Take 20 To Improve Your Caregiver Day

Are you burning out?  
Are you exhausted, fatigued, or just plain tired?
What’s your stress level? 
What about your anxiety level?
Are you sad or depressed?

How do you feel about your health?  Are you taking care of yourself?  Are you losing weight?  Or are you gaining weight?  

These are just a few symptoms of caregiver stress and caregiver burnout?  

I want to talk today about the ONE thing you can do.  The ONE thing you can take control of.  

I'm here to give you some tough love and hard talk.  

It’s time . Let me say it again.  It’s time.  Time to move!   

I'm here to tell you that you have to move.  

You have to even if you don’t feel like it.  Even if you're tired.  Even if you don’t think you have time.  

Start small -  just 20 minutes a day is all you need.   Or even if it’s 15 minutes.  

A study from Harvard says:   “Exercising as little as 15 minutes of physical activity a day can increase your life span by 3 years." 

Here’s another stat from caregiver.org and the Family Caregiver Alliance:  35% of female caregivers report high levels of stress.  Those symptoms go from headaches to high blood pressure to weight gain.  

Think of movement and exercise as an outlet.  A place to go to recharge, think and take care of yourself

Let me share my story.   

Pre-caregiving, I was very active.   I went to the gym 5-6 days a week.  Prior to my Dad and Spouse getting their cancer diagnosis in Sept 2017, I was training for my 9th half marathon.  

It was a habit and routine I stuck with since I felt better.  I watched what I ate.  Don’t get me wrong, there were days I didn’t want to get up and move my body.  But when I did, I was happier.   

Then Sept 2017 came and I thought I didn’t have time.  I told myself I was too tired.

By Summer of 2019, I was 30 pounds heavier.  I had digestive issues and was clinically depressed.  I looked in the mirror at me and decided enough was enough.  

I knew I had to move each day.  It was hard to start again.  I knew what to do but breaking the caregiver life routine without exercise was harder than I could ever imagine.  

But I'm working on moving 20 minutes each day.   Even with the pandemic, I knew I could still move.

What about you?   Can you find just 20 minutes each day?   YOU Can.  You have to!!!  It’s just 20.    

Let’s talk about what you and I can do in these 20 minutes.  It has to be fun or you won’t stay with it.  So if you hate running - don’t run.  But if you don’t mind walking - walk.  

• Walk - make it fun by putting on your ear buds and listening to your favorite music or a podcast.  Walk with a friend.  Take the dog for a walk.  Find a trail or window shop downtown
• Bike - Last summer I would schedule my break time and go for a bike ride.  
• Yoga 
• Dancing
• Elliptical / Treadmill
• Weights / bands 
• Vaccuuming
• Gardening

It’s just about getting your heart rate up which then can lower your stress, anxiety and improve your mood

Join me this week LIVE on Facebook or Instagram this week. 

Share my movement time.  Do me a favor and sent me a message or DM and comment what you are doing?

Let’s do this!!

• You can control your stress
• You can control your fatigue
• You can control your joy
• You can improve your health

It starts with taking 20 minutes daily.   NO EXCUSES!