How to Improve Activities of Daily Living
Do you want to move better throughout your day?
Learn how you can improve the way you feel while performing simple tasks.
Over 20% of Americans need assistance with everyday tasks and that percentage continues to increase as we age.
The decline in being able to perform these day to day tasks is due to physical and mental limitations including; joint pain, muscle tension, lack of movement, as well as mental and emotional trauma and instabilities.
Not to worry, however, there are ways to prevent and slow this decline by incorporating Health & Wellness techniques like the ones outlined here. Read on to learn more!
What Are Activities of Daily Living?
Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) include: getting dressed in the morning, bathing, eating/meal prepping, going to work, cleaning/doing chores, and caring for yourself/personal safety.
Why are ADL's Important?
Think about all the things you do in a single day. From putting away groceries, lifting the laundry basket, to playing with your grandchildren. These are all simple activities that you might not think about until they start to cause you pain and discomfort, making it more and more difficult to perform them, over time. It's important to keep the body moving to prevent pain and discomfort in order to remain independent with your own ADL's as you age. As well as maintaining a high quality of life, happiness is key!
How to Improve Activities of Daily Living
Exercise: Programs like Yoga, Chair Fitness Classes, and Strength Training are easy on the joints and will give you functional training that transfers to ADL's. Studies show that regular physical activity can help increase endurance, balance, muscle strength, and flexibility. Start with a low-impact exercise program 1-2 days per week for 30-minutes. From there you can increase to 45-minutes or more, at 2-3 days per week; even 3-4 days if you're feeling up to it. Radect Health's classes are good for any age, any fitness level, and available starting at 30-minutes.
Nutrition: Poor nutrition is a major health concern, with over 30% of Americans aged 60 years and older being malnourished. Getting the proper nutrients is essential for muscle growth, bone density, healing wounds, immunity, maintaining weight, and reducing the risk of illnesses. Start with eating more fruits and vegetables and set up a consult with our Radect Dietitian today!
Sleep/Rest: Getting an adequate amount of sleep/rest can help reduce stress and improve your mood, as well as maintain a healthy weight. Getting plenty of rest can also lower your risk of certain illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Shoot for an average of 6-8 hours of sleep each night and listen to your body for signs that you need to rest. If you're feeling fatigued throughout the day, take the time to stop, rest, then move forward with your day.
Self-Care: Self-care practices such as Meditation and Journaling can improve your overall health & wellbeing, and give you a sense of calm, peace, and emotional balance. Meditation as been proven to help you relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something more calming. Start with a short 5 minute meditation, this can be simple breathing techniques while sitting quietly. It's recommended as a daily practice- depending on your schedule, try starting with 1-2 days per week and work your way up to more.
Once you begin working towards improving your ADL's, you'll immediately start to see changes in your body and mind. Psychically becoming stronger and mentally/emotionally becoming less stressed and more relaxed. With these new superpowers you'll not only be able to perform your ADL's without struggle, you'll also notice an increase in other activities.
What are other activities you might be able to do after improving your ADL's?
Live Longer
Walking, Hiking, Running
Playing with Pets
Care for Others (outside of yourself)
Participate in Hobbies
Outdoor Activities: Kayaking, Fishing, Camping
Wouldn't it be great to feel better, live longer, and be pain free?! You can! Schedule a free consult today with a Radect Yoga Ambassador to get started on an Exercise or Self-Care program. We are here to help.
Written by: Desiree Schmidt
500hr Yoga Instructor
Yoga Ambassador