This post contains my affiliate link. I only recommend things I really like and I like what I’m recommending today so much I’m also giving away five of them.  Just leave a comment at the end of this post to be entered in the giveaway!  (Read Disclosure Policy here.)

This is the “How” part.  Read the “Why” part here.

I know exercise is good for me.

I know it helps with energy, mood, sleep, weight, general overall health, pretty much all the areas I could use some help in.

I know this, but actually putting what I know into practice–yeah that wasn’t happening for more than a few days out of the month, if that.

Until, I came across this book: “Do What You Can” Plan: 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better. 

Within the first chapter Holly Gerth, the author of the “Do What You Can” Plan , asks the reader to choose a goal to work towards. I chose exercise. She then encourages the reader to take that goal, think of the minimum amount that you want to do and then cut that in half.

“What?” I thought to myself.  “I want to do 15 minutes as my minimum, half is 7.5 minutes which is like nothing.  How is that going to even be beneficial?”

But the more I thought about it the more sense it made. I really want exercise to be a life long habit and not something I start and can’t (or won’t) keep up with.

So I decided to give it a try to do ten minutes most days.  I can find ten minutes a day.

We have a treadmill in our bedroom (we bought the floor model from our local Sears and got an amazing deal on in it) so I really have no excuse.  So now I  put on some work-out clothes, stretch a bit and get to walking.

I don’t worry about a shower after, that will add to much time and I’m not working up that much of a sweat in my ten minutes.  (However if I did go longer and got really sweaty I simply use a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol on it under my armpits, it does a wonderful job getting rid of sweat smell,  then change clothes and I’m good to go).

Making it as simple and un-time consuming as possible has been key for me.

I plan to increase the time frame in the coming months to where I’m really getting the full benefits from it, but for now I’m making it a priority without making it impossible for me to do.

Four simple ways  to get started with exercise:

1. Pick three of your favorite upbeat songs.  Play them and dance along!  This is a great, fun, mood-lifting way to get exercise in.  Kids can participate too (or you can do it in the privacy of your bedroom and really go all out!)

2. Take a walk outside.  (I was very inspired by this comment from Brigid to do this more often).  It doesn’t have to be super long, just enough to get that heart rate going as you’re starting out.

3. Walk in place for ten minutes.  This can be done anywhere, while cooking, doing dishes, watching TV etc.  This is a good way to get the blood flowing and your heart rate up without having to do too much preparation.

4. If you’re at a strip mall (like grocery store etc) park far away from the store and before you go in the store walk up and down the strip for about ten minutes.  Then do your shopping.

Additional Tips:

• Whatever you choose to do, make it fun.  If it’s not fun and you dread it, you most likely won’t keep up with it.  Make it fun and keep it short at first.

• Start slow.  Don’t try to jump into a five days a week, hardcore thirty minute program.  Work your way up to it.  Start small and make it a habit.  As you see the benefits and you’re keeping up with it on a regular basis then start increasing the time as you can manage.

• Slowly work it into your schedule.   As you exercise your energy will increase and your sleep will get better, which will make managing all you have to do easier.  As you see the benefits and you have more energy, start increasing the time and rearrange your routine as necessary to make room for it.

Giveaway Has Ended! 

And finally, I really recommend “Do What You Can” Plan: 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better by Holly Gerth.  It was a quick but very impactful read for me and really helped me to get jump started in the exercise arena. I plan on re-reading it in the future to help me establish some habits in other areas and reach some other goals of mine.

Does The “Do What You Can” Plan sound like something you’d want to read?  If the answers yes, just leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered for a chance to win ONE OF FIVE copies I’m giving away.  (I always think it’s super fun to win a little something so be sure to enter and be blessed by this serious gem of a book :-)!)

Giveaway ends Tuesday August 27th at 11:59 PM, Pacific Time.  I’ll update this post by Thursday August 29th with the winners.  The book will be in kindle e-book form.  (If you don’t have an eReader you can download the kindle reading app for your phone, tablet, or computer from Amazon.)  I will also email the winners and if I don’t hear back in 24 hours another winner will be chosen.  

If you’re reading this by email or in a feed reader click here to come to the site and enter for your chance to win!

 Debra Lee, Brigid and Wani, I hope you enjoy the book!  You should have received an email with a link to download it!  Enjoy :-)!

This book is definitely one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it too!

*A doctor should be consulted prior to beginning any exercise regimen.

Tonight I took a bath and read a good book while Husband spent time with Champion. Last week I took a long walk by myself, while Champion’s respite worker was here. Next week I’m going to start attending a ladies only small group at church.

As a mom to a child with special needs, it is VERY easy for one to forget to take care of themselves, to forget who they are, to not take any time to be rejuvenated, recharged, and refreshed.

The minute Champion was born, life changed drastically for us. As with any newborn we needed to adjust to his schedule, be sure we met his needs, and provide him the care he needed.

However, normally as time goes on, babies become older and slowly more independent. When a child has special needs, that independence can take a very long time to come, if it comes at all.

Therefore the demands on the parents doesn’t naturally let up, as it does in a “typical” situation. Finding relief from those demands can be extremely challenging for the special needs parent.

When Champion was younger the guilt I felt for taking time for myself was overwhelming. I felt so bad stepping away for a bit to regroup that when I did, it did me no good.

I would think how instead of being away I needed to spend this time doing x,y, and z with Champion, because if I don’t then he will never ______(fill in the blank with whatever skill we’re focusing on at that moment.) So I didn’t really take breaks, and if I did, I spent the time feeling very guilty.

Fast forward a couple of years and continuing like that got me on an aspirin regimen for risk of heart attack and stroke, extremely sleep deprived,  a messed up thyroid and depressed.

And on top of that my time with Champion wasn’t being spent the best it could.  My energy level sucked, my motivation to work with him was disappearing, and I just plain wasn’t happy.

Maybe this sounds familiar to you. Maybe you’ve been doing like I was and not caring for yourself the way you need to.

If you’re the parent of a child with special needs, or in any type of situation that places extremes demands on you, you know one of the hardest things to do is to make sure you are taking care of yourself. For some reason its our nature as women and especially as Mommas to put ourselves last.

But I’ve slowly learned that doing this actually does more harm than good. We think we’re doing good by trying to do it all, but the long-term effects show that we’re not. And it actually models the wrong thing for our children. We want them to learn to hopefully take good care of themselves and if they don’t see us doing it, they’re not learning it.

So I’ve started taking care of myself. I’ve come to the conclusion in my heart that it’s not selfish to take time away, to do what I enjoy, to participate in activities that refresh me.

I realized that the more I do this, take time to take care of myself, the better I am for my family when I am with them.

Making it a priority to take care of myself is making a big difference for me and for those that I love most.

I want to encourage you, if you are reading this and you are struggling in this area like I have, please do what you need to do to take care of you.

Even if it’s just something simple, like a walk or a bath or a coffee outside by yourself, please find a way to make it happen regularly. I’ve found even the littlest efforts I make to take care of myself go a long way.

By taking the time to take care of ourselves, we can each be the best that we can be, for the people in our lives who desperately need us so much.

Let’s Talk: Are you struggling with taking care of YOU? What’s one thing you are going to do this week that will refresh and rejuvenate you? If you are doing good taking care of yourself, please share some tips to help others get there too!

Photo Credit for both photos : return the sun