Running For Recovery

I remember that at about six months sober, I began to get depressed. Knowing that my disease loves to come at me in the form of grief, sadness, and melancholy, I started making phone calls right away. I'd been down this road before, and it ended in relapse and a jail cell in Marion County. There was no way that I was going to let that happen again!

I received two suggestions, one from my grand sponsor, and one from my sponsor. My grand sponsor told me to start asking Him to reveal His purpose to me in my prayers. Maybe I'll write about how that worked out on a Faithful Friday if I'm ever asked to guest write here again. Then my sponsor told me to go home and run a mile. "Really?", I asked. "Really!", he replied.

He went on to explain to me how the years of drinking and drugging had seriously affected my brain chemistry. Alcohol, opiates, cocaine; they all do different things like diminishing our serotonin levels, and changing how neurons react, and blah, and blah, and blah. The good news he told me, is that the brain has an amazing capacity to heal itself, but it's up to us to do some healthy things to help it along. I don't remember all of the biochemistry behind it, I'm not a professional like he is.

But I believed him, and I didn't want to relapse again, so I went home, strapped on an old pair of sneakers that I had laying around (it was an old pair of Sketchers, hardly fit to be used as running shoes), and jiggled my way around the neighborhood.

And it hurt. I was still smoking at the time, and I had put on a few pounds since getting out of jail. I didn't have a lot of money, and my diet wasn't very good. I was working 3-11 at night in a hotel, and eating out of a microwave when I got home at midnight. I told my sponsor that it hurt, and he told me that it would get better. He said that my body would release these things called endorphins, and that I would soon feel better. He said I would rest better as my serotonin levels balanced out, and that I would feel more balanced.

I quit smoking, and I started eating better. Not a lot better, but better. I got some running shoes, and I kept doing it. And he was right, I began to feel better. Don't get me wrong, I haven't turned into some kind of health and fitness fanatic, but running every other day has become an integral part of my recovery lifestyle today.

It's about discipline, and taking care of the body that God gave me; the body that I abused for far too long. It's about continuing to be willing to go to any length to stay sober. And lastly, it's about living in the 11th step. My runs along Edgewater drive have become part of my meditation now, my God time. Body, Mind, Spirit!

Thanks for reading,

Glenn

Today's guest blogger Glenn Humphreys is the author of Widowhood, Grief, and Love after Loss, a blog about grief, loss, and recovery.

Surrender to Win-Fitness and Recovery

Surrender is versatile when it comes to the disease of addiction and physical fitness. In early recovery I found that in order to succeed I must surrender to a power greater than myself.  It took many trials and tribulations for me to understand that to succeed I must surrender. Early on I did not understand this, because I had always been taught never to surrender.  This became a new found freedom once I actually did, and I continue to do so every day now.

I have found the same experience in health and fitness. The two go hand in hand and in early recovery. Nurturing the mind, body, and soul are essential for happiness and freedom. I found early on, that in order to be happy with myself I needed a release.  I found that in physical fitness. I also found that if I don't surrender and train with the mindset of remaining teachable, I cannot make the gains I may want in the gym. The same goes for my recovery.  If I dont surrender and remain teachable, I will become stagnant in my recovery and I will take steps backwards instead of forwards.

Without healthy living and constant step work, I started to suffer.  Today I have learned a balance and have found a new freedom and happiness.  Without surrender none of this is possible.

Work Out Wednesday! Crossfit and Recovery

In my process of finding twelve step recovery this time, I noticed something at year five.  Recovery was not enough.  I needed to incorporate all three elements; Mind, Body, and Soul!  My body needed to have some attention, not only because I was out of shape, but because I was missing the drive and the passion.  I was missing out on life by settling for an everyday routine!

What I have learned, is that as alcoholics and addicts we have a drive that many others don't have.  I still had that drive when I quit using, but it needed to be woken up to find relief in a healthy manner.  I had a second spiritual moment when I found Crossfit.  I found something that pushed me to the brink of failure.  But there was a community and a fellowship which was there to help me fight through the pain and accomplish my goals.  It's was just like the community and fellowship that I found in 12 step recovery, 

In fact, the community of cross fitters is very similar to the rooms of recovery.  We are there to suggest things to you, to show you the proper way, and then you get to put into action what you are taught.  This saved my life.  It was my second surrender.  It was my new found freedom in recovery.  My body is my temple, I am how I take care of myself.  Mind, Body, and Soul!

Make it a great day people! DO WORK!