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Another major way that you can "self-manage" or control your epilepsy is through maintaining a physically healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle can not only reduce the frequency and severity of your epileptic seizures but also help to decrease the possibility of you experiencing illnesses, disorders and diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer, among others. Physical care involves three major components:
- Healthy physical activity
- Proper diet and nutrition
- Smoking
Self-Managing Your Epilepsy Through Becoming More Physically Active:
What kind of benefits can I receive from exercising?
Aside from the more commonly known benefits of exercise, including improved cardiovascular functioning, mental alertness and self-esteem, physical activity also helps to reduce the frequency and/or severity of seizures. In sum, exercise is beneficial for our physical, cognitive and emotional health and well-being. (Thanks to Goldberg's Living Well with Epilepsy)
How does exercise help to reduce the amount and/or severity of seizures?
When you exercise on a daily basis, your stress levels and the negative physical and psychological effects that stress has on your mind and body are significantly reduced. In effect, by doing physical exercise, you are helping to release some of the built-up pressure, energy and stress within your body that can contribute to the development of seizures. Furthermore, the improved cardiovascular functioning resulting from regular exercise also helps contribute to improved blood circulation and this may also help to reduce the amount and/or severity of seizures.
What kind of exercise/exercise program is right for me?
When choosing an exercise regime, it is important to select something that you will enjoy, that will meet your own individual needs, and that takes into consideration both the type(s) of seizure(s) you experience, and the degree of control or management that you have over this/these seizure(s). Some people prefer brisk walking for 30 minutes a day, while others enjoy dancing.
Because each person has unique and specific physical and psychological needs, it is important that you consult with your physician and/or neurologist before choosing an exercise program that's right for you. Both the physician and the person with epilepsy need to work together to find a program of moderate, regular exercise. This exercise program should weigh the risks that a given exercise program has versus the "preferences" of the person with epilepsy and the severity of his/her epilepsy disorder.
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