Outdoor Exercises to Help With Drug Recovery

Outdoor Exercises to Help With Drug Recovery While You Enjoy the Weather

Recovering from alcohol or drug addiction is a long process that takes strength. Making fitness a priority goes a long way toward improving your strength all around, including your ability to maintain sobriety. 

The Lighthouse Recovery Intensive Outpatient Program in Dallas takes a holistic approach that emphasizes the importance of fitness. When your body feels fit and healthy it has a positive impact on your mood and mental health as well. Exercise is also an amazing way to relieve stress and make supportive connections with others. 

Of course, the activities that you choose make a huge difference. A few things to consider include:

• Safety – Not every outdoor activity is safe during the cooler months, and an injury during addiction recovery could be a major setback. 
• Stress Reduction – You’ll want to choose physical activities that reduce stress rather than increasing it when you’re recovering from drug addiction.
• Comfort – If an exercise makes you uncomfortable you’re less likely to keep it up. Try to find activities that are physically challenging but not overexerting. 

With those three things in mind, below are some exercise suggestions that make the most of the wonderful fall weather while aiding in recovery. 

Walking

Walking is actually one of the best forms of exercise anyone can do. It’s low impact so there is very little risk of injury. It can be done almost anywhere. And walking doesn’t require anything beyond some comfortable shoes. It’s not a bad idea to look for a Dallas intensive outpatient program that’s near a walking trail or a park with walking paths since you’ll be attending therapy sessions a least several times a week. 

Hiking 

Add a rougher, more natural terrain to your walk and you’re hiking. We’re beginning to learn a lot about the power of being out in nature. Recent research has been so compelling it’s sparked a newfound interest in forest bathing for stress relief.  

Biking

Hitting Trammell Crow Park or one of the many other trails in Dallas on a bike is another great option during the fall when the temperatures get lower but things aren’t iced over. In areas where the winter is mild you’ll have even more time to bike around town and can use it as a way to get to work or school. 

Tai Chi

You may have seen people out in Klyde Warren Park practicing tai chi. The slow flowing movements are actually a form of martial arts that’s known to reduce stress, increase muscle strength and boost mood. It’s no surprise that tai chi is often called meditation in motion. 

Yoga

Yoga is another exercise from the Eastern world that blends slow motions with focus and can easily be done outdoors. You can join a class that meets up regularly or practice yoga on your own virtually anywhere.  

Running

If you’ve been walking and hiking but want to make the cardio more intense you may want to step it up to a run. Running is a great way to essentially compete with yourself as you build stamina. Avid runners say the activity actually brings on periods of intense relaxation from the release of endorphins. This is what’s often referred to as runner’s high. Hit a trail and you’ll get the added benefit of being in nature.

Landscaping

Fall is the time of year when a lot of landscaping work is needed. This isn’t a traditional form of physical fitness, but it checks all of the boxes for exercise. Landscaping work like raking and mowing is a physically demanding activity that’s really rewarding because you can see the results of your labor. BONUS: volunteer to clean up a family member or friend’s yard and you’ll get a mood boost from doing something for someone else.

These are just a few ways that someone going through outpatient rehab in Dallas can stay active outdoors during the fall. You can make any of the activities even more effective by using breathing exercises for addiction recovery during the warm up or cool down period. 
It’s important to discuss physical activities with your doctors and ask if they have advice or suggestions. Some Rehab Centers in Dallas, TX like Lighthouse Recovery create custom treatment plans that can include stress-relieving exercise.