The Importance of Focusing on Your Health When Recovering from Drug or Alcohol Addiction

Posted on August 23, 2021August 23, 2021 by alwayshungrypt

Guest Author: Jason Lewis

Recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction involves more than just getting clean. To set yourself up for a successful life after treatment, you need to reclaim your body and mind. Allowing fitness and self-care to play a role in your recovery is an effective way to do this. By integrating healthy habits into your daily routine, you can increase energy, reduce stress, and set yourself on the road to a happy, substance-free life.

Establish an Exercise Routine

Regular exercise provides you with an outlet for many of the negative emotions that accompany the recovery process, including pent-up anger, stress, and depression. It can also help you bounce back from the physical damage you incurred during active addiction with a myriad of long-term health benefits:

Better immunity to viruses
Increased bone density and muscle strength
Improved weight control
Reduced pain
Better cardiovascular health
Decreased risk of cancer and diabetes

To reap these benefits, commit to a regular fitness routine that allows you to stay within your target heart rate. Being consistent with your workout regime is the most important predictor of success, so commit to working out four or five times a week. Since the form of exercise is not as important as consistency, choose an activity, such as biking or yoga, that you enjoy and are likely to continue.

In today’s digital age, there are tools to help you on your fitness journey. For example, smartwatches and fitness trackers can remind you to exercise as well as record your progress by calculating your mileage, calories, and number of steps. They can also keep you safe during your workout by monitoring and recording vital health statistics. As a bonus, smartwatches can be enhanced with screen protectors and interchangeable watchbands that allow you to work out in style.

Embrace Self-Care

Self-care should be viewed as a necessary part of your recovery rather than a luxury. Active addiction takes a toll on one’s physical and mental health, so deliberate actions to nurture both your body and mind are imperative.

The first step in taking care of yourself is to prioritize sleep. According to experts, quality slumber impacts almost every aspect of your health, including mood, focus, reflexes, hormones, energy level, immunity, blood pressure, and even cardiovascular health. Aim to get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night to optimize the benefits.

Next, integrate meditation into your daily routine. Not only does it help you feel centered and mindful, but it also provides several mental health benefits, such as reduced stress and anxiety.

The self-care process should also include taking care of your house because your surroundings can impact your mental health. An organized, clean environment promotes healing by helping you feel centered, peaceful, and optimistic.

To improve the energy of your home, let in as much light as possible by replacing heavy drapes with sheer curtains or adjustable blinds. Next, engage family or friends in a designated clean-up day. They can speed up the decluttering process and provide objective feedback when you are trying to decide which items need to go.

The path to recovery is not easy, but integrating fitness and self-care into your routine can help. By focusing on your physical and mental well-being, you not only reclaim aspects of your life that were neglected during your active addiction, but you also set yourself up for a fulfilling life after treatment.

Do you need a little push to keep yourself accountable and motivated, as well as to start exercising safely? Find out how Always Hungry Personal Training can help .

Image via Unsplash

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I would like to thank author Jason Lewis for providing this guest written article for the Always Hungry Personal Training blog. Jason Lewis is a personal trainer, who specializes in helping senior citizens stay fit and healthy. He is also the primary caretaker of his mom after her surgery. He writes for Strong Welland enjoys creating fitness programs that cater to the needs of people over 65.

Addiction numbers continue to rise year over year and with more programs in place and as it is becoming more visible in the mainstream light, it’s extremely important that we understand and are equipped to help individuals who are in recovery – providing safe and constructive outlets as they walk their new path.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction and you need more information about what to do and where to go, please contact a dedicated treatment provider today .

The Best Weight Loss Diet

Posted on July 13, 2021 by alwayshungrypt

If you’re one of my clients or we’ve spoken about nutrition in any way, you may already know my stance on this issue.

At that point, I was around 285 lbs. working a high stress yet sedentary job and took almost zero care of myself physically. When I decided to make the change, I immediately started running through a variety of different “weight loss” diets including:

-If it fits your macro’s

-Low carb

-Intermittent Fasting

-Bodybuilding style meals of just straight up chicken, broccoli, and rice

-Frozen meal delivery services

-Weekly meal prep

-Heck even weight loss pills and powders

Anything I could try to get an edge.

What was nice is that they all worked – in limited capacity. I would see results for a few weeks then it would plateau, I would fall off, then the weight would either remain stagnant or slide back up a bit again. I knew they weren’t healthy options and sometimes the diets were relatively drastic with big cuts and high intensity training – regularly doing 2-a-days at the gym.

Weekly meal prep and the bodybuilding style plan of 4-6 meals a day of the same thing day in, day out had the best effect and helped me see the best results in my own journey to my current weight (~220 lbs.), but the only reason it worked is because it fit my lifestyle.

I was a single.

I was living by myself.

I don’t mind eating the same foods every day.

I was working out twice per day.

I didn’t have a whole lot of social obligations.

I didn’t have a whole lot of other obligations beyond work.

I had the time, energy, and focus that I needed to dedicate to sticking with it… because why not? What else was I gonna do?

It worked for me because it fit my lifestyle.

Anyone who ever tries any weight loss diet will tell you, ultimately the one that worked for them is the one that when you pick it apart, doesn’t change their lifestyle by much.

Keto

Paleo

Atkins

Cleanses

Low-Carb

Low-Fat

IIFYM

Intermittent Fasting

Whatever “diet” you’re trying to follow will ultimately fail if you don’t keep that in mind. As much as people like to complain about “change”, it’s really when we dial in a habit that we thrive the most. Life is difficult. Many of these diets are strict and difficult – making them super easy to slide off of and back into our old habits.

We, as a people, get so transfixed on what’s new, what’s flashy, what’s QUICK that we often neglect the fact that humans are built for distance. Not just physically (we have some of the best cardio endurance of any animal in the world), but in all facets of our life. We know we want the short term solution, but deep down, we know and understand that it’s the long term play that wins us the race.

So to answer the question on what is the “Best diet for weight loss”, I say there isn’t one.

Instead my suggestion is to approach nutrition like we approach fitness – looking to the long term.

Understanding we are at point A and need to get to point B and that the area in between is shrouded in mystery.

Rather than focusing on what diet will help us jump the fog, we should take a look at the footstep in front of us and slowly make habitual changes to our nutrition intake that lead toward better and better choices that cause as little disruption to our current life as possible, that will lead us in the direction of that Point B.

Holding ourselves accountable for where we are and understanding that we can get there, buying in on the system and ourselves, we can change our habits to ensure our bodies are taking in adequate nutrients through protein, carbohydrates, and fats coupled with healthy stress management, sleep, physical activity, and hydration – little by little improving each area of our life and building on top of each other toward a better and healthier us.

If that’s not a good enough answer for you, I guess I can say, the best diet for weight loss is:

The one you can stick to and doesn’t disrupt your life.
The one that fits with your goals and allows flexibility.
The one that promotes “what can we do better in this scenario” rather than, “You can’t have this!”
The one that focuses on quality protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources rather than highly processed, sugary, fatty, salty foods; and limits alcohol intake.
Lastly, The one that helps you understand yourself and your relationship with food and know that it’s not the enemy, but works to help you be a better you.

What’s the main part of your diet you’re struggling with most right now?

Breath Retention

Posted on July 9, 2021 by alwayshungrypt

One of my favorite things about health and fitness is that it’s so much more than physical. Through resistance training and proper nutrition, you’re able to fine-tune your body how you want physically, but the mental, emotional, and sometimes spiritual areas of your life often get elevated at the same time. You’re physically pushing yourself, which makes you mentally stronger and seek out ways to continue improving in other areas of your life. Understanding that getting better in one area affects many others is a trickle effect that has me obsessed. Obsessed with pushing myself in the gym and out, and it’s what led me to my most recent challenge/obse

ssion – Breath Retention Exercise.

If you follow along, you may have seen me post random screenshots of numbers/bar graphs illustrating random times between 1:35-3:00. These are the durations of each round of breath retention exercise I have been doing. Several people I follow on Twitter had been boasting about the benefits of this practice and enough was finally enough. Entering June, I decided to take on the challenge to perform 5 rounds of breath retention every day and I must say, not only has it been one of the best challenges I’ve taken on, but it has also been one of the toughest to tackle!

Following the practices of the Ice Man – Wim Hof – I decided to challenge my body and my mind to see what all the fuss was about with this whole “breath retention” practice.

For those unfamiliar, Breath Retention is the practice of performing a number of continuous deep breaths in/out without break, with the last exhale leading into a timed session of retention without air in

your body for as long as you can hold. Once you reach your max and must breath again, you stop the timer and take a large inhale and hold for 15 seconds before releasing and beginning the next round again. This continues for however many rounds you want and the initial deep breathing can be anywhere between 5-60 breaths.

I had heard about a few benefits of this practice including:

-Stress relief

-Increased alertness

-Better circulation

-Becoming more relaxed

-etc

So I was excited to see if this really was the bees knees or just another fad in the long list and spoiler, it was great!

In doing a little research, I learned that the best way to approach this was to set time aside preferably in the mornings, on an empty stomach. This allowed the breathing and retention to help wake up your body and vascular system to its fullest potential before being introduced to the energy of the day. On days when I could not get to it in the morning, there was a significant difference in my ability to hold in retention. In the evenings, my mind was quicker to wander; I was less focused on the here and now; and just overall felt less mentally strong in the moment so I tried to stick with mornings as much as possible.

After some trial and error, I found that 25 breaths was the sweet spot for me and led to increased retention each day of practice with some interesting physical side effects.

Most days when I would practice, if I was able to cross the 2-2.5 minute threshold, I began to feel tingling sensations throughout my body and even began to experience what I would call, minor tinnitus (ringing in the ear). I never passed out, but a few small muscle spasms of the diaphragm on longer held rounds were not uncommon as I tried mentally to overpower my physical request to inhale.

Aside from these in-the-moment effects, I must say I was pleasantly surprised that the other benefits of the practice as mentioned before were also experienced.

The practice itself through the three phases (deep breaths, retention, recovery hold) increased the flow of the vascular system and the bodies’ ability to transport oxygen through the body while flushing out toxins that may have been held up in various areas. Most notable effects were mental.

The increased flow of blood and oxygen to the head allowed for mental fogs to clear and help me wake up, feeling more alert. A couple of times I had begun my session with a slight headache and found that by the end, the ache was gone. Not only that, but the retention tested me mentally to truly feel my body. Focus on relaxing new areas of the body that I hadn’t paid much attention to. Focus on controlling my heartbeat and keeping my mind on the present moment rather than flittering around on to other things.

Being candid, the increased blood flow and cleansed vascular system has also seen a rise not only in my physical prowess in the gym but has also helped, in conjunction with heavy weight training, facilitate a higher sex drive and stronger and more frequent erections in the bedroom. Something I can’t imagine anyone would complain about.

The vascular systems health and ability to funnel oxygen and blood around the body where it needs to be under any stressor is a fascinating thing and having only scraped the surface of this training, I must say that I am very happy with the results mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually as I’ve tapped into a part of myself I didn’t give much thought to.

If you’ve ever heard or thought about experimenting or trying this, I would highly recommend and would be happy to answer any questions about it that you might have.

As I mentioned, I believe a lot of the benefits I felt with this breath retention were also in alignment with my weight training program which is focused on building maximum strength. Strength training has it’s own benefits for clearing the mind, making the body better, funneling oxygen and blood through the vascular system, balancing and boosting hormones and in combination with breath retention, is helping me reach a new level internally and externally.

Success Beyond the Scale

Posted on March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by alwayshungrypt

According to legend, it’s physically impossible to discuss fitness or nutrition with someone – anyone – without mentioning the scale!

Okay, so that may NOT be true, but be honest, it comes up in MOST health conversations and it’s a piece of hardware that plagues us all. It brings us some of our highest highs and our lowest lows. Somehow this small piece of equipment has evolved into one of the most controversial topics of health in the world… and all you do is stand on it.

Because it is so widely recognized as the staple piece of equipment for measuring change or progress in a fitness/nutrition/health program, it has been given more power than it ever intended to receive or should be allowed to have. Too often and easily, we misplace stock of our progress in the number that a scale spits back at us – some to the point of letting it become their main focal point of self-worth, which is very unhealthy.

The scale must be taken down a peg or two and we must remember what it truly is. The scale is simply a tool in our belt of measuring progress. It is not an evaluation of who we are or what we are about or the efforts we put into our body. It is literally a measure of your weight – right now, at this very moment. Which means it is meant to change and fluctuate over the course of weeks, days, or even hours! There are so many factors that impact how much we weigh at a given time, including:

-Time of day

-Hydration

-Hunger

-Stress

-Amount of sleep

-Daily activity

-Hormone levels

-Did you just poop or are you backed up? (yes…this can really cause fluctuation)

And so many other possible factors that could throw off your weight. Any number of these could cause it to go up or down at any moment.

These are reasons why it’s crucial to remember that the number on the scale is simply another tool in our belt as we move forward on our health journeys – regardless of the target you’re shooting at.

Take stock of your success beyond the scale and celebrate each victory you reach on our journey to a happier and healthier you.

Increased Energy Levels

Combining regular exercise in any form, with nutritious whole foods, and managed sleep/stress levels come together to boost your energy to levels you could only dream of. Your body wants to move and by moving, it creates energy. That’s why activity when you’re doing it, may be tiring, but the release of hormones, the blood pumping in your muscles and breath firing in your lungs takes us to a higher level of energy beyond the exercise and carries through to our daily life activities.

Fit of Our Clothes

When I was embarking on my own transformation journey and started seeing results, one of the best, but most frustrating results was that my clothes fit better… then loose… then too loose. It wasn’t a bad problem to have for my self-esteem, but my wallet wasn’t super happy about it (but I’ll take that trade off). My sister would even give me grief because I was wearing “skinny” jeans and they were PRETTY tight, I will admit. But as I told her then – I wear them not just because I like the look, but because I couldn’t wear these before! I’ve gotten questionable looks from my friends I play hockey with when we won our league championship and the prize was a t-shirt and I asked for a Medium… because I knew it fit a little snugger, but I wanted it because it wasn’t a Large or X-Large which I had to wear for about half my life. We all know what it’s like trying to find clothes that fit – both up and down – but there’s something about slipping on a t-shirt that A) used to be too loose and now you fill it out with those big strong muscles; B) you have to change out of because it’s now a parachute; or C) was one you’ve been avoiding because last time it was JUUUUUST a little tight but you try it and it fits PERFECTLY!

Injury Pre/Re-Hab and Prevention

We are flimsy skeletons of bones connected by thin tissues that are protected by meat and skin and we live in a crazy world that is trying to hurt us all the time. Injury is a step away almost always. Regular exercise and nutrition can not only help prevent injuries that may potentially occur, but it can also help correct imbalances or problems you’re experiencing to eliminate pain all together. How many people do you know in the office or family or friend circles that occasionally complain about lower back pain and you know are more sedentary people? Chances are you’ve seen those people try and try to stretch the pain away or talk about chiropractors, pills, massages, heating pads, etc… everything in the world to mitigate the pain… except exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes. What people don’t realize is that most general lower back pain can be resolved by strengthening the area directly – purposefully working those muscles to get stronger – rather than stretching it. I have seen this happen with a number of clients – one of whom had been seeing a chiropractor weekly for 3 months prior to working with me, and within our first month, has yet to go back to them (it’s been over a year we’ve worked together). Fixing an injury or even preventing one you can see coming is a huge victory that often gets overlooked though it should be given much more spotlight.

Relieving Reliance of Medications

Maybe the most highly overlooked success of following a proper fitness/nutrition/health program is its ability to relieve us of reliance on many medications. Type-2 Diabetes, Blood Pressure Meds, High Cholesterol, Anti-Depressants, etc. Working on your health can have immense benefits to relieving of you of reliance on these medications as you physically get your body in a healthy position, internally you’re healing problems of hormone imbalances and toxicity levels that plague our society today.

The scale is a useful tool in measuring progress, but it has been given too much power. Don’t let it rule over your journey to happy, healthy, fruitful life by holding your focus to it’s number and remember to celebrate all of your victories along the way – especially the non-scale victories such as increased energy; better fitting clothes; injury prevention; and relief of medications; along with a whole host of others.

I shared a little story about better fitting clothes, if you’re comfortable – please share a little anecdote of your success beyond the scale below in the comments and let’s hype the hell out of each other!

Morning vs Evening – Best Time to Workout?

Posted on March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 by alwayshungrypt

One of the greatest mysteries of our time is figuring out what the best time of day to workout is. Okay, so it’s not one of the greatest mysteries, but it is a question that plagues many people when trying to put together their workout plan. Life is already busy enough without having to add another worry to your day. Here’s a quick run down of some pros and cons to each to help you make the most informed decision possible.

Morning workouts:

Pros

Better chance for fat burning

Working out first thing in the morning not only helps kickstart your body, but it gets your metabolism moving to start burning calories. Your body doesn’t stop after your workout and by beginning your day with physical activity, it helps turn your body on to start the day on the right foot.

Body is fresh and mindset positive

After a good night sleep, the body is rested and recovered – fresh and ready to go! The physical activity of working out first thing in the morning releases all the feel-good hormones in your brain to put you in a positive mindset to take on the day ahead.

Feel less stressed during the day

As mentioned above, getting in a positive mindset to start your day helps carry into the rest of the day, mitigating stress through the day and let you take on everything ahead of you in a positive light and a clearer head!

Cons

Body is low on nutrients and energy

Coming straight out of sleep, you’ve been fasting through the night. During the fast your body has been using energy and nutrients to funnel around your body for its normal functions. So when you wake up your body is low on energy and nutrients. If you’re going to make sure you don’t have problems with energy, have a snack before heading to the gym. Problem is.. that could force you to…

Have to wake up earlier

Obviously working out in the morning means having to set that alarm for a few minutes earlier than you may be used to. With a day full of work and life ahead, it forces your hand to set the clock back to allow enough time to wake up; grab a snack; get to the gym; train; clean up and get along to the rest of your day.

Greater chance of injury

Because you’ve been asleep, the body becomes more rigid and stiff. If you’re a morning workout person, you may want to add even more time to your routine to allow for a proper and adequate warm up session to loosen up the stiff joints and muscles. Otherwise, you may be setting yourself up for a higher chance of injury.

Evening workouts:

Pros

Chance to blow off steam

As we mentioned in the reasons for working out in the morning, the day is full of stress and activity. Working out in the afternoon/evening allows for a great chance to blow off some steam and burn some stress; putting us in a better mood to end the day.

More Physically prepared

Unlike morning workouts when we’re stiff and tired, at the end of the day, your body has been active mentally and physically. This sets you up for greater success to put forth your best effort and get the most out of your workout when you finally get in to the gym!

Calmer mornings

Because you got to sleep in from working out in the evening, your morning routine can run a little more calmly. Spend extra time with the family, enjoy a bigger breakfast, or knock out some journaling or list writing for the day.

Cons

Crowds

Commercial gyms tend to see spikes in members on site during after work hours. Though mornings can be busy, the number seems to double for those who hit the iron in the afternoon. Availability of equipment gets a little scarcer and if you suffer from issues of anxiety or stress about how to mitigate changes to your routine, it can be overwhelming trying to navigate the busy gym floor.

Life distractions

Unless you’ve made it a commitment to hit the gym after work, life can throw distraction after distraction at you to knock you off your game. Happy hour; kid’s events; family activities; exhaustion from the day; etc. any number of things can pop up during the day to make you want to skip the gym. Keeping a routine and rule to never skip an appointment with yourself can help you stay on track.

Sleep distractions

If you’re working out at night, it’s important to allow yourself proper time to come down. The increased activity increases your energy levels which can cause disruption to your sleep schedule. Allow proper time to come down off the high of training or run the risk of excess energy keeping you buzzing.

Now that we’ve gone over the pros and cons between the two, it’s time to decide the best option for you!

…

That’s it. That’s the answer.

The best time to workout (morning v evening) is whatever the best time is for YOU.

You know yourself best and you’ll still get the results you’re looking for based on your structured plan regardless of time of day. You know if you’re a morning person or an evening person based on your schedule and energy levels and ability to prioritize what fits best for you.

Like most things related to fitness/nutrition, there’s no “one size fits all” so feel free to try both and see what fits you best. Keep in mind that if you’re typically used to one and want to switch, give it a few sessions to get into a groove as your body will need to adjust to the new schedule.

How does training fit into your day?