The 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet | Staying Healthy As A Busy Caregiver

As a busy caregiver sometimes it is hard for me to prioritize my own health. That is why I do the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet every year. I do it to jumpstart my health, and to get back on track.

Being a caregiver can be tough at times – both physically and emotionally. Especially when we are not feeling our best. It is easy to put the needs of the loved ones we are caring for ahead of our own needs.

Over time however this behavior will catch up to us. And if we don’t prioritize our own health, and take care of ourselves overall, anger and resentment may creep in. And we can end up feeling just plain ole exhausted. Believe me, I’ve been there.

Choosing To Be A Caregiver

There are many different reasons one chooses to be a caregiver. For some it is a calling, a profession they gravitate toward and where they receive tremendous reward. For others, a friend or loved one gets sick and help is needed so they step in.

Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know possible.

Tia Walker

I think the most challenging situation is when a caregiver is needed in the home and the family cannot pay for professional help. Oftentimes a family member will step in as caregiver but they really had no plans to do so.

Perhaps this family member does it out of obligation or good conscience but they are not necessarily happy about it. They may feel like their life is on hold, or worse over, at least the way they once knew it.

If I am perfectly honest, I fit into all of these scenarios. For whatever reason, I have always felt called to caregiving – as a mother, as a nurse, and now as a caregiver to Doug who has Parkinson’s.

I definitely did not see being a caregiver for Doug as part of my future. His diagnosis with Parkinson’s threw us both quite hard. But my personality is such that I do not like to dwell on misfortune and, for me, loving each other and taking care of the ones we love is really all that matters.

Address How You Feel As A Caregiver

A close friend of mine has a printed quote framed and sitting on a coffee table in his home. The quote says, “It is what it is.” Truth! That quote is one of his mottos, and it has always stuck with me.

I don’t like to sit in the hopelessness of situations for long, so I try to come to terms quickly and move forward from there. Perhaps this is my own self protective mechanism.

Not to say I don’t address life circumstances, or that I stuff emotions and feelings under the rug. I think it is important to be open, honest, and aware of how things affect you. To take the time to cry, mourn, and be present. But I also think, when you are ready, it is important to at least try to find hope, even if just a glimmer, in the life circumstances that we have been given.

One of the best techniques I use is, in my minds eye, I zoom my perspective wayyyyy out. So far out, that I am almost up there in the heavens, looking at all living things here on earth. I sit there for a while, with this birds eye view, trying to imagine what God must see. Boy, that really does it for me. Looking at my small life in comparison to all of the worlds problems. Well…my problems no longer seem so insurmountable.

From caring comes courage.

lao tzu

Staying Healthy While Caring For Others

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), informal caregivers, that is caregivers who are unpaid and it is not their profession, experience increased levels of depression and use of psychoactive medications, worsening physical health, compromised immune function, and increased risk of death. 53% of caregivers overall say the decline in their own health compromises their ability to provide care.

I know it is easy to get stuck in a rut of caring, and caring, and then more caring. When you are exhausted and tired, it is very easy to overlook exercise or socialization. And reaching for comfort food, as opposed to something healthy, can be very habit forming.

In an effort to avoid this behavior, try to think of the long term game, and remember, the hardest part is getting started. Taking those first few crucial healthy steps is going to be the hardest part. Trust me, once you do it and start to feel better, both physically and emotionally, when you begin prioritizing your health and making healthy choices, it absolutely becomes easier.

Look at it this way, if you are finding it hard to prioritize your own personal needs. Taking time to get healthy will make you a better caregiver. As you feel better, have more clarity, energy, and less mood swings, you will be that much better to care for your loved ones. A healthy mind and body will make caregiving a breeze! 😉

5-Day Rejuvenation Diet – My Annual Jumpstart Toward Health

There are many ways I take care of my health on a daily basis. I am not saying I am perfect, but as a Lifestyle Medicine Nurse and a past Oncology Nurse, I have seen first hand how nutrition, exercise, sleep, and other healthy measures affect you and those around you.

Working with clients

Years ago I worked with several clients who wanted a specific diet plan to help them get on the road to health. They wanted me to spell it out for them – tell them what to buy, what to cook, and what to eat. I was reluctant because my goal was to teach and educate them on how to make healthy food choices for themselves, not just read a diet off a piece of paper.

I found it to be similar when I did personal training. Some clients didn’t really want to learn how to train, they just wanted to be told what exercises to do. Run them through the paces without having to think. I wasn’t a fan because I had always been about teaching and educating. But then slowly, over time, I began to understand what they were asking for. I got a different perspective…

Sometimes asking for help is the most meaningful example of self-reliance.

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A roadmap needed

During this time I was researching all about the benefits of fasting and timed restricted eating (NOTE: This was well before intermittent fasting was a thing), especially how it pertains to those who were managing cancer and receiving traditional cancer therapies. I was playing with diets and experimenting on myself.

At the time I couldn’t find any programs designed with this in mind to recommend to my clients. I knew the research was out there, and I could give them copies of the data to look at, but I really felt like, to start, they needed something more specific.

This is when I began to understand what my clients were actually asking me for when it came to a specific diet. They wanted a roadmap, an example of sorts, to get them started. And this is how the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet came about. I created it initially to help my clients follow a guide, that will jumpstart their health and get them on the road to wellness quickly.

Overtime more and more people, beyond just my clients, wanted to also do the program. So I turned the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet into a 32-page diet and guide. That way anyone who wanted to do the program could, even if they were not working with me as a client.

Long Lasting Benefits

One thing, probably the best thing, I like about doing the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet is that the benefits long outlast the 5-days of the program.

This diet was developed to help decrease inflammation throughout the body all the way down to the cellular level, and it continues to do so even after the 5 days. I’ve had people tell me they feel so much more energy and mental clarity after doing the program, and they no longer have those intense sugar and processed carbohydrate cravings. Plus many say their mood feels much more even and stable.

I know what a healthy diet can do, and all of the benefits one gains from living a healthy lifestyle, but it is great to hear others actually say the same thing as they go through the program. Doing the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet helps people see and feel healthy results fast, which then makes them want to continue to eat healthy – hopefully for the long run.

Rejuvenation Diet Details

As I mentioned, the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet is more than just a diet. In fact the diet is just 1-page of the 32-page guide.

The guide walks you through every single detail of the program. How to prepare yourself both physically and mentally before starting the program, things that happen within your body as you are doing the 5-days, grocery list, recipes, Q&A and more.

I wanted this guide to be completely self-sufficient, and to be used as a tool to keep in your health and wellness toolbox.

Another great thing about this guide is once you buy it, it is yours forever. Unlike many programs out there where you have to continually buy the meals and supplements, once you buy the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet & Guide, you can do the diet again and again over the months and years to come. My goal was to give you a powerful tool you can use repeatedly on the road toward health and longevity.

Using This Guide To Maintain Health

As much as I believe in this 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet and how powerful it is, you don’t actually need it to achieve or maintain good health. That said it CAN make it easier. Especially as a busy caregiver, or anyone else who simply wants a roadmap to begin.

The Rejuvenation Diet is simple, clear, and concise, yet it is also powerful. I call it small but mighty! It will provide you with healthy benefits from the minute you start the program, during the 5-days, and then well into the days and weeks beyond.

I like to use the Rejuvenation Diet as a springboard to quickly get me back on track after making poor eating choices – like I did during the holidays. 😉 It quickly reminds me of how good I feel when I am eating well, and making positive healthy choices for myself.

If you want to do the Rejuvenation Diet, I have now opened it up to the Parkinson’s and Us community! I hope you will give it a go, and then applaud yourself for taking a positive step in prioritizing your own health.

In the future I will be hosting private groups for those who wish to do the Rejuvenation Diet with direct support from me, and from others members. It is always fun to be in a supportive environment, and to engage with people who have similar goals.

If you want to stay informed on the timing of these groups, and also receive supportive caregiver information, please fill out the form below.

check out these other posts for more ideas on how to take care of your health as a busy caregiver

The Best Mental Health Morning Routine For Care Partners

Why I Love To Crochet To Reduce Anxiety

How To Use Essential Oils To Reduce Caregiver Stress

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VIDEO: Check out this video on how I prepare for the 5-Day Rejuvenation Diet & Staying Healthy As A Busy Caregiver