Movement is Medicine

Everyone hates burpees! Why? Is it because they are challenging? Repetitive? Boring? To me, the burpee is perfectly analogous to life: You fall down, you get back up, you repeat. It was the perfect exercise to sum up my recovery. That’s why I started #TheSoberBurpee50.

Addiction takes a serious physical toll on a person. So why is physical rehabilitation so underemphasized in treatment? In early recovery, I was told I had a disease of the mind and a spiritual disconnect. I agreed. However, after a few short months, I noticed I was physically broken, too. A decade of substance misuse wrecked my musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems. Why was my physical health not addressed as part of my care? Why do treatment centers have licensed counselors, medical doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists all on staff but fail to employ a physical rehabilitation specialist?

Changing this system is my goal—and here’s the plan I made to meet that goal. First, become a Doctor of Physical Therapy (done). Second, conduct research to prove clients of treatment centers have pain, functional limitations, and health goals (done). Lastly, open my own physical therapy clinic that works closely with treatment centers in my community (in progress). But I don’t have to wait until all of this happens to start making a change.

In early 2018, I created a social-media-based fitness campaign to inspire anyone in recovery to get moving. If you can’t get out of your head, get into your body. That was the idea. If you can’t get your mind to shut up, work your body hard enough until it does. What is hard enough, simple enough, and highly effective? Doing 50 burpees! The movement’s very simple. Start by standing up tall. Drop down into a push up position. Bring your body to the ground. Stand back up. Jump. Repeat. Done!

Want to see the movement in action? Here I am doing a burpee with Shatterproof’s founder and CEO, Gary, at the Los Angeles Rise Up Against Addiction event:

I call my campaign #TheSoberBurpee50. I record myself doing 50 burpees every day, and dedicate my effort to someone who is open about their recovery on Instagram. On January 16, 2018 I posted my first video and committed to doing #The SoberBurpee50 for 365 continuous days. So far so good. Please join in! Check out the hashtag on Instagram, and post your own burpee video.

When it comes to recovery from addiction, exercise is only a piece of the puzzle. I support treatment centers. I support 12 step groups and other fellowships. I support spiritual healing. But it’s my passion to make sure that we stop ignoring the physical toll of addiction.

Don’t neglect the damage a lifestyle of addiction can do to your body. Movement is medicine. I encourage you to get moving, too!

Dmitry Foox is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, recovery influencer, and creator of #TheSoberBurpee50. He was born in Ukraine, raised in Hollywood, and you can follow him on Instagram @iamfooxie.

Originally published in 2018.