Happy National Therapeutic Recreation Week from Brevard Medical Equipment!  We have been discussing the ways that therapeutic recreation helps people with illnesses, disabilities, and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, functional abilities, independence, and quality of life. Therapeutic Rec week is the second week of July each year.

Whether you or someone in your life has a disability or not, this is a good time to talk about how exercise and leisure can benefit all of us. Here are some tips on getting started in the right direction no matter age or fitness level.

1. Assess yourself

Do this honestly and fearlessly. Take a good look at yourself and your habits. Write down how often you exercise and what you eat for a week or longer. Set your baseline by seeing how long you can walk without getting winded. How is your upper body and lower body strength? How does your body look without clothes and without “sucking it in?”

2. Access your risks

What are your risk factors? What types of diseases run in the family? Which ones are lifestyle-based and which are genetic? What health issues have you had in the past or are dealing with now?  Now start with a plan to lower these risks; what will it take?  Do you have any physical restrictions? What activities can you do even with these restrictions? What have you tried in the past, but never succeeded? How can you succeed this time?

3. Pick one small healthy-lifestyle goal to start

You may not want to commit to never eating chocolate again or running marathons.  Start small. Write the goal and steps down, and keep it handy o you see it. It may be eating a better diet and only eating chocolate on the weekends. It may be walking all the way to that certain place a distance from your house each way without stopping more than 2 times. Keep it realistic!

Share your fitness goals and plans with Brevard Medical Equipment. Ask us about what equipment and supplies can help you to reach those goals. You can do it!