COPD Exercise Suggestions and Hobbies
Does anyone else have hobbies that help them get a little more exercise? Some people might be interested in finding ways to "hide" the exercise but still get it.
One thing I have done is take care of the house plants. Every room in my house that has a window has at least one plant.
This forced me to walk throughout the house, opening curtains and shades and then closing them. Of course, once a week, I have to make many trips for watering, thus getting more steps in.
I had to learn what plants like the different lighting my windows offer, but keep the mind occupied.
Hobbies that provide exercise
This is a topic that was posted on the discussion forum, and it got me thinking of all the things that I do to get extra steps in a day. With the author of the post's permission, I wrote an article about this because I thought it was a great topic.
Even though it's not a hobby, the first thing that I thought of was when I was doing daily chores. For laundry, I will fold one item at a time and then put it all away.
This gets me more steps in and also keeps my lungs working. It also saves me from carrying heavy loads of baskets as well.
When putting dishes away, I will do the same. Take one dish at a time out and put it away.
I used to get as much in my hands and take a bunch of time. When vacuuming, I try to walk in strips down the carpet, back and forth, instead of in areas.
I try to get more steps out of it. When I make my bed, and I’ll be honest, it’s only if I’m going to have company. I like to make more walking out of it than I actually need to.
When I was younger and worked at a hotel, I would only do one side of the bed at a time. When I do this now, I’ll walk around all four sides and then go back for each item.
Sometimes I need a break after each corner. As I'm sure you all can relate, making beds can be exhausting.
Some other things that I try to do are if I’m watching regular commercial TV, I will either do some exercises or walk into place during the commercials. It keeps me moving and not sitting in place for very long.
I try to ride my exercise bike while I’m watching a good movie or show that I enjoy, and it seems to go by faster. If I am in a waiting room for an appointment, I will walk around instead of sitting in the seats.
Taking it easy
Of course, I know there will be some days that we cannot do some of these, but when I am feeling good, and my lungs are cooperating, I try my best.
I really don’t have many hobbies myself, but I love to watch my kids and grandkids do theirs. When I am at some of these events and the weather is nice, I will try to walk or stand more than I sit.
I do love to dance and usually have music on while I’m cleaning. I try to get a few dances in here in there while picking up the living room and putting items back in their place. There is nothing like a good song to get me motivated to dance or clean.
I wrote an article about music. If you are interested in reading it, you can find it here.
What hobbies or exercise routines do you have to make exercise not feel so much like exercise?
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