Care takers always have the biggest hearts and are always looking after everyone one else and often let their own physical, emotional, and spiritual health go.
I know from experience that especially when you lose your health, it affects all aspects of your life. Twenty Six through twenty nine, I was sick and my biggest fear was that the Specialist were never going to figure out what was going on in my body and worst of all I was going to bloated, uncomfortable, exhausted, severely overweight, depressed and never be able to hike a mountain, hold down a job or sleep through the night again. Now that it is all said and done I have a whole new appreciation for my body. It has taken me several years and a lot of personal growth to have a good relationship with food, with my body, and to have any kind of self confidence again. I always defaulted to looking after everyone else because I didn’t know how to look after myself.
There are several different areas of caretaker’s health that one should look at.
Dr./ Dentist Appointments
Let’s start with the big ones that I am a horrible for neglecting Dr. apt. When I am not sick and it is a check up, annual blood test or anything that doesn’t feel necessary right now I just push it off till later. When did you last go to the Dr. ? What about the knee, foot, heartburn that is irritating you but you live with?
I always have to remind myself it is about prevention. In the last year I have really stepped into prevention mode with an amazing nutraceutical product line that has changed my life. For years I put up with being tired all the time and not sleeping through the night because it was a 100 x better then when I was sick. I thought this was the new normal that I shouldn’t complain it was way better than keeling over in pain, being 280 pounds and being uncomfortable all the time. That is a story for another day but feel free to private message me if you’re interested in hearing more of my story.
The online Doctor Service here in Canada has been my savoir. I can call from home in my pajamas and set up an appointment with a Doctor to refill my prescription in a matter of minutes and just log on at the designated time. Hours and hours of my day are saved by not having to wait for the clinic to open and wait in line.
Sleep
Sleep, oh so important but often neglected. Sleep deprivation sucks I lived it for 4 years, you are foggy brained, tired, and moody and have no energy whatsoever. Eight hours sleep is so important, because sleep is when your body fights infections, digests foods, and repairs muscles.
I get it you want to have time with your kids after dinner and before bed so that leaves a couple hours (depending when your kids go to bed) for you to finish up that email, fold the laundry and spend time with your other half.
Is there any way you can delegate or do some of the household chores with your kids and or husband? Kids could help with dishes, fold laundry, and help pack lunches and so many other everyday things.
Are there any chores that you enjoy? My Sister loves going grocery shopping, not the actual grocery shopping but the 20 minute drive to the grocery store alone, the 45 minutes or so cruising up and down the aisles figuring out the next week’s meals alone, and the 20 minute ride back alone. You see she lives with three teenage boys, a dog, and her husband in a teeny tiny house, so grocery shopping is a chore she likes. One of my past boyfriends was a welder and loved dishes because the warm water relaxed his hands and got them really clean.
Water intake
Our body is mostly water and relies on a balance of water and electrolytes for a number of bodily functions. Here is just a handful of things that water helps with in your body:
- Improving cardiovascular health by raising blood volume, making it easier for your heart to pump and get oxygen to your muscles and therefore easier to chase and play with the kids.
- Lubricates your joints, and moves nutrients to the muscles and waste out of the muscle cells for you to excrete.
- Regulating body temperature
- by keeping your skin elasticity
- to cleanse your body kidneys need water to filter waste from your blood and to excrete urine.
- Prevents urinary tract infections and kidney stones. When severely dehydrated your kidney shuts down and your body starts to build up toxins.
I know it is not always easy to remember to drink liquids throughout the day. Here are some tips to remember to drink enough fluids:
- Have a water bottle full in your vehicle for commuting
- Have a glass of water or water bottle on your desk at work
- Make sure you are drinking fluids with meals
- Incorporate water dense foods into your snacks and meals like soup, yogurt or fruit like watermelon and or oranges which are 90% water and great source of fiber.
Exercise
We all know exercise is an important part of taking care of ourselves. The important thing here is that you find something you enjoy and something you will stick with. It is really hard to make a drastic change but if you make a small step towards getting more exercise like walking 2 or 3 times a week, maybe it is a family event or you meet up with some friends. For me it is Partner Dancing, three or four times a week. It is exercise and it is much like yoga for me, when I am dancing it lets me just for a bit let go of the rest of the world’s demands.
A couple of the best books I have ever read which can be applied to any part of your life but easily to your health are The One Thing by By Gary Keller and The Slight edge by Jeff Olson. It is easy to get caught up in everything a parent feels they need to do in a day and easy to forget to look after yourself, but I will ask you one this. If you end up in the hospital who is going to look after your kids? Would you be more patient or more attentive if you were not tired, sick, or thirsty? You need to be operating at your highest and best so that you can support your extra special child to be their highest and best.
If you live in Victoria, BC here are some friends who could help you get active again.
Anna Marie Ghatt
Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama breathwork, chair yoga
Email: annaswoodwork@icloud.com
Samantha Barrow
Yoga instructor
Mindfulness master
Reflexology
Laura Gregory
Personal Trainer
Life coach