Caregivers do not always have the time to take care of themselves. But you must squeeze the things you need to do to be healthy into your daily schedule to lead a happier and more fulfilling life. Here are 5 ways to do it.
Carry healthy snacks
Eating junk and unhealthy food is perhaps the biggest challenge for caregivers. A simple hack to eat healthier is to carry healthy snacks. When you feel hungry between meals, have your snack instead of fried food or sugary drinks.
You can carry healthy snacks, like nuts, fruits, protein bars, dark chocolate, salads, etc. If you drink a lot of beverages, consider carrying fruit juices and other non-sugary health drinks. There are tonnes of healthy snacks depending on your preferred tastes and flavors.
Once you make it a habit, carrying snacks becomes the easiest way to eat healthier.
Exercise whenever you can
It’s difficult for caregivers to have a specific time to work out, especially with all the night shifts and irregular workweeks. To stay healthy, you must master the art of working out whenever you can.
Even if you can’t do much, you can simply go for a 30-minute run whenever you can squeeze in the time. Other things you can do include cycling, HIIT workouts, heavy lifting, etc. These workouts can be modified into 30-minute, 15-minute, and even 10-minute versions.
It doesn’t matter what kind of activity you do as long as you keep your body moving.
Meal prep
Meal prep is a wonderful idea to get great food without spending a lot of money. Prep all meals for each day of the week on Sunday or Saturday. Make a list of what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to buy groceries accordingly. Keep your meals simple and focus on taste and health. It’s the easiest way to stop eating junk food when you are hungry.
Make an emergency fund
You can fall sick, your car can break down, or there might an emergency in your family — there are several circumstances that can lead to sudden and unplanned expenditures. If you don’t have financial security, you cannot enjoy peace of mind. That’s why you should always have an emergency fund.
An emergency fund, by definition, is an amount of money that you leave untouched for emergencies. The amount varies from person to person, but it should be enough to sustain you for at least 3 months.
Apart from making an emergency fund, you can also consider getting home caregiver insurance to secure your finances. To learn more about insurance for caregiver, visit this website.
Meditation and mindfulness
Caregivers have to endure a lot of emotional hardships and trauma with all the illnesses and deaths around them. It’s crucial to be grounded in the present to be able to live a happy life.
Meditating for just 10 minutes a day can change your life. As you become comfortable with it, you can gradually increase the time.
The best thing about meditation is that you can do it anywhere. You can meditate at a park, on a bus, after waking up, before going to bed, and so on. Ensure that you have at least a few minutes every day to sit quietly and reflect on yourself.
We hope these ideas help you take better care of your mind and body.
WHO (2019). 20 health tips for 2020. [online] www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/philippines/news/feature-stories/detail/20-health-tips-for-2020.
Healthline. (n.d.). 22 Simple Ways to Get Healthier With Minimal Effort. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/22-ways-to-get-healthy.
OakBend Medical Center. (2018). 14 Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle. [online] Available at: https://www.oakbendmedcenter.org/2018/05/23/14-steps-to-a-healthy-lifestyle/.
