Women’s Health and Fitness Day is the largest yearly health promotion event for women of all ages, and this year the date is Sept. 24. This is a new national program that focuses attention on how important it is to get regular exercise, and also to generally be aware of our overall health as women. This event is similar to National Senior Health and Fitness Day, which is in May.
This year, more than 1000 health groups across the US are hosting women’s health and fitness events at hospitals, health clubs, senior centers, parks, schools and retirement centers. It is believed that at least 100,000 women will participate in these various fun activities across the US. Some of the activities at these events include:
- Walking and running events
- Exercise demonstrations
- Health screenings
- Health information workshops
If you are a woman who has had a stroke, this is a great day to remember the importance of staying as fit as possible as you recover from your stroke. Regular exercise is known to lower blood pressure, balance fats in the body and overall reduce risk of another stroke. Also note that regular exercise makes you lose weight and reduces chances of heart disease and diabetes, which also are risk factors for stroke.
Some exercise tips for stroke patients, according to Stroke.org in the UK:
- Choose a type of exercise that you like and make it part of your daily routine. Whatever you do – swimming, walking, jogging etc – should make you feel warm and a bit out of breath.
- Take it slow at first, and try to build up to 30 minutes, 5 days per week.
- Warm up and cool down with gentle stretches, which is important to let your heart slow down to normal.
- Do not exercise further if you feel pain the chest or feel dizzy.
- Get a partner to exercise with and change up your routine to make it more interesting.
Bedroom Comfort Aids for Stroke Patients
After you have exercised, you will probably want a good night’s rest, and getting comfortable after a stroke can be difficult for some patients. Our Posey Lateral Positioning Wedges are perfect to provide you with positioning support and comfort:
For stroke patients with sensitive feet, consider the Posey Bed Cradle, which keeps sheets and blankets off the feet, and also prevents foot drop:
