Addiction treatment evolves over time. While standard talk therapies still play a pivotal role, experts now recognize the benefits of treating the whole person. Therefore, that means addressing not only mental and emotional health, but also physical and spiritual health. One of the ways they go about this is with fitness therapy.
How It Works
Since everyone enters rehab in a different place physically, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fitness therapy. For example, you go through a process that usually looks something like this:
Assessment
Goal setting
Planning
Exercising
Review and revise goals and plans
In fact, the assessment is typically a physical. Depending on the program, this can include some time on a treadmill. The physical ensures that you’re healthy enough for a fitness program and establishes some physical baselines.
Moreover, the goal setting depends on where you are on a fitness level. If you’re severely overweight, weight loss is the likeliest goal. On the other hand, if your basic fitness is okay, conditioning might be the main goal.
A doctor will help you lay out an exercise plan with the goal or goals you lay out. In most cases, trainers will supervise the actual exercise. In addition, this helps you avoid injury. The trainer can also provide some feedback for the doctor when reviewing and revising the plan.
What Counts?
When the word fitness comes up, most people think of a gym with equipment. However, that is one approach, but not the only one. For example, other options include:
Hiking/camping
Sports like basketball or soccer
Swimming
Dancing
Yoga
In fact, yoga therapy works so well it often stands on its own as a fitness therapy approach.
If jogging, swimming, and yoga don’t do it for you, consider physical activities you do enjoy. Even if you can’t do them during rehab, nothing stops you from taking up rollerblading, gardening, or frisbee when you head home.
Getting you into world class shape isn’t the goal of these kinds of programs. In fact, like any addiction therapy, exercise provides key benefits that support your overall recovery efforts.
Fitness Therapy Benefits
Most drugs interact with receptors in your nervous system and brain. Your body becomes dependent on them, which is part of what drives withdrawal. However, exercise produces endorphins that interact with many of the same receptors. They partially replace the drugs and can reduce cravings.
Of course, the health consequences of drug and alcohol abuse are well known. Alcohol abuse often causes a weight gain, for example. As a general rule, those abusing drugs exercise rarely or not at all. That means they enter rehab in poor or even very bad shape.
Getting back into shape helps build self-esteem, supports overall wellness, and provides a coping mechanism.
If you develop an exercise routine and carry it over into your daily life, you’ll see long-term benefits. Specifically, regular exercise supports healthy sleep. Good sleep speeds up healing and supports your mood. Moreover, it also lowers your risk for serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
One of the most important benefits of regular exercise is that it relieves stress; a major trigger for substance abuse.
The Bigger Picture
Fitness programs, like any holistic therapy approach, work best in context with traditional therapy approaches. In addition to the exercise, a few common therapies include:
Crest View Recovery Center embraces an overall wellness approach. Treating the mind alone isn’t enough. That is why we support holistic therapies like fitness, massage, and art therapy. Furthermore, CVRC makes its home in the North Carolina mountains.
If you’re struggling with addiction, don’t take it on alone. In fact, a quality rehab program can help you take your life back. Reach out to CVRC at 866-327-2505 and start your road to recovery.
You’re here for a reason, right?
Let’s talk it through.
Our COVID-19 Protocols
First and foremost, we want to maintain a safe recovery environment and encourage and/or adopt practices protecting the health of patients, employees, visitors and others. We also want to ensure the continuity of providing our addiction recovery services in the face of this global pandemic as we remain open. Note, our staff is fully vaccinated.
The world health community continues to monitor closely the emergence of COVID-19. We want everyone to understand the exact precautions we are taking to address these concerns.
Effective Until Further Notice
ALL incoming clients are pre-screened and Crest view is utilizing the COVID-19 Rapid Test for all newly admitted patients to ensure a safe treatment environment.
No non-essential visitors
ALL clients will need to have their temperature taken daily and recorded. Any client with a temperature higher than 100.4 will be taken to an Urgent Care facility.
ALL Crest View Staff are being routinely tested for COVID.
ALL BHT staff will need to have their temperature taken at the start of their assigned shift. Any BHT staff member with a temperature of 100.4 or higher will be sent home in accordance with this policy.
ALL administrative staff and essential visitors will be required to enter the building upstairs and have their temperature taken with a temple thermometer. Any staff or essential visitor with a temperature higher than 100.4 will be denied entry and be sent home in accordance with this policy.
In accordance with the North Carolina State mandate, all staff, clients and essential visitors will be asked to wear a mask when they can not attain proper social distance.
Some off-site activities may be canceled due to state mandates.
Crest View Recovery Center will provide hand sanitizers throughout the workplace and in common areas. Cleaning sprays and wipes will also be provided to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces such as telephones and keyboards.
We have required that employees experiencing any respiratory or flu like symptoms will stay home from work. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that employees remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100.4 degrees F or 37.8 degrees C) or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
If you have any questions regarding our COVID-19 protocols or the admissions process during this time, please give us a call directly at (866) 327-2505.