Fitness & Nutrition for Mental Wellness Resources

You’ve heard about the importance of fitness for wellness since you were a kid, hence all the laps, situps and jumping jacks you had to do in P.E. class. Exercise machines on store floors, and gyms in every city also spell out the necessity for physicalhealth. But there are two other wellness elements that are just as important as exercise: mental health maintenance and nutrition.

Exercise and nutrition both play a critical role in mental health. This is especially true when considering the risks of mental health issues and substance use disorders. Studies show that regular exercise and a healthy diet can decrease the chances of mental illness and substance abuse, considering the advantages they provide. One suchstudyinvolved Dr. James Blumenthal, PhD, of Duke University, who led population-base correlation studies and experimental studies on the effects of exercise on mental health.“There’s good epidemiological data to suggest that active people are less depressed than inactive people,” he says. “And people who were active and stopped tend to be more depressed than those who maintain or initiate an exercise program.”

With a series of wellness strategies, you can implement exercise and nutrition into your everyday life while having a healthy mind and body. And having a healthy mind and body can create a domino effect of benefits for you and the people around you.

Fitness for Mental Health and Addiction

Decades worth of research, including studies performed at the University of Florida and Harvard School of Public Health, support the benefits that exercise and other physical activity can have on mental health. Comparable to theEight Dimensions of Wellness, these benefits can improve various areas of life, including spiritual, emotional, professional and social. They can also aid in managing depression and anxiety by decreasing stress levels.

• Regular aerobic exercise can decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, and improve sleep and self-esteem.
• Exercise and other physical activity produces endorphins, which are brain chemicals that act as natural painkillers.
• Approximately five minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects.
• For some people, regular exercise is just as effective as medication to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, with long-lasting effects.

*Source:Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)

Physical activity plays a part in drug rehabilitation settings as well; exercise and drug addiction are both common elements of drug treatment centers. The Recovery Village is just one of the many facilities that offers amenities that incorporate physical fitness, ranging from volleyball to basketball to swimming.Exercise can help with drug or alcohol detox by eliminating toxins that are present through sweat.

Have you ever asked, “Can you sweat out opiates?” or “Does exercise help opiate withdrawal?” Are you struggling with any other substance, wondering about sweating out the drugs from your system? These are just a few of the questions that arise regarding the use of exercise for opiate withdrawal, among other substances.

Addiction Recovery Workout Tips

Exercise and addiction recovery often go hand in hand. If you’re currently in recovery from addiction, there are a variety of ways to stay there by incorporating variousexercisesinto your daily or weekly routine. Many of these methods can be done at home or close to home, free of charge, while others require a monthly or annual membership. But all methods require personal commitment for the best results:

Nutrition for Mental Health and Addiction

In addition to exercise, a balanced diet is a necessary component for a healthy mind. Different foods serve different purposes in the body. By learning the benefits of each, you can improve your mental health and prevent or manage certain mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. On the other hand, apoor diet may actually contribute to depression, based on a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Linyi People’s Hospital in China that included studies from 10 countries.

• Increased intake of folate is associated with a lower risk of depression. Spinach, kale, fruits, nuts, beans and whole grains all contain high amounts of folate.
• Caffeine can trigger panic attacks in people with anxiety disorders, so it should be avoided in excess for these individuals.
• Depression rates are higher in people with a deficiency of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is naturally present in salmon and tuna while foods like milk and orange juice are Vitamin D fortified.
• People with diets rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish and unsaturated fats are 30 percent less likely to develop depression than people who eat lots of meat and dairy products.
• Omega-3 fatty acids may be helpful in treating depression and stabilizing mood. Flaxseed oil, chia seeds, eggs, seafood and spinach are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.

*Source:Mental Health America

A healthy diet also plays a role in various phases of treatment for drug andalcohol addiction treatment. The Recovery Village offers drug rehab facilities throughout the country, all of which provide nutrient-dense meals, some of which are prepared by private chefs and monitored by dietitians.

How Food Is Used for Addiction Treatment

Diet and nutrition are important components during various stages of treatment (detox, recovery, post-recovery, etc.) for drug and alcohol addiction. Because side effects andwithdrawalsymptoms—which can be affected by certain foods—vary from substance to substance, diets change during each phase of professional treatment. The following are three examples of addictions that incorporate specific foods during treatment:

Supplemental Wellness Strategies

Trying to balance a healthy diet and exercise for optimum mental health can be challenging at times, especially if you’re not used to eating healthy or exercising. The recovery process can also make it challenging. But it’s not impossible, and careful wellness planning and maintenance can make the process easier. Consider the followingwellness strategiesto improve and maintain your mind and body while combining diet and exercise:

Combining effective wellness strategies with exercise and a balanced diet can create the perfect concoction for a healthy life. And remember, if you need additional help for a mental health or substance use disorder, The Recovery Village offers personalized treatment programs that can help. Call today to speak with someone who can direct you to the center that best suits your needs.