What is ILWAD?
A place for those of us who refuse to allow a disability to become a defect, a disadvantage or a defeat. ( More Info? )
Group Admins
Keeping Happy and Healthy
Public Group active 3 days agoA place to discuss techniques for keeping active despite limitations, healthy despite restrictions and happy despite circumstance. Feel free to recommend hobbies, exercise tips (the more unusual the better), great books, music and any other thing that helps you be at your best physically and/or mentally.
-
Derek William Haughtojn joined the group
Keeping Happy and Healthy 3 months ago · View
-
Jules posted an update in the group
What sort of things do you like to read? I don’t read as much as I used too, these days its a slow process, but I do enjoy a good mystery story!
I also read a lot of magazines, bible based, craft, art, and gardening, as well as the occasional SFX (a UK sci-fi magazine) when hubby leaves his around.Does anyone use an e-reader? Reading from my laptop is great as far as my hands are concerned, they don’t like holding a book for long, but murder on my eyes! How have you found the e-ink?
Hi Jules, tessa here! I just got a Kindle haven’t used it yet though. Supposedly it’s a lot easier than reading books cuz can enlarge the print, and I need that.but that’s about it, anyway I’ll let you no more asap as soon as I start using it…..! bye, oh BTW would you like to befriend me? I’m pretty new to the site……
Thanks Tessa, it would be great to get some first hand feedback. Of course I will befriend you! I’m a bit shy and don’t often ask others, but I’ll never knock anyone back! I’ll send the invite now.
-
Gynell Gilicinski joined the group
-
Jules posted an update in the group
I realised tonight that I have another technique for keeping happy I could share.
Take joy in the joy of others. It sounds simple, but how often do you see people being joyful? It’s not so hard once you start to look at children. Tonight I watched a little girl play with one of those claw type vending machines for a few minutes. She didn’t have it working, but her imagination was going, and I’m sure she pulled a pet giraffe out of that vending machine. For those few moments I forgot my own pain, I lived through her eyes, and it felt good.
If there is no one else around, then you need to get pro-active. Create the joy for someone. It’s so easy to send someone a quick e-message. You don’t need to get a reply, put yourself in their place and you know the joy they’ll feel, it’s worth it just for that. If you’ve got more strength and resources, you could send an actual letter or card. You don’t even have to write more than your name if you collect funny comics, anecdotes and pictures to put in for just such occasions. As you create your note or card, think of how the person will respond, or how you would respond if you received it. While your thinking about that it’s harder to focus on whatever troubles your currently dealing with. The joy of another person can be a real trump card! -
Courtney posted an update in the group
Hello everyone! how are we today? Any exciting news whether it be personal, about this group, about ILWAD or just in general? I sure could use an update from the wide world as I have been stuck in my room for a while. So let me know others exist
oxox
-
Jules posted an update in the group
Music! It’s the best way to choose your own mood. Personally I go for mellow sounds when I’m trying to keep happy, Jack Johnson for example, and old school when I want to be motivated to keep moving, Bob Marley often features here, and the Beach Boys. I love some jazz to paint too, and my French Caffe mix to cook to. Best of to have completely instrumental when I’m sewing, sometimes classic but also go for the quirky sounds of SaReGaMa (the artist not the label) which is also good for painting, craft and dancing with children.
What are your favourite mood tunes?
sigh…i just love the fact you are here with us Jules
ILWAD wouldn’t be the same without you! Jack johnson is the best for mellow – have you seen the hilarious clip with ben stiller? I have been thinking about doing you a mix CD of my favourite songs haha my CFS album it is a bit of a bipolar collection for all my various moods. and I have to burn you a copy of the Somethings Gotta Give soundtrack – i play it in my room all the time and i feel like im in a holiday house in france or the hamptons – so cant wait to finish my room and show you pics!But I have to give it to Taylor Swift at the moment for whatever reason she hits the spot – especially during the needles. Oh…and of course…Michael Buble
We love Jack. Almost had a chance to do a tour with him a couple years back in Hawaii, but it fell through.
ohhh do tell! Ron you are a many of many mysteries. Hmmm lets see, my claim to fame is that I was invited to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace with the Queen (but had to leave England cause I was sick and missed it!) and I worked for Elle Mcpherson and Andrew Lloyd Webber. ALSO My dad is the Australiasian Champion Holden Scramble Golf Tournament of 2009
Are you serious, Cort! That’s so cool. Lucky you. Where did you work?
lol oh you know here and there
I worked for a couple of legal firms in London, one british and one International – Baker Botts is actually American I can get a job there anytime I like which is pretty cool
Really kool Court!
Oh, have to admit I’m a little jealous Ron. I’ve never been to a concert, but would love to see Jack live, I think I’d sing myself hoarse.
Yea, I am luck to get to work with alot of these guys.
That sounds like my kind of sound track! Don’t mind a bit of Buble myself, but Hubby and Mum played him to death, so only in moderation these days. I’d love to see picks of your room makeover!
-
Jules created the group
I am loving this group! I have it on my ILWAD list of things to do to imparts some of my gems oxox
-
Jules posted an update in the group
My vitamin D levels are low, this is surprising as I live in Australia and would have thought the incidental sun I receive caring for my pets, talking to the neighbours and travelling in the car with the window down would be enough to keep it up.
Happily the fix is easy and has more benefits than expected. I was prescribed 10 minutes a day in the sun. I’m not sure about other places, but here the only safe time to do this is before 9am, the earlier the better as the UV index is too high by 10. So I’ve been making myself a cup of tea and going out at 7am just as the sun gets to my front porch and just sitting happily for 10 minutes a day. I’m not sure about my vitamin D levels, but I sure feel happier! I’ve also found I have been sleeping better at night and waking up more easily.
are you going to get them checked with blood test? i will be soon as i dont think mine are very high as i spend most of the timelately in bed or indoors plus winter is coming. I have seen great results in my friends who are on high doses of vitamin D – plus it also gives me an excuse to go to Queensland in a few months
I will actually post some research soon on Vitamin D oxox
-
Jules posted an update in the group
Ok, so to get the ball rolling. I hate exercise, well the type that doctors normally recommend anyway. I need exercise to be local to me, once I’ve done my thing I can’t be driving home or I’ll crash, literally. Going for a walk is a lovely idea, but being out on my own when I’m less than ’with it’ holds a whole new level of danger. So we are down to in house activities. Well, there is no room for a gym, I can’t do laps in the bath, and aerobics videos are made for people with titanium knees.
Enter my PSII. I first got an eye-toy to help my girl with her co-ordination and activity levels. But I quickly found that you can quickly work up a sweat playing those funny little games. I bought a game that was specifically meant for exercising, EyeToy Kinetic, but I found it a little too optimistic for my current fitness level. So I got a game called Groove. It’s very simple, you just reach out and hit the targets in time to the music. When I’m feeling energetic (enthusiastic is probably more accurate!) my feet can move to the beat too, when I’m not so great I can just stand there and get the arms going and when I’m really had it I can sit on a chair. I’m sure I look ridiculous, because it occasionally takes action shots of me, but it sure makes me feel better. I often start out forcing myself to put it on and end up singing and bopping along happily by the end.
I’m a notorious chair/car dancer! ; )
Excellent Ron! I haven’t car danced for years, I’ll have to think about adding it back into my repertoire!
hahaha
Oh yeah. I like this. Recently I played a Michael Jackson dancing game on Wii at a family member’s house. It was so fun, and tiring, but good tunes, so it was motivating too. Wish I had a Wii…
I would love a Wii too! I will eventually get one, I suspect this will be when the original Wii gets out dated like the PS2, then I will be able to afford it.
My kids play wii, I use it for netflix!
I will have to keep an eye out for those games and steal my brothers consol
I seriously never gave it much thought! AND most importantly you an do it in your ’safe zones’. I went to my aunts a few months ago and they had a Wii and the exercise dancing one and sports and i played tennis – i have no idea how i nearly put my arm out of its socket without actually hitting a real ball hehe but i had a blast and it WAS exercise! I consider atm my exercise to me playing with Xanda who is almost 15kg so lifting hiim and chasing him is my exercise hehe and rocking and holding tayte who is just growing up so fast also counts as my arm exercises but for core strength which i severly lack i may try your suggestions I am about to start going to this special Gym where you stand onthis vibrating plate – you don’t move, the vibrations move the muscles for you so the point is you wont suffer from Post Exertional Malaise – i truly hope it works, Firemen use this machine so i hope it goes well and i can strengthen and increase my fitness and muscle mass to give me a kick start before i actually have to do anyting!
-
Courtney posted an update in the group
I am just about to go to sleep but this is a group I will definately be checking in on hopefully a regular basis. I have many many ways to keep happy and as healthy as my body permits and look forward to hearing others! talk soon! ox
-
Sarah Laugtug, M.A. joined the group
-
Jules posted an update in the group
@tamika has been posting great tips for keeping our minds in a good place, and it got me thinking. It would seem that, no mater what disability we have, maintaining our mental and physical health is an area we could all do with some encouragement in. So I have started this group in the hope that as we each find a positive way of keeping healthy we can share it and help one another get more joy out of life.
Thank you Jules.
Very kind of you.This is awesome. I look forward to taking part!
