July 6, 2011
by Mike Tran
The first thing to keep in mind is to believe in yourself. Never give up hope for improvement and recovery.
The second thing, is get active! If you watch TV, thats fine, but wake up, get going out of the house, and get active. Walking is great. Walking with assistance, or half-walking with a wheel-chair or front wheel walker, is great whatever it takes to get mobile!
Occupational and physical therapy suggest you go and get exercise. That is very important. But, the kind of exercise you get from OT/PT can be boring! You have to find the type of exercise that will work for you and be motivating. Hiking, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, rafting, biking, you name it these are all good options. Your mindset is important. You have to love the activity to be motivated to do it.
Of course, modifications may be necessary. It's a journey. At first, I was in a wheelchair, and I had a brace on my right leg. Little by little, I could stand up. Then I didnt need the brace, and then I didnt need a cane. I made improvements by walking, walking, walking, walking walking! Three or four miles each day. And then, hiking. I used the elliptical machine and the stepping machine at the gym. I also used a stationary bicycle I practiced and practiced, making modifications to make it possible for me to exercise. Then, I was able to get on a real bike and ride outside. Now, I am training for the Seattle to Portland bike race. But four or five years ago, I was just starting out to exercise. I have come a long way in recovery because of my motivation to exercise.
Another activity that has helped both my mind and body is yoga. Stretching is important. Stroke survivors need yoga because of stiffness and stretching. You can make improvements in stretching in yoga that you may not even get from OT/PT. Yoga is different and not boring, and you get a great stretch! Again, I make modifications in yoga classes. Its difficult for me, but I can change the poses. For example, push-ups are hard for me, but I can use my knees for support.
My vision is to have a place to do yoga for stretching, to exercise, to learn and to build a community of other stroke survivors.
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Mike Tran is a stroke survivor and founder of the SD Foundation. He provided this entry for the advice blog as transcribed by his speech therapist at the UWSHC.
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