Sunday, February 1, 2015

Sunday Stroke Survival: Taking A Load Off

No this isn't me but close
It feels like all I do on this blog lately is confess my sins. This time it's about sitting too much. Hard to believe I'm guilty of this, isn't it? But it's true.

Most times it's from sheer exhaustion. At other times it's boredom. You mean you have time to be bored? Really? With what you've got going on in your house?
Yeppers, I sure can be bored. Most of the time I'm streaming shows, watching movies, and yes, even playing games, it's because I'm bored. Of course being me, I'm also knitting or doing something constructive with my hand too.

Just after my strokes, I sat quite bit because of my balance issues. When my foot decided it didn't like my AFO and erupted into pressure sores, I sat. When I blog or work on my cognitive recovery, I sat. When doing things in the kitchen, I sat.  When the spasticity in my lower leg acts up, I sat. And honestly, it's a hard habit to break. I have jokingly mentioned my six ax handles across the butt as a family trait over the years, and while I'm not as wide as the lady pictured above, I am heavily endowed.

I really can't go far to walk. I have to stay within calling distance of my hubby which compounds the problem. I can't run to get to him if I'm in the backyard. It's almost a 1/2 an acre. When I spend time with him most of it is spent sitting. Yes, I do way too much of this activity.

My New Years goal was to get off my duff and start using my exercise equipment. It sits waiting on me. I can count on two hands how many times I've been on my NordicTrack. Now my air cycle is another story. I'm on it for thirty minutes each afternoon. So I'm not totally bad. Except that's sitting too.

As a result of all this sitting, I'm losing my stamina and endurance.  I'm finding it harder to stand and walk for any great distance. It's my fault. I know this. I'm resolved to get up off my broad derriere, but tire so quickly these days because of my semi-imposed inactivity.

My life goes from a maddening, break neck pace to nothing at the drop of a hat and back again. That's just the way it is as a caregiver for a terminally ill spouse. When he's resting, I tend to rest because I suffer from chronic fatigue since my stroke. I do other things with my day like rehab exercises, therapies, cooking, cleaning, animal husbandry, and garden. It only takes energy to do it. Emotional stressors last the last two weeks without hospice and other regular stuff like paying bills take their toll too on my energy stores also. But if I allow myself some slack for these items, soon it will be filled with other things. I know me too well. I'm not making excuses for not getting off my butt and doing. Sitting is so much easier.

Anybody have advise for me? I could sure use it because I know...
Nothing is impossible with determination.

5 comments:

  1. Walk around the house more. The more you walk, the more endurance you'll build up. Plus that way you're not too far from your husband.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do u have a wheelchair and a portable o2 tank? Is ur AFO condusive to walking yet? Can u stroll ur neighborhood with hubby or is it too rural? My neighborhood has "paseos" that connect to whole city. They have helped me tremendously and because I had a stroller to hold onto I could take to walking even when my walking was marginal at best. I now walk several miles a day and get some fresh air too. Its good for me, baby and wild big brother.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? My fatigue problem causes the same thing--broad butt disease. I'm too fatigued to do the exercise that supposedly helps the fatigue. :-P

    {{{hugs}}}

    ReplyDelete
  4. I, too, am guilty of too much sitting. When you're watching tv, can you do some exercises during the commercials? What about doing laps around the house when putting away laundry or the like? Silly suggestions, I know, but it may be a good way to start getting more steps in, and you can always build up from there. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The biggest issues are the chronic fatigue, my heart, and my hubby.
    With so much energy draining activities (meds, diaper changes, etc) during the day and night. I'm not really getting restorative sleep. I feel I have to store energy to handle it.

    I've got a bum ticker and rates of 120 and above are forbidden because its too much strain on my heart.

    I'll do the long way around for chores for extra steps. My pedometer is at 6,000 steps per day.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you! Agree, Disagree, Indifferent...no matter. Even if it's to say you were here.