Staying active and healthy

When it comes living with Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy as we get older it is very important for us to take care of ourselves. When it comes to healthy living we all know the sooner we start the better. The typical things we can do to stay healthy is maintaining a healthy diet, limiting salt intake, staying active and avoid bad habits like smoking and excessive drinking. When it comes to living with Becker’s you eventually learn that is possible that as we get older we may face some heart related issues. That is why the key to living with Becker’s is to try and stay as active as possible that means going on walks and doing exercises that help keep our muscles moving. We all know that inactivity is not good thing and I do understand that for some of us staying active can be a bit of a challenge at times. But in the end it is worth it. All we have to do is our best knowing in the end we will benefit from staying active and living a healthier lifestyle.

In 2012 my personal goal is to take my health more seriously and this isn’t just a New Year’s Resolution - I have always tried to focus on being healthy. My plan has always been to do whatever it takes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Over the last few years I have started eating healthier foods, reducing my salt intake and avoiding greasy foods. I also try and stay as active as possible knowing it may help to delay some of the complications related to living with Muscular Dystrophy. One complication for some of us can be heart related issues that is why ever since I turned 30 once a year I have a check-up with my local cardiologist. My latest appointment took place just before Christmas and actually went went very well. The day of my appointment started very early in the morning which turned out to be a good thing since I didn’t have to wait that long to have my echocardiogram completed. This is a procedure that takes about 20-30 minutes where the person performing the test takes an echo transducer covered in gel then moves it over your chest taking a detailed picture of your heart. This shows the shape, texture and movement of your heart valves, as well as the size of your heart chambers and how well they are working. For those of you having an echocardiogram for the first time you don’t have to worry it is really a painless procedure. My only complaint would have to be some of the positions they require you to lay in while they complete the testing which can be a bit of a challenge at times. That is why I am happy that it doesn’t take that long to complete. And once the echocardiogram is finished the results are sent off to the cardiologist for review. Thankfully that very same day the cardiologist goes over my results with me and just like last year he gave me great news. He said everything looks fine and that my results are normal for someone my age. But he did mention that as we get older we need to stay as healthy as possible and he also encouraged me to stay active and to continue eating healthier foods. So in 2012 that is exactly what I plan to do.

Related posts:

 Becker's Muscular Dystrophy and Playing sports & Staying Active