Survey Results are In – Individual impact of COPD and ILD on activity choices
In February 2016, I sent out a survey to determine how different lung diseases affect daily activities.
Thank you to all 62 of you who participated!
Here is what I learned:
The majority of you have 1-2 doctor appointments per month. <10% of you have 3-4 doctor appointments per month. No one had more than 4. That is good!
As far as dining out and diets go, 8% of you eat the most at a coffee shop.
A whopping 32% of you eat at fast food restaurants. We gotta talk.
33% of you choose Fine Dining when you go out. Better ingredients, better for you.
27% of you said you either stay home or rarely go out. If you have healthy food choices at home, great!
The number of meals eaten per day was wide and varied….Some of you only eat one meal a day, others 3 or 4, and a couple of you eat 6 small meals. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet, and eating often enough to keep you going, and small enough meal size so you don’t push up on the diaphragm and make breathing more difficult.
Question 4 was “How much of the household chores are you able to do yourself”?
43% of you said one or two.
24% said 3 or 4, and
33% of you said all of them.
No one likes chores, including me. But if you practice your Pursed lip breathing, and pace yourself, you will get through them a lot more easily. And, I will count it as exercise 😀
I also asked about your home meals, and how often you use frozen or processed foods.
62% of you said seldom…. That’s good!
33% of you said daily. Just check the ingredients on your convenience foods. If you can’t pronounce it, please don’t eat it!
And wow, you all have quite a social life! Only 4% of you do the majority of your socializing at the gym or at a Better Breather’s Club. The rest of you are out and about, with the exception of a few of you are mostly at home. I would really encourage those of you who mostly stay home to try and get out and meet some people who move at your pace, whatever that may be. Even just tagging a neighbor to walk for 10 minutes will brighten your day.
Reading was ranked as a popular hobby. For your reading materials, 25% of you read AARP magazine. 60% of you read on a wide variety of different subjects, or, read books instead of magazines. It’s good to stay interested in a variety of topics. Keep your minds engaged!
In 2nd place for hobbies, you all are a very talented and artistic bunch… knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, and painting. Very few of you had no hobbies. I urge you to try…. Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn or do? You may have some hidden talent(s) you never knew you had. Contact your local community college, or high school to see if they hold any adult classes in the evenings or on weekends. I’ve taken drawing and painting classes, and a Thai cooking class. Fun!
Now, about that TV…. 50% of you watch TV 1-3 hours a day. 40% of you watch more than 3 hours a day. Just be mindful of what you take in. Most of the news is negative, and with the upcoming U.S. elections, it can be downright anxiety-inducing to watch. Watching other peoples’ problems play out, whether in real life or in a story, can weigh on you more than you realize. Find a show that is relaxing, funny, or has a good ending. If you find yourself yelling at the TV, it’s perhaps time to change the channel.
Back to the food choices:
I want to help people make the connection between what they eat, and lung health. That’s right…. What you put in your stomach affects every part of your body. Our bodies were not designed to run on fake foods, GMO foods, and chemicals. My passion is to teach people to read food labels, and decide if the ingredients are really something worth putting into your body. Spend a little extra on organic and non-processed food…. YOU ARE WORTH IT!