Caregiver Fitness - How to Avoid Being the Next Patient
December 7, 2010
By Linda T. Gottlieb, MA, CPT, CET
In 2009, The National Alliance for Caregiving estimated that more than 65 million people (29% of the population) provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing this care. Approximately 13% of this population offer 40 hours or more care per week and 59% of the adult population either is or expects to be a family caregiver.
Not surprisingly, close to 66% of caregivers are women who, after spending an average 17 years caring for a dependent child, spend 18 years caring for a parent.
Caregivers seldom hear “Thank you”, “How are you doing?” or “I’m giving you a day off!” Caregiver or not, we often forget our own needs when focusing our efforts on someone else’s health, comfort or happiness. Consequently, these silent angels run themselves ragged and risk physical and emotional illness. Many individuals report physical impacts (headaches, stomach problems and lack of sleep) along with external impacts (decreased job performance, increased loneliness and social isolation) as a direct result of the stresses brought on by caregiving activities.
Exercise is often the first thing to be eliminated from a caregivers list and that can be a crucial mistake.
Regular exercise is proven to decrease depression, reduce stress, tension and anger while improving sleep and cognitive functioning. One of my clients ran off the road two times while caring for her out of town father! After starting caretaking activities, 58% of care providers report worse exercise habits than before their caregiving responsibilities began.
As the primary attendant for your loved one, one of the best things you can do for them is take good care of yourself. The stewardess admonishment to “place the oxygen mask on yourself first” is a good reminder that if you are not well, your efforts to help someone else will be dangerously thwarted.
Two of the most popular excuses I hear for not exercising apply directly to the caregiving population: “I am just too tired” and “I simply do not have the time”.
“I am just too tired”
Feeling like this is common in our normal fast paced world, not to mention when you are looking after someone you love. Let’s focus on how to recharge your personal batteries and sustain zest for your life. Exercise is the fuel for your own personal energy plant. Yes, it does take some stored up energy to get the plant going. Everything important takes a bit of work, right? But, once the plant is operating, it delivers more energy. Simply said, the more you move, the more energy you have.
The next time you think you are just too exhausted to do one more thing, don’t succumb to a nap, reach for the coffee cup or unwrap that candy bar. Both caffeine and sugar will provide a short burst of energy, but that boost is short lived. Put on your favorite music and move to the music if you can’t step outside for a brief walk. Walk up and down the stairs for 5 minutes, maybe while you are on hold with the doctor’s office or pharmacy.
New research suggests regular exercise can be a powerful “drug” to boost those happy chemicals in the brain. I don’t know any caregiver that wouldn’t like to be happier, do you?
“I simply do not have the time”
This is the excuse more than 40% of Americans said was the main reason they cross exercise off their list. For caregivers this is a daily mantra. Mostly, caregivers give up on time for themselves in favor of the myriad of custodial care activities, tasks, and draining decisions that claim their waking hours.
I’d like to use an equation to appeal to your logic:
If exercise = self care
and…. Self care = increased capacity
therefore… Exercise = increased capacity
Increased capacity to not only help your family member, but also so you can continue to have fun, enjoy life and prosper. You might not have lots of time to devote to daily exercise, but you should be able to carve out 10 to 15 minutes here and there to give yourself the gift of improved health and fitness.
When something is very important to you, you make it happen, right? Since your future health depends on your current choices and activities, each and every day presents many opportunities to get up, move and improve.
I suggest you take short fitness activity breaks during your day so you don’t feel pressured – can a neighbor sit with your loved one for 15 minutes while you take a brisk walk around the block 2 times a day? Is there a nurse or other caregiver present during certain times of the day where you can go to another room and take a yoga stretch break? Do you find yourself in the waiting room during appointments? Take a walk around the block or maybe even in the very building you are in. If you’re running to fill prescriptions, park as far as possible in the parking lot so you can get in some extra steps.
It all counts.
Once exercise and physical care is back into your schedule, look at your calendar, be certain to go to your own doctor's appointments and follow the healthy eating habits you may have discarded. It is reported that nearly three quarters (72%) of family caregivers report not going to the doctor as often as they should. One of my clients was diagnosed with melanoma the week after her mother died; she had missed 3 years of skin checks!
The National Academy of Sciences revealed that the stress of family caregiving can impact your immune system for up to three years after caregiving ends.
Exercise is proven to improve your immune system, ward off disease and help you manage crisis, thereby offering a type of “insurance policy” on your own good health so you don’t become the next patient.
Linda T. Gottlieb is a nationally certified personal trainer, Yale University Cancer Exercise Trainer and author. of “No Ifs Ands or Butts -Turning the Top 10 Exercise Excuses into Fitness Triumphs. She can be reached at Linda@fittraining.net or 203-877-5270.
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