Multiple Sclerosis caregiving is physical
caregiving. Sure the pushing might sound dramatic but the heavy lifting is
incalculable beginning with the first time I helped Patti off the floor after a
fall to the non-ambulatory stage and one person unassisted transfers.
Not only have I had hernia surgery but aches
and pains so common I joked that Bengay was eau de cologne for
caregivers. A ‘back brace support weight
lifting belt’ and/or large pain relieving patches were too often simply part of
getting dressed.
That is until a year and a half ago when I first
discovered Planet Fitness, “Caregivingly Yours: are you fit to care / exercise”
“Exercise recommendations for someone caring for a loved one are no different than for anyone else. 30 to 40 minutes of moderately intense exercise three or more times a week.”
“Caregivers responsible for lifting loved one’s in and out of bed or chairs require a strong core.”
Hey! 90% of the time I’ve been a caregiver I
viewed exercise as some hobby for the spandex clad bourgeoisie - some of us
just learn slower.
Using the Planet Fitness 30 Minute circuit
workout (a series of stations with lever-and-pulley machines for each major
muscle group) I’ve not only been able to strengthen the specific muscles used
to transfer and lift Patti but build better muscle harmony and no longer need the ointments and braces.
To train the ‘pushing engine’ it takes aerobic/cardio
exercise and their variety of choices and bells and whistles is most appealing.
When the same thing gets boring, I lose interest. These days I start with one
mile on a treadmill with maximum incline to best replicate pushing a wheelchair
up a grade and another mile on an elliptical or bike for cardio endurance.
As sweat stains your shirt you only need ask
yourself - how many people do you know who will step in to push the person you
care for up the hills and across the years?
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
videos: www.youtube.com/daddyleer
Patrick - so true about the need for a strong core. Caregiving work is physical work. Glad that Planet Fitness has insight into that.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of a friend who used to love pushing Skip when she still used a manual chair. She wanted the extra exercise that came with the pushing!
Cranky, feel free to pass this along to your friend. Volunteers are always welcomed. :) Patti, too, had some electric scooter years however MS visual and cognitive impairment symptoms quickly made that 'unsafe at any speed'.
DeleteLong time ago on another planet in another life I used to be able to push wheelchairs. We took my grandparents to Sea World (or was it Six Flas of Texas?) for the afternoon/evening. Determined to have fun, we did "wheelies" and "dances" with those dang WC's. Man...they are heavy!
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget how hard my grandparents laughed - especially my grandmother. "Sherry, you're going to dump me into the fountain, the bush, the whatever..." and of course I didn't. We were going FAST.
I don't know how anyone deals with WC's on a daily basis. They are HEAVY. My dad and grandmother each had one at the same time and ..... trying to get two in the SUV (nevermind THEM) was quite something.