What comes to mind when most people think of seeking addiction treatment? In most cases, they think about going to meetings and psychotherapy sessions. However, more goes into a complete addiction rehab plan than supportive meetings. Holistic treatment options such as fitness therapy round out a complete rehab experience.
What Is Fitness Therapy?
Many people don’t know much about fitness therapy for addiction and what it really involves. As the name suggests, it uses physical fitness to increase people’s overall sense of well-being. However, fitness rehab doesn’t just improve their physical health. It improves their mental health as well.
Reducing Pain With Physical Fitness
People get many benefits from engaging in fitness therapy. One of the main reasons why rehab should include physical fitness is for its pain-reducing properties. Managing pain is hard for most people in drug recovery. After all, they can’t rely on painkillers like so many others.
Studies show that engaging in physical activity reduces pain in certain areas of the body. For example, doctors recommend that people with arthritis need to stay active. While it’s painful to get started sometimes, the pain lessens over time. It also prevents stiff joints.
One reason why physical therapy relieves pain is because it promotes proper blood flow throughout the body. Increasing blood flow to wounded areas can speed up the natural healing process. In fact, this principle makes massage a helpful tool in healing the body as well.
Rehab centers always look for ways to improve the quality of life for people with addiction. Offering fitness therapy for addiction is just one of the many ways that they can achieve this goal. However, the benefits of fitness go well beyond the physical realm.
Generating a Positive Mood With Physical Activity
When people think about fitness therapy, they usually consider only the physical benefits. These positive points are reason enough to get anyone to exercise. However, there are more reasons to exercise than just physical improvements.
When people exercise, their brains release endorphins. These chemicals trigger a reward response in the brain. They also improve overall mood. For these reasons, some people experience a natural high when they exercise.
For people who struggle with addiction, improving overall mood is a top priority. One of the best ways to do that is to engage in fitness therapy. The more often that people work out, the more endorphins that their brains release. With that said, it’s important for people to develop an exercise routine with their therapists based on their abilities.
Keep in mind that the benefits of working out extend beyond rehab. Exercise is a great hobby for people to dive into. Finding a fun and interesting hobby is the best way to fill idle time. The less empty time that people have, the less likely that they are to relapse.
Pillars Recovery Offers Fitness Rehab
At Pillars Recovery, we offer fitness therapy for addiction. We feel that combining traditional and holistic treatment options provides the most comprehensive level of care. While some rehab centers focus on one or the other, we pride ourselves on offering both.
While physical fitness is important to us, we offer more than that. In fact, we use a wide range of services to create custom treatment plans. Some of the programs that are available include:
Get the most out of your rehab experience with fitness therapy. Let Pillars Recovery lead you down the path to recovery. Reach out to our friendly staff today at 866-782-0247 to get started on your personalized treatment plan.