These days we live in a world of instant gratification. For instance, if we want something to eat we can have someone deliver it to us, we can drive through a fast food place, or we can heat something up in a microwave in a matter of minutes. DVR's allow us to watch just about any TV show we want at any time of the day or night and the internet allows us to find information in just fractions of a second. Unfortunately, when it comes to improving ourselves or our bodies, it takes time. The good news is, persistence and patience can really pay off.
When you have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) there are many options for naturally relieving pain, inflammation, and other symptoms. Unfortunately, it's easier to start exercising or changing your diet than it is to stick with it. Motivation often begins to fade when improvements are unrealized early on. Here are four tips to help you keep your motivation and realize the benefits of consistent exercise and a healthy diet for RA.
1. Keep a workout log. Every time you go for a walk, swim, go for a bike ride, do yoga, pilates, or whatever it is you do, write it down. Write down what you did and for how long. Not noticing differences physically early is normal, it takes time for your body to adapt and realize changes. Actually seeing that you have exercised and the time you're putting into yourself will help you realize that you're making progress and keep you motivated.
2. Keep a food log. The same principle as above applies here with added benefit. When you write down what you're eating, you pay more attention to what you're putting into your body. It's easy to write down things like salad and fruit and know that you're doing something good for yourself. Also, you don't want to look at your food log and see cookies, cake and chips. It'll help keep you on track, feeling better and motivated to make the right food choices.
3. Work with someone. Couples have it a little easier here, as long as your spouse or partner is willing to make changes to their lifestyle to help you. Having someone to exercise with, like go for a walk or to the gym makes sticking with a routine a lot easier. The same goes for your diet, if you have someone at home that's willing to change their diet with you you'll have fewer temptations and be more likely to stick with it. If you're not married or in a relationship, find a friend or family member who is interested in staying or becoming healthy and help each other stay motivated.
4. Continue to educate yourself. There's a lot of information out there on exercise, diet, and alternative therapies for RA. Do a simple search online, check out the library and bookstores and talk with your doctor or physical therapist to learn more about what you can do to add to or change your current therapies and help relieve your pain and other symptoms of RA. There's an endless amount of information out there on diet, exercise, and pain management. Finding new information helps keep you interested and motivated to continue down a healthy path.
Rheumatoid Arthritis can be painful, but there are non-pharmaceutical methods that can help but may take time to notice the benefits. Try the tips above to help give methods like exercise, diet, meditation, and so on a real chance to work. Everyone's different and it may take a few days or a few months to notice significant benefits. While it's difficult to stay motivated in a world obsessed with instant gratification, the end results are worth sticking it out. One more thing to remember about diet and exercise is that even if you're joints are not feeling considerably better you're still doing great things for your overall health.
No comments:
Post a Comment