You’ve told yourself a million times that you need to start exercising regularly. After all, everyone knows how good it is for the body and the mind. However, as a family caregiver, you just can’t seem time find the time to exercise regularly. When your aging relative’s care takes up most of your day, it can be really hard to find time to exercise.
Fortunately, you can hire a home care provider to be with your aging relative, so you can get out and do your own thing. With a home care provider, you’ll have regularly scheduled times where you can really focus on exercise.
Hiring Home Care Providers
If you are reluctant to hire a home care provider, it’s time to evaluate why you are not comfortable. Many family caregivers feel like they can’t leave their loved one, or that they shouldn’t ever do so. If they do get a few minutes away from their elderly relative, they may feel so much guilt that they vow not to do it again. However, with a professional and experienced person looking out for your elderly loved one, you can feel more comfortable with heading out to the gym, fitness class or running trail.
Home care providers do more than just provide companionship for the aging adult, although that’s a valuable service. Home care providers also help seniors with their daily tasks, such as getting out of bed, brushing hair and teeth, dressing, and getting set up in the home space for the day. Home care providers can also make meals, prepare snacks, and tidy up the house, all while the family caregiver is away. With such a competent and capable professional looking after their aging relative, family caregivers can feel comfortable leaving for a while.
Benefits of Exercise
Once you have a home care provider hired, you can take the time to get some regular exercise. Exercise will help you with weight loss, reduce high blood pressure, and minimize stress. It also helps with digestion, circulation, and the immune system. If you regularly exercise for at least 30 minutes a day for three or four days each week, you greatly reduce your risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Now that you have home care providers around, you can focus on yourself.
Many family caregivers like to go to a gym where there are a range of options, such as treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals and rowing machines. Others like to attend fitness classes such as Zumba, aerobics, yoga, tai chi or Pilates. Some family caregivers don’t like the structure of that kind of exercise and prefer to bike, walk, jog or swim on their own. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as it is effective and regular, you’ll benefit physically and mentally.
You know your elderly relative is going to be just fine in the care of a home care provider, so you should take advantage of the breaks and make exercise a priority.
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