Recovery Health; The Mental Health Benefit of Sober Fitness

I have learnt that feeling physically out of shape is not a good way to be in recovery. Health is something that has become increasing important to me since getting sober. Fitness can be taken to extremes like anything else, but I have discovered just how much mental health is connected to aerobic fitness. If my body does not feel good then my thoughts tend to be sluggish and my mood low. I can get into a vicious cycle where the less I do the less I want to do. This can lead to my recovery beginning to feel unsatisfying and then we are on dangerous ground.

What is sober fitness?

I suppose sober fitness is where you want it to be. For me it is the point where I feel that little bit more energetic during the day and my weight is stabilized. My personal level seems to be around half an hour of aerobic activity every day and watching what I eat. If I do any less than this then I can feel things begin to slide and recovery health starts to take a back seat. I don't worry about fitness becoming a new addiction because it always seems to be an effort to keep a regular practice.

What are the benefits of sober fitness?

My opinion about this is that we don't leave an addiction behind to feel bad. I definitely feel that there is a connection between low mood states and lack of exercise. In fact I would go so far as to say that it may be difficult to have any sort of good life in sobriety if you don't pay at least some attention to recovery health. This may only mean going for a walk every day, but I think that sitting around and being inactive is asking for trouble both physically and mentally.

Recovery health and the newbie

Sober fitness is probably not such a big issue for someone brand new to recovery because they already have enough on their plates. In fact those people getting too involved in fitness training when they first become sober might be at risk of going a bit overboard. This could lead to them burning out. I am no expert, but I would advise people to go slowly in the beginning of their recovery. After a year or so they can then join a fitness club and find out what recovery health is all about.