Hi,
It's Barbara and I'm a certified health and life coach and I want to welcome you to part 8 in this series I'm doing about caregiving and caregivers.
I'm focusing on this theme as it's really close to my heart.
If you've tuned in to other parts of this series,
You know that I was the primary caregiver for my late husband as he battled cancer.
And at that time,
I was also parenting two young boys and facing my own health journey.
I'd found out at that same time that I carry the BRCA2 gene and this meant I needed a double mastectomy and a preventative surgery to have my ovaries and tubes removed so that at least one of us could avoid getting cancer.
If you're listening,
I imagine you are caring for someone and I wonder if you are experiencing that physical heaviness that I certainly felt.
I really did have this sensation that I was carrying a heavy load from the moment I woke up until the minute I fell asleep.
And thinking of that heavy feeling,
And I'm speaking personally here,
It was a feeling that weighed me down and it did not lend itself to the idea of getting exercise.
Now I knew in my mind,
I'm doing air quotes here,
Exercise helps reduce stress and I should be getting X number of steps in a day and exercising was important for my personal health.
But as is typical with the coaching clients I work with,
Knowing what you should do and actually doing it are two different things.
And for many people,
Getting regular exercise is something they struggle with in the best of times,
Let alone when you find yourself as a caregiver and you find yourself weighed down with that heavy feeling.
When I work with clients one-on-one,
It's all about working within the specifics of their current situation and maybe the confines it presents and it's all about finding a customized solution.
But in this talk,
I do want to touch on this broadly and for the purpose of an illustration I'll speak personally.
I didn't feel like I could take time away and go out of the home to a yoga class or an aqua fit class,
Which I had done previously.
So I had to get more creative and how I could incorporate some movement in my day.
I was also sitting a lot.
I had to drive to a lot of appointments,
Sit with my husband in waiting rooms.
So when I'm talking about getting creative,
There's this quote that I love that sticks in my mind and it's something like stretch,
Don't stress.
And when we were ushered into a doctor's office and we were waiting for the doctor to arrive,
I used to use that time to stretch my arms over my head or roll my wrists,
Roll my ankles.
Within the hospital,
If I was going to pick up a prescription or going to grab us a coffee,
I chose to take the stairs versus the elevator.
And at home from necessity,
I started doing more tasks like shoveling snow and cutting the grass.
And remember those things count.
And in thinking of that,
There are ways to turn any household chore into more of a workout.
And I want to reference some tips and guidance from healthline.
Com.
They had a great article that said,
You know,
Tips to turn housework into a workout.
The first one,
Engage your core muscles and maintain good posture while performing all tasks.
Number two,
Use proper body mechanics when lifting and carrying items and during pushing and pulling movements.
Number three,
Avoid overreaching or twisting your body without that proper core engagement.
Ooh,
And I like this one.
Number four,
Use your non-dominant arm or hand to do the tasks,
Which allows the other side to rest and gives you a more balanced workout.
Number five,
Instead of hunching over at a low counter or bending down to reach low items,
Assume a squat position.
And number six,
You can add in pulses,
Toe raises,
Heel raises,
Or do walking lunges,
High knees,
And high kicks as you move around.
I'm chuckling a little at the high kicks.
You have to be careful about that one.
And finally,
Number seven,
Use wearable weights such as a weighted vest,
Wrist and ankle weight to improve balance and gain strength.
So my homework to you,
Is to evaluate in your situation,
Where,
When,
And how you can add some more movement to your day.
I invite you to think of that quote,
Stretch,
Don't stress.
Remember you aren't alone and that heaviness you may be feeling really does make this extra challenging.
But sometimes the harder the challenge,
The sweeter the feeling when you find a way through.
Thank you for tuning in and thank you for your caregiving.
