Here we are and it's already mid-January. I imagine you have seen all the ads, magazine covers, news reports and on-line articles giving New Year New You advice to all of us. So how does that make you feel?

There's a lot of pressure to be better, eat better and be fit. Yet for caregivers all this pressure may be the last thing on our minds. We are just trying to get through another minute, hour or day. Can't the world just leave us alone? We aren't interested in being super-humans. Honestly, we would rather just run and hide. But in reality we know we can't. We know the idea of taking care of ourselves so we can create balance in our everyday lives makes good sense. It allows us to fulfill our caregiver responsibilities and minimize our stress level.

Is it possible to take care of ourselves while we are actively caregiving?

The answer is yes to varying degrees. For me while I was taking care of my in-laws I didn't have the energy or ability to focus on anything but them. They were my world and I truly loved being there for them. But I got to a point where it was no longer healthy for me. I gained weight, my blood-sugar was out of whack, and my blood pressure was off the charts. Plus I was going bald in the back of my head. I was one hot-mess.

This is when I met Carrie Bell, one of the personal trainers at the YMCA. A few years ago my kids asked me what I wanted for the holidays and I replied, "a gift certificate to have a personal trainer." They contacted the Y and I got Carrie to help me get in shape. It's been love, sweat and lots of whining ever since. Literally, I don't stop complaining during our sessions and all she does is smile and say, "you can do it."

And I know she's right but complaining about it makes me feel better for some crazy reason. I'm lucky she puts up with some of my defense remarks:

"Just how old do you think I am? The person doing the exercise in your book look much younger than me."

"Now you want me to do how many burpies? Are you out-of-your-mind?"

"Why do I have to do 1 minute of jumping jacks, mountain climbers and superman push-ups? Wouldn't 30 seconds do just the same thing?"

"These 20 pound weights are heavy. Have you done 50 squats with them?"

I told you I do a lot of whining right before I do the exercise.  

Carrie's toughness and confidence in me along with my dedication to getting fit and feeling healthy has had it's rewards. When my in-laws were alive I could handle my caregiving stress much better because I was pushing myself in another area of my life. I was able to focus on something other than caregiving. I could breathe and sleep much better. The guilty feelings would almost disappear. 

There are staggering statistics that illustrate how often the caregiver dies or has a serious ailment while actively taking care of their family member. Is that what you want to do?

Or would you prefer to prevent that from happening to you and the rest of your family; let alone the person needing your care?

Think about it and let me know your thoughts.

Other things you can do to push yourself in other areas in your life:

1) Read a book that makes you laugh

2) Write a poem that makes no sense but only to you 

3) Do a small act of kindness

4) Cook a dish from a new cookbook

5) Meditate standing up

Carrie Bell will be interviewed for the next 6 weeks on how to train for the Gasparilla Distance Classic.  

Click here to learn more 

Namaste, 

Live 11AM to 12PM EST on Mondays  Clear Channel 1250AM WHNZ  Impact Radio in Tampa (www.whnz.com)