Exercise

Each person has an “inner child" that stays with them into adulthood. This inner child is a psychological concept where a part of each person remembers childhood experiences, thoughts, and feelings, including both their positive impact and potentially negative or traumatic effects. A person's inner child still experiences the world through a unique lens that subconsciously affects a person's behavior. Engaging in inner child exercises can be a great way of addressing mental health healing while also acknowledging the effects of stress and trauma and how they can continue to impact a person's daily life.

Recovering from an eating disorder is specific to each individual. One of the things that many people wonder about is the role exercise should play in recovery. The role of exercise is a complicated subject for many people who are recovering from eating disorders, so this is an important aspect to consider.

Addiction recovery is a time for you to focus on getting your mind, body, and spirit in the best shape of your life. It’s not just about treating the addiction itself. Instead, it’s about restoring what was once damaged from addiction. Physical health is incredibly important because your body serves as a temple to your life. Without your physical health, you wouldn’t be able to rejuvenate and replenish. If you’re looking for an activity that will boost your physical health – and, subsequently, your mental and spiritual health – consider incorporating stretching into your daily routine.   Numerous studies have found that stretching provides so many benefits to those who do it consistently. Stretching promotes flexibility, it improves posture, and it prepares muscles to recover from potential injuries. Additionally, stretching increases blood supply – which means that nutrients are better able to reach the places that they need to go. Ultimately, stretching is great for several things affecting the mind, body, and spirit.

Recovery from substance use is often only talked about in terms of detoxification, therapy, and medication. However, there are so many more treatment modalities available. Specifically, holistic interventions have grown to become an excellent addition to recovery because they add another dimension to treatment without being intrusive. There are many types of holistic activities that can enhance one’s recovery experience, including meditation, acupuncture, chiropractic services, massage therapy, yoga, and more.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration notes that approximately 1,084,000 people in the United States have used anabolic steroids. These steroids are primarily used by bodybuilders and athletes, and are used to increase lean body mass, strength, and aggressiveness towards lifting. Another form of steroids has reached the market and are selling as “legal steroids” – but these steroids may be very dangerous and should be approached with caution. “Selective androgen receptor modulators, also known as SARMs, are pharmaceutical drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone”, according to CNN. They are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but they are sold to bodybuilders online and are marketed to help them look more lean and muscular. Many of these products contain substances that aren’t approved or are in doses higher than stated on the labels. A study conducted in November 2017 examined 44 products sold online as selective androgen receptor modulators and found that only 52% contained that exact product while 39% of them contained another unapproved drug. This breeds caution to any who are contemplating buying these products online, as many unwanted and dangerous side effects could occur. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions that steroids or steroid-like substances have been linked to serious health risks including liver injury, kidney damage, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs), deep vein thrombosis (blood clots that occur deep within the veins), severe acne, hair loss, altered mood, irritability, increased aggression, and depression. Other bodybuilding products are labeled as “dietary” supplements but are not truly dietary. Many supplement manufacturers can sell their products without first having to ensure their safety and effectiveness; without approval from the FDA, these supplements are likely to cause harm. There are several steps that you can take to ensure your safety in taking bodybuilding supplements; 1) Consult your doctor or physician regarding products and/or side effects; 2) Be aware of problematic categories such as weight loss, bodybuilding and sexual enhancement, because these often contain steroids and other prescription drugs that could harm your health; 3) Look for the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) Verified mark – this indicates that the manufacturer has voluntarily asked this trusted non-profit to verify the quality, purity and potency of the ingredients; 4) Report problems to the FDA or ask your doctor to report them.