Experiencing a decline in your personal mobility can be frustrating. You might feel like you’re constantly moving in slow motion, just so you can keep yourself safe from injuries, as everyone else speeds by you. Many tasks might take you a little longer to complete—and that’s completely fine! But if you’re looking to speed up your morning routine a little bit, here are a few tips to do so while keeping yourself safe.
Lay Out Your Clothes
Remember when you were a kid, and you would lay out your clothes for the first day of school? Well, it’s time to make that a habit. Select your clothes for the next day each night, and lay them out beside your bed or wherever you tend to dress in the mornings. This saves you a bit of time shuffling through your closet in search of the right outfit.
More importantly, pay attention to the clothing you’re selecting. If you struggle with arthritis in your hands, avoid tiny buttons and zippers. Pick things that are easy to put on and comfortable to move around in.
Get Plenty of Sleep
There’s a saying that a good morning begins with a good night’s sleep—and it’s incredibly true. Insufficient sleep is a perfect recipe for a slow, sluggish morning. Get to bed earlier, and have a good bedtime routine to help yourself sleep better throughout the night. When you get enough rest, you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed and ready to start the day, instead of pressing snooze several times until you fully wake up.
Keep Medications beside Your Bed
If you move slowly in the mornings due to arthritis pain and stiffness, keep your arthritis medication on your bedside table. Set your alarm for 30 minutes prior to when you actually need to get out of bed. When it goes off, take your medicine and reset your alarm for your actual wake-up time. (Keep some water by your bed for taking the pills and a few crackers if you can’t take them on an empty stomach.) When that second alarm goes off, your medication should be kicking in, and you’ll be able to get up and moving more quickly.
Start with a Shower
Another thing that can help to wake you up while also easing arthritis pain is a hot shower. If you don’t already start your day with a shower, consider doing so. If you require a walk-in bathing option due to your reduced mobility, walk-in showers are a great option; they have all the safety features of a walk-in tub, but don’t require you to sit and wait for the tub to fill up, then empty out before you can exit the tub. A shower is a quick way to get clean and get on with your day!
