An Cosantóir

24 By Sgt Thomas Deveraux DFPES, DFTC WALKING INTO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE You should: • Start slowly and introduce new activities gradually. • Set yourself realistic targets each week. • Rest when you feel tired. WALKING As said time and time again, walking is undoubtedly the best way for you to regain your fitness normal level. The thing with walking is, you set yourself a small realistic goal, for example: you might not feel the best and on that particular day you feel very weak. Regardless you can still complete your goal within the comfort of your own home. Walk up the stairs, walk from room to room, walk out to the back garden and when your health recovers, try to increase the duration of the walk. "Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering". Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience. How much time to give for walking when recovering With a structured plan in place, you should be able to follow your pathway to a healthy recovery. Start small and work your way up, have a clear understanding of your goals each day and do your very best to achieve them. Plan your walking areas, for example, have a rest area if you're feeling tired. Walk in public view but maintain your distance, inform someone where you're going and what your route is and lastly, if someone within your family wants to tag along with you, that's fine for safety & support. • Week 1: 5 to 10 minutes • Week 2: 10 to 15 minutes • Week 3: 15 to 20 minutes • Week 4: 20 to 25 minutes • Week 5: 25 to 30 minutes After 6 weeks, you should aim to be walking at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. This walking should be reasonably fast so that you are slightly out of breath, though you should still be able to talk and walk. Throughout your Part 1 INTRODUCTION The world has not encountered a pandemic (COVID-19) like this since the Spanish Flu of 1918. Each person is doing their utmost to beat it, while also trying their very best to get things back to normal so people can travel, return to school, sport and much more. Unfortunately, this pandemic is having a big impact on families and loved ones. People who are recovering from this virus are experiencing extended recovery periods, which are having a major impact on their day-to-day lives. I have put something together for those people who are recovering from COVID-19 to help them return to a healthy lifestyle. What we know so far and what we have read in the HSE guidelines, there's clear direction "we know people who are recovering from COVID-19 feel tired, weak and suffer from shortness of breath". If this happens while carrying out physical fitness you need to slow things down and set small goals for yourself. Getting your body back to its normal healthy lifestyle will take time; it could take anything from 5 to 8 weeks. Unlike anything we have witnessed before people must change the basic ways we interact with one another, but we can still perform physical fitness in a controlled manner and being active can help you to recover quicker. PHYSICAL PROBLEMS AFTER COVID-19 Research has shown the problems you might experience while recovering from COVID-19. They are as follows: • Muscle weakness and joint stiffness • Extreme tiredness, fatigue and lack of energy • Reduced mobility • Unstable physical fitness • Poor smell and taste • Difficulties swallowing • Breathlessness • Phlegm build-up • Stomach concerned As we all know, COVID-19 would have a huge impact on your physical activity, nonetheless it would also play a crucial part on your 'mental and emotional side' like your sleep pattern or a change in your mood/ depression or any anxiety symptoms. Regardless, your aim for the next few weeks is to start slowly and gradually increase your training so you can manage it. When carrying out training programme, remember regular exercise is good for you, but always keep in mind that it will take time to get back to normal activities. WALKING INTO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

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