If you’ve been following PUSH Fitness for awhile, you may already know that before I got into the fitness industry, I was an alcohol and drug counselor. I worked at a residential treatment facility for 4 years. It was one of the most challenging, rewarding, joyful and heartbreaking jobs I’ve ever had, and I’ve learned so much from it.

I’ve always said that without my experience in that field that I would not be half the trainer, or woman, really, that I am today. In many ways, working in addiction and recovery has prepped me for my current passion: helping others see the value of and implementing ways to live a full, holistic life through good nutrition, exercise, healthy mindset and connection with others.

I’ve found that the ways in which we can do this are strikingly parallel to the steps toward living a healthy life free from the addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. As we all know, acceptance is the first step toward making change, but there is way more to it than that. Here are seven things that I’ve learned from working in rehab that aid in living a healthy life:

1. Taking responsibility for where you’re at.

I seriously despise Dr. Phil, but one thing that I hear him say in his TV commercials is very true: we can’t change what we don’t acknowledge. When a person enters alcohol and drug treatment, they aren’t there because things are going well, and ignoring or not accepting the problem(s) is part of the reason that they are there. Whether their motivation is external or intrinsic (or maybe a little bit of both), true change begins when they accept that there is a problem that they need to address.

Same is true with health and fitness. We can choose to simply ignore the fact that we aren’t exercising or eating well, but that doesn’t make the issue go away. This moment came for me about 10 years ago. I knew that sitting on my butt all day playing “Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?” while I ate half a container of pink frosted sugar cookies and drank a full glass of milk wasn’t healthy, but it wasn’t until I took responsibility for that behavior that I truly began the process of changing it.

2. Practicing a life of daily healthy habits.

One of the first things that residential treatment clients do is go over a schedule. Until they entered treatment, their lives were filled with chaos and erratic behavior. In treatment, they practice going to bed and getting up at the same time everyday, eating 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, exercising every morning, completing tasks by a deadline and being to groups on time.

Especially as a new mom, some of these things have been really hard for me to implement lately. But, as time goes on and as I continue to adapt to a new normal, it’s gotten a little bit easier day by day. One of the first things that I reintroduced to my life as soon as possible was exercise. As soon as my son was old enough to be in the gym’s daycare center at 6 weeks, I’ve been in the gym 3 times a week (and if for any reason I can’t, I do a home workout). I’ve heard some people call this selfish, but for me it’s an important part of my physical and emotional health and if I go without it I wouldn’t feel nearly as whole for my son.

3. Understanding that the only thing you really have control over is yourself.

Something that I saw a lot of when I was a counselor was blame shifting, as in blaming other people or circumstances for our problems. This was especially prevalent in discussions about relapse. “If she hadn’t had served alcohol at the wedding,” or “If my parents would just get off my case” or, well….you get it.

I’ve felt this way about food and exercise many times. “If he wouldn’t have brought that plate of cookies into work,” or “If my day had gone better than maybe I’d feel like exercising.”

Regardless of the circumstances, what it all comes down to is this: the way we act, what we do, the words we use, and the way we perceive things is solely at our discretion. When we see this for what it is, we realize how much power we actually have in changing our lives for the better.

4. Tackling your issues head on.

Once becoming clear of mind and after the novelty of being in an unfamiliar place fades away, the real work begins. In rehab, this looks like taking responsibility for a problem and then taking steps toward change. The more specific about these things the client is, the better. Generalization is a fantastic place to hide out when you’re scared or resistant, and it does nothing to facilitate change.

An example of this in my life is the moment when I acknowledged that I had been practically starving myself. I was under eating and overtraining, and it wasn’t until I stared the problem down in the face that I took steps toward change. I did this by getting help from a counselor, a qualified trainer and surrounding myself with like minded people.  

5. Letting go of resentment.

Nelson Mandela said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.” Resentment is a huge trigger for a recovering alcoholic/addict. Reiterating what I said earlier, blaming others or harboring anger is a lot easier than facing our feelings. And, in case you didn’t draw the correlation, drugs and alcohol do a great job of covering up uncomfortable feelings. Whether the issue is with another person or yourself, forgiveness is key in freedom from the pain of anger.

When I was in my early 20s I was in an unhealthy relationship for 4 years. My boyfriend at the time and I were constantly fighting and I was being put down so much that I started to close in on myself. Eventually, I got the courage to break up with him, but I was angry at him for a number of years. The chaplain at the treatment facility that I worked at suggested that I write this ex-boyfriend a forgiveness letter. So, I did. And nothing changed. He told me to write another one. So, I did. And nothing changed. I rewrote that letter 6 times, and when I read it aloud the sixth time, I felt it. I was finally able to let go of that anger. He never received this letter, but it wasn’t for him. It was for me. After all, who was suffering more from that resentment….him or me?

Our mindset must be as healthy as our bodies in order for us to live a full life. Whatever the issue is, whomever it involves whether it’s with yourself or someone else, remember this: forgiveness is a process, not an event.

6. Involving others in the process.

Most people who get well do so with the help of other people. A residential treatment client can do all of the self work and preparation for re-entering the real world that they want, but if they don’t have a support system in place, they are destined for a really bumpy road toward recovery.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve said to myself, “I’ll start working out on Monday,” before I actually did it. It wasn’t until I started making my health and fitness goals known to others that it became a reality, and eventually, a lifestyle. My workout regime became particularly set in stone when I got a workout partner. Accountability with lifestyle changes is much more sustainable with somebody else there to help you keep sight of your goals.

7. Having a plan for setbacks.

Relapse prevention is heavily covered in alcohol and drug treatment for obvious reasons. A client works on identifying his or her triggers, writing them down, creating a plan for dealing with them without drinking or using and (hopefully) shares this information with their support system.

The value of a workout partner and/or trainer cannot be understated here. I involve other people in my exercise and nutrition goals not only so I have people to keep me accountable, but to have people there for me when I fail. Having a plan in place is great, but nobody is perfect, and setbacks will happen. It’s how we handle these setbacks that matter.

Positive or negative, the things that we do over and over again are habits. Behavior is one of the hardest things to change. It requires patience and a plan. I’ve shared these seven things with you because I want you to be successful in achieving your goals. That’s why PUSH Fitness exists. Because YOU matter.

If you’ve found any of these things helpful, or if you have steps of your own that I didn’t cover--I want to hear about it! Comment on this post and let me know what they are.

Jill