eXercise Every Day - ABCs of Self-Care for Caregivers

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Proverbs 30 :17. ESV 

 In the verse I chose to add to this series is a fascinating one from the well known Proverbs 31 woman. When it says she dresses herself with strength, that means that she rolls up her sleeves and approaches her responsibilities with force. She's going after it. She's secure in who she is. But the Hebrew word there also means praise. 

Put praise music on every morning as you start your day. Raise your arms in praise, making your arms strong. Put on the strength that you will need for that day. She makes her arms strong. That means to me that she does her part to increase her stamina every day. She is alert mentally and physically and has the courage to face whatever lies ahead because she trusts in God's good plan for everyone in her life. Hope says that I have the courage to face today with energy and strength. That is so important. 

1. Start today. Stop putting it off. Research suggests that everyday physical activity like walking and gardening are a great place to start. Even household chores, if you do them rapidly enough, such as sweeping or vacuuming can get your muscles going. Increase your physical activity by using your own muscle power. 
2. Start small. Do frequent short exercises instead of those that require large blocks of time and find activities that you enjoy. One other thing you can do while brushing your teeth is stand on one leg. Go for at least 10 seconds each time. 
3. Stay consistent. It's okay if you miss a day or two, if you have an emergency. Obviously that will happen. But just get back into the routine. It can be as simple as if you have your loved one in the hospital. Park as far away as you can so you can walk and get the steps in. Set reminders on your phone to take posture breaks or hold yourself accountable with a friend. Walking is such a great way to get the exercise that you need because it's easy, it's available, it's free, and besides its physical benefits, walking helps to reduce stress. 

What other exercises would you recommend? 

Prayer:

Thank you Lord, that you have given me the ability to choose to do something for myself. And I pray for my fellow caregivers that they do not feel that this is selfish, but instead they know that you have given them the gift of health. Let them maintain it. I ask for wisdom so they'll know when to take a break, when to incorporate it, when to do it.  Thank You, Lord, that you give them hope. They have the courage and mental and physical strength to rise above what might seem overwhelming right now. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. 

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Transcript

Welcome back to Hope is Powerful podcast with Karen Sebastian-Wirth  - affectionately  known as the Hope lady. We're about to wrap up our alphabet of ABC's of Self Care for Caregivers and my prayer is that if you are a caregiver right now in that season, that this is a huge blessing to you. The one I'm going to give today is critical for your well being and it is the letter x  - eXercise. I know it starts with E, but bear with me the sound is X.

 Exercise every day. 

Our scripture is Proverbs 30 117. English Standard Version 

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.”

 I'll have to say, during my full time caregiving for my late husband Bill, that was the last thing I thought about every morning was exercise. There are so many things you have to do and you can be so tired. Common situation for full time caregivers, it seems like it is the last thing you can fit into your schedule. You're exhausted when you fall into bed and the cycle starts over again the next morning as you try to fit all the appointments and feedings and everything. In the verse I chose to add to this series is a fascinating one from the well known Proverbs 31 woman. When it says she dresses herself with strength, that means that she rolls up her sleeves and approaches her responsibilities with force. She's going after it. She's secure in who she is. But the Hebrew word there also means praise. 

Isn't that wonderful? 

Put praise music on every morning as you start your day. Raise your arms in praise, making your arms strong. Put on the strength that you will need for that day. She makes her arms strong. That means to me that she does her part to increase her stamina every day. She is alert mentally and physically and has the courage to face whatever lies ahead because she trusts in God's good plan for everyone in her life. Hope says that I have the courage to face today with energy and strength. That is so important. 

One of the best things that happened to me during the season also is that my neighbor asked if I wanted to join her in walking every morning and so I did. We would go as the sun was rising and I took many pictures of the sunrise and it reframed my day. For me, the steadfast love of the Lord never changes. They are new. Every morning as the sun would rise and I would see the reflection on the lake there in the park. We were walking. It meant so much to me. I have continued to exercise every day since. I am so grateful in that season because I had someone to go with me and I grew stronger and could rejoice in the beauty of each day. 

Here are some tips for you for some active self nurture. 

1. Start today does not have to be heroic. It can just simply be start walking around your backyard, but stop putting it off. Research suggests that everyday physical activity like walking and gardening are just a great place to start and very effective. Even household chores, if you do them rapidly enough, such as sweeping or vacuuming, especially if you put praise music on and get into it, can really get the muscles going. The key is to increase your physical activity and use your own muscle power. I'm going to suggest that you do squats while you are brushing your teeth so that you strengthen those leg muscles. 
2. Start small. If the problem is finding a block of time to exercise, simply incorporate the move it into your daily activity. If you have the care recipient walk or do stretching exercises, then you do that also with them if they're having any kind of physical therapy. And do frequent short exercises instead of those that require large blocks of time and find activities that you enjoy. One other thing you can do while brushing your teeth is stand on one leg. Go for at least 10 seconds each time. 
3. Stay consistent. It's okay if you miss a day or two, if you have an emergency. Obviously that will happen. But just get back into the routine. It can be as simple as if you have your loved one in the hospital. Park as far away as you can so you can walk and get the steps in. Set reminders on your phone to take posture breaks or hold yourself accountable with a friend. Walking is such a great way to get the exercise that you need because it's easy, it's available, it's free, and besides its physical benefits, walking helps to reduce stress. And it's okay if you miss a day or two. It isn't like you've invested money in a gym and that's going to waste. Use your app on your phone to measure your steps and take the stairs. Incorporate walking into your life. You'll be so glad that you did. 

What other exercises would you recommend? I think high intensity interval training is something that is very good to do and you can do it in 20 minutes or less. All of these things are available to you, but most of all, take care of yourself. This is not selfish. You need to have the strength to keep on going. 

Prayer:

Let's pray. Thank you Lord, that you have given me the ability to choose to do something for myself. And I pray for my fellow caregivers that they do not feel that this is selfish, but instead they know that you have given them the gift of health. Let them maintain it. I ask for wisdom so they'll know when to take a break, when to incorporate it, when to do it. And I thank You, Lord, that they can choose to gain strength by praising you and that this will also increase their energy. Thank You, Lord, that you give them hope. They have the courage and mental and physical strength to rise above what might seem overwhelming right now. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. 

It is my prayer that you enjoyed this short reminder to get moving. Put on the praise music and get moving as many times during the day as you can. That will establish the atmosphere of your home or wherever you're caregiving, and also sends a message to you that you can do this. You have everything that you need to get through this season. If you enjoyed this episode, would you please share it with someone else? Write a review and we look forward to finishing the last two letters of the alphabet next time. Please take care of yourself by exercising every day. Talk to you again soon.