Hi everyone, and Happy December! With the holidays quickly approaching, some of us might be thinking about New Years resolutions.
Have you thought about setting any goals for your COPD journey? We all want different things out of life, and we all have different hobbies and interests. So, our goals can be different, too! Your goal for your COPD may be different than your friend’s goals. And that’s OK! It’s important to set goals for your health so that you can enjoy your favorite activities and live a healthy life.
When you decide to set a goal, first think about what is important to YOU. Do you like to garden, visit with family, cook, or travel? Maybe you like something else like watching sports or visiting the library. Think about the activities that are most important to you. What goal would you like to set for yourself? Try to set small goals that can lead to bigger ones. Sometimes when we set big goals for ourselves, we get discouraged when it takes a long time to achieve it. Try to break your goal down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
Think about some small changes you can make in your daily life to help you get back to doing those things you love. For example, if you like to garden, you might have to start planning now for how you’ll do your spring planting. Pots of flowers and watering cans can be heavy! Maybe you could check with your health care provider about achieving your goals. They may suggest starting some easy weightlifting exercises. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about lifting heavy weights at your neighborhood gym! You could use simple items from around the house like a can of tomatoes. Once that becomes easier to lift, you could add a second can. Or even put a few cans in an old purse and use that for your weightlifting exercises. What exercises sound good to you?
Don’t forget to share your plans with your health care provider. They may have some ideas on how to meet your goals without working your body too hard. Remember to be kind to yourself when you’re setting goals for your health. We all have to start somewhere!
There are many tricks and tips for staying active and healthy. What are your favorites? Share them in the comments and tell us what some of your goals are. Let’s see if we can find some healthy and fun goals for the new year! And don’t forget to download your copy of the My COPD Action Plan on our website at http://copdf.co/my-copd-action-plan.It has a goal setting section at the top of the page that can help you get started.