How are you doing in the 4 areas of motion?
Now that you are on your own turf, how do you rate your level of activity? I am asking if you are in motion. Even if you are wheelchair-bound, do you keep your arms and head in motion? Would you rate your activity as little, mild, moderate, or vigorous on a daily basis? Knowing your daily activity is important if you want to be healthy.
We need to be active regardless of our condition since the stroke or because of the stroke. It is not an excuse. It is just a factor that must be counted. When we are involved with our physical body, we feel better.
There are four dimensions that you need to take into account. They are strength, mobility or flexibility, balance, and stamina or endurance. I will explore deeper about each of them in future blogs. Physical activity requires these four dimensions. You need strength to hold your body upright either in a wheelchair or standing. You need some flexibility to pick up a coin you just dropped on the ground. You need balance to walk a short distance. You need your stamina to walk 100 feet with your walker.
I “scored” much higher in the four areas before the strokes. I still evaluate myself in each area. They are important to be fit and healthy. Try it yourself. On a scale with 0 being nonexistent and 10 is exceptional. Start with your strength. Score yourself. Then, score your flexibility. Next, give yourself in balance. Finally, give yourself a score in the stamina arena. Keep your marks written down.
Mark Sisson, a health and fitness expert, the founding father of the ancestral health movement, and the blog Mark’s Daily Apple. Check it out at www.marksdailyapple.com. He says that you need to consider some personal research on what movement does for you. Consider the impact daily, continual physical activity has on your four areas, mood and energy levels. There are lots of peer-reviewed studies that say it is good for you. “Make yourself a guinea pig for the sake of your health and curiosity. Put yourself under the microscope, and see what comes of it.”
Take a journal or log your daily movement, your four areas, your mood, and energy levels for three weeks. After three weeks, does it have a positive influence on you? When you take another exam of your four areas, have you improved, stayed the same, or got worse? Do the experiment and see if it will make a difference. Try it!
Fetch your “pet” emoji if this post caught your “chew toy.” Please leave us your comments. To your success!
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