Staying Motivated for the Long Haul

Hello @parus and @contentandwell

There is another Youtube exercise video that is also short in length and fun, it is T-Tapp. Take a look at it when you have a moment. I heard about it from another member on Mayo Connect.

Teresa

@hopeful33250 thanks, I will check that one out too. I sure wish my club had tai chi, I’m not great at following moves, I like having a leader/instructor who can correct me when I am not doing things like this correctly. Basically I’m a clod.
JK

@contentandwell Hey, self-denigration is not healthy. Tai Chi is designed for everyone. Yes, even the self said clods.
@hopeful33250 Will check this out once I find my self-motivation. Feel like I was hit by a semi, landed at the roadside until the street sweeper came along and swept me into the gutter to live with the sewer rats.
Visuals are helpful?

@contentandwell Tai-Chi is really made for clods - myself included! It is very gentle and slow moving - hard to get it wrong. I'm not really good at the contortions of yoga but Tai-Chi really does work for me. It's also very relaxing.

Teresa

@hopeful33250 I like these videos as I have found them to helpful for someone with the attention span of a gnat. It can motivate me to move-sometimes. Currently nothing is working. Surely it is the weather-please, allow it to be the weather!! -12 here this morn.

@parus - I'm sure the weather is contributing to many of our down moods. We all need sunshine and fresh (warm) air!

Teresa

Does anyone think having lots of lights on will help? A watt is a watt-right?

@parus, I personally feel better with lots of light. Here is a link to a Mayo website about light, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/in-depth/seasonal-affective-disorder-treatment/ART-20048298. Teresa

@parus Is it self-denigration if it's true? I am comfortable with other aspects of myself but have never been good at following moves in a group. I even had trouble following the water exercises initially. I did zumba for a while and loved it but I know my moves were not right. They are great about things like zumba at my club, they tell you to do what you can do. There is some jumping but many people, like myself, never attempt that. It is a good workout, I should try to resume that when my knee is fully recovered.
Love your description. I am a very visual person so I can't help but picture that. I had a job a few years back where the young manager used to say things that were nonsensical. I would picture a cartoon balloon above my head making comments. If he had known...
JK

@parus I definitely think low lighting is associated with depression. Also, after some review I have found that a watt is not necessarily a watt. Some bulbs imitate natural sunlight better than others. That said, I have found most "sun" lights horribly overpriced, I suggest you do a little research for yourself and choose the best light source for you before you go shopping. As with foods, read the labels and don't just purchase by the writing on the box. Good luck.

I keep the shades up or open and lights on as needed. I have also painted, papered, paneled or refinished my floors in light colors. We have awnings on all our windows and light-filtering window panes, so I have done all I can to keep my spaces bright.