How I am managing my dis-ability in 2023!

G’day friends, welcome to another week and another blog post!

When you have a physical condition that limits your ability to do specific tasks and leads to numerous doctor appointments, it is clear that you need to make your health a priority.

In previous years I have slacked off with that majorly. I was in a very dark place, and everything to do with health fell by the wayside. So safe to say my ‘disease management’ was pretty poor.

It wasn’t until about four years ago that I started to change how I went about life and, more importantly, managing my condition.

However, in the last 12 months or so, I have also realised that maintaining what strength you have left almost needs to be a full-time job! Between working out, stretching, eating well, stretching again and the doctor’s appointments, it consumes a lot of your time.

So you must find things that nourish and takes care of your body that you enjoy so it doesn’t become a chore. I don’t know about you, but I feel that once something feels like a chore, I am less inclined to do it!

With that in mind, I decided to share my top 3 things I am bringing into 2023 to help me manage my condition and create a healthy yet liveable and maintainable lifestyle for myself!

As always, I am not a medical professional, dietician, or fitness Goddess, so please take everything I am saying with a grain of salt. Everything I share is what is/ has been working for me and may not work for you, which is entirely okay! Living Abled is all about living abled your way! This post, I hope, will encourage you to do just that!

Equipment

If you have been following me for a while, you may have read one of the first blog posts discussing tools and tricks that make my life with a disability easier. You can re-read it here! https://livingabled.com.au/disabled-into-abled-quirky-tips-and-tricks/ From electric can and bottle openers to even using a flour sifter as a sieve, at times I have to purchase equipment that enables me to be as independent as possible.

Keeping my muscles from contracting further and getting tighter is as, if not more important, than the exercise itself when managing Muscular Dystrophy. However, believe it or not, I hated stretching with a passion! There is just something about it that isn’t enjoyable. However, I needed to find something that would enable me to loosen up my muscles quickly and effectively.

I see a Physio and Exercise Physiologist weekly; however, sometimes I need something between visits as more so maintenance than anything besides yoga.

I am not one to shy away from trying different things when managing my disability, so after much research, I ordered my first Theragun! It was on an incredible sale, and it finally became affordable for me to buy one and give it a go.

I have been testing it out since it arrived about two weeks ago, and the difference in recovery time post-workout and even just fatigue levels in my muscles has been eye-opening.

Having something at my disposal ready at a moment’s notice, especially after a workout, has been helpful. It is pretty light (about a kilo or so I am told), and so far, I love it and what it is doing for my body, so it will be used a lot.

You may be concerned about whether or not I got my GP’s approval to use it, and no, I haven’t. I know freak out time! However, after almost 24 years on this earth, I feel like I know my body better now, and when something is too much or my body needs a break.

At the moment, I am going with what feels good for me and my health; this brilliant and yet devil of a machine is I believe what is good for my body at this point in time.

Nutrition!

Besides working out (I am writing a dedicated blog post hopefully on MPC 2023 which will be coming out in the next few weeks so stay tuned!) my diet is also critical in my ‘disease management’. I notice a massive difference in my strength and energy depending on what food I consume.

I have noticed that when I eat a decent amount of protein, everything becomes easier, and my body feels stronger and less painful regarding day-to-day activities and exercise.

I am no nutritionist or dietician, so as always, don’t take my word for it that it is good, but again I am doing what is best for me.

Don’t get me wrong; I also want to enjoy my food more and keep working away at my relationship with food!

So this year, I am also working on balancing eating clean and healthy while enjoying some treats now and again.

This is also important because the lighter I am, the less my body has to work to support the weight, so eating clean and maintaining a healthy weight is so important to reduce the stress on my muscles.

Journalling and mental health

Mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to everything that life offers!

When I am feeling low mentally, I don’t workout out and sleep more often, I am a little more short-fused, and I tend to reach for more carb and fat-heavy foods.

So this year, I will also invest even more in my mental state.

There are two things that I am continuing this year to assist in this department. First of course should be no surprise, is my Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy.

The other thing I am implementing more is journaling!

I have been off and on again when it comes to journalling since primary school. I still cringe, trying to read my diary entries from when I was 5 and 8. However, I have been writing more in my journal over the last two years. I love documenting what has happened in my day or sometimes week…. or month.

However, I also love getting my thoughts down on paper when I need to reset or refocus or feel overwhelmed or struggling.

Writing down things I am experiencing helps me take a step back and look at my life and what little areas need tweaking, or in fact, to marvel over what is working for me.

Journalling also is a way for me to make sure I continue to work on having a healthy relationship with my disability because it is so easy to fall back into the pattern of hating it and hating what it is doing to your body and life, which easily can send you spiralling in my experience.

On New Year’s, I finished my last journal. I looked back through, and I have from year 9 through until 2022 in there. So almost ten years worth of my life in this one journal.

This is something I want to continue doing, not only as my condition progresses but also as a way to keep track of where I am mentally and to be able to keep learning and growing.

This year is about continued growth and healthy and effective ways to manage my condition in a fun and holistic way. Because full-time ‘disease management’ should be fun, right!?

Till next week, keep Living Abled your way.

Rhi.