Fatigue is very common after a stroke and normal activities may feel a bit like doing a gym workout. Make sure you pace yourself and put your feet up to rest when you need to.
Here's how you can get started.
- Adopt the 24 hour approach to your rehab/recovery in your daily routine. Small things like standing up correctly and using your affected arm/leg or other part of the body will have significantly more impact than just doing just doing your exercises once a day
Ask yourself whether you are sitting comfortably - it’s important if you spend most of your day sitting. Ensure you are sitting upright and have a strong core. Having good posture is vital for your arms and legs to work efficiently
- If you have an upper limb impairment consider taking up a hobby that will promote recovery such as jigsaw puzzles, building models or even playing games like Scrabble, Connect 4 and Dominos with the children/grandchildren
- Try swimming to help build your cardio. You don't have to actually swim in the pool. Exercise in the pool can include walking, squats, marching and side-stepping
- It’s important to strengthen your muscles. Consider joining a gym to access the necessary equipment, but make sure you are guided by a healthcare professional on the best exercises to do for your particular situation
- Don't get frustrated when you can't do things that you used to. Remember that recovery takes time and it may be that you have to adopt new strategies to do things a bit differently
- Don't give up - stay positive and remember how far you've come rather than focusing on what you haven't achieved yet. Set yourself small goals and focus on those 'wins'
- Depression is very common after a Stroke. If you are feeling down and it isn’t getting any better then please seek advice from your GP to discuss medication options or referrals to a counsellor to help talk through your difficulties.
If you’re still not sure where to start, a physiotherapist can assess you and work with you to create a weekly activity plan
You can download this page for future reference.
Being active after a stroke
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