Many Benefits of Exercise

Although I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that exercise helps addiction recovery, anxiety, depression, and stress, maybe you aren’t fully aware of how much exercise does for your body. So let’s talk about the benefits of exercise in addiction recovery. Exercise helps everything from chronic pain to preventing diseases to improving your sex life! Don’t overlook something as simple as a daily walk around your neighborhood for 20-30 minutes. You don’t need any fancy equipment, just the willingness to move your body!

Eleven Major Benefits of Exercise

You’ll be happier! Because of the boost in neurochemicals, your mood will be elevated, you’ll be a bit more optimistic, and you’ll be better able to handle little stresses that pop up because of it.
Depression and anxiety often go hand in hand with addiction issues. Exercise can actually increase your brains ability to sense and use serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression!
Exercise can actually help reduce sensations pain in your body by increasing the production of endorphins.
It can help you get to and maintain a healthy weight and metabolism.
It can help ward off injuries as you age. Exercise releases hormones that help your muscles absorb amino acids, which keeps them strong. As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass, which can lead to increased risk of injury.
It can help boost your energy levels. Even though you probably think you’re already too tired every day and definitely too tired to schedule exercise, paradoxically, exercise boosts energy and reduces feelings of fatigue. As you move, your heart pumps more blood, delivering more oxygen to your muscles—which they need to move more. Regular exercise helps your heart become more efficient, which boosts the efficiency of your muscles in turn.
Family history of chronic disease? You aren’t necessarily doomed! Exercise can reduce your rick of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, many types of cancer, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Lack of regular physical activity is a PRIMARY CAUSE of many chronic diseases. Which means it’s totally preventable with a daily walk or weight routine.
Exercise can literally help you look younger. Regular moderate exercise increases your body’s production of the antioxidants that protect your skin cells and stimulates blood flow which helps delay the appearance of aging.
Can’t remember where you put your keys? Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills by increasing the size of the hippocampus, which is vital to memory and learning, and increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
Feeling tired and stressed? Exercise has got you covered there, too! It helps you relax and sleep better, and stimulates the restorative process during deep sleep.
It helps promote a better sex life by boosting drive, strengthening your heart, toning muscles, and increasing flexibility, all of which can improve your sex life. Just a six minute walk can help men reduce erectile dysfunction by as much as 70%. Who needs a blue pill?

Ready to start your recovery journey?

If you’re ready to get started on your healthiest life ever and you don’t know where to begin, give us a call at 800.556.2966 to speak to Reed about whether Centered is the right fit for you. We are the only truly holistic, mindfulness based program in Georgia because we know that your body, heart, and mind are essential to your recovery journey.