Good Afternoon! It’s Tuesday, January 12, and it’s a beautiful winter afternoon here in Charlotte. It’s sunny and just over 50 degrees, so it’s not a bad day to be out and about! I know… I know… should we really be “out and about” with all this Covid stuff going on? Honestly, I don’t know what the right answer is to that anymore, but I do know that getting out of the house is important! Seriously! 🙂
Why is getting out of the house important? Well, it’s a topic that’s been on my mind quite a bit. Even before this whole Covid mess. “Why?” you ask? Well, the primary reason is because my wife pushes me to do it. 🙂 She wants me out of the house because when I’m home I spend copious amounts of time in a chair doing very little. Most of the time I’m in the chair it’s because I am not feeling 100% (Dizzy, tired… see other posts for more details on this one) and don’t feel like doing anything. 🙁 The whole sitting around thing can become a chronic way of life. Which is bad to even think about.
Of course, the various forms of quarantine being imposed across the US don’t make it easy even if you’re considering leaving home. Local parks are closed, gyms are closed or at very low capacity and even stores/restaurants can be hit or miss when it comes to being open. The current situation makes it even easier for folks who don’t want to leave home in the first place… just stay home. That just can’t be healthy.
Personally, I can tell you that getting outside to take a walk or even run an errand to the Grocery Store can be a real game changer! Prior to being diagnosed with MS, if I was having a dizzy day, I usually exercised because I thought work was stressing me out. I certainly didn’t just lay around.
While being active may not eliminate the dizzies or fatigue (or whatever), it can definitely help take your mind off things. Unfortunately, these days when I’m having an “off day”, it has become much easier to cut myself a break and think about how tough it is to have MS (While in my favorite chair of course). I have mentioned in prior posts about the importance of “routines” for some of us MS folk and getting out of the house can be one of those routines. It’s super important, at least to me, that physical/mental activities be a part of my daily routine to ensure that whole “Use it or lose it” saying doesn’t become a reality. The current state of the US/World doesn’t necessarily lend itself to routine behaviors, but that doesn’t mean healthy living should suffer too much. Right?
Honestly, I have some work to do in the healthy living routine area of my life these days. It’s always something! 🙂
Wow! Another pity party post! Can you tell I’m a bit frustrated with myself? It happens every now and then to all of us, so it’s my turn (Again) this week! 🙂
Hope everyone is doing well and another post to follow in a few days!
