brushing your teeth in the morning you can’t forget to exercise. Leave the note wherever you are most likely to see it, and also speak to yourself kindly, try leaving a note with a positive affirmation.
8. Try a 30-Day Challenge
If you commit to exercising every day for thirty days straight, by the end of the challenge, this practice will already be well-engrained.
9. Lay out Work Out Clothes Each Night
Setting aside your work out gear for the next day will make the habit easier to catch on to. It’s like a way of pre-committing to your commitment.
10. Don’t Skip a Day!
If anything, just exercise for five less minutes if you are especially tired that day, it’s easier to make a habit when you’re sticking to it daily instead of most days out of the week.
How Do I Know it’s Working?
You’ll know your exercise routine is reaping you benefits if you are…
• getting a good night’s sleep
• thinking more clearly
• having more energy
• newfound muscle strength
• improved resting heart rate
• improved blood pressure, cholesterol, bone density, and blood sugars
References:
Skarnulis, Leanna. “10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/women/features/exercise-habits.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, please reach out to our addiction specialists at (888) 907-0898. Our team is available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
