Maz's story

First steps 

I've been a full-time carer for 28 years. I am a sandwich carer as I care for both my elderly parents and my adult daughter. For my parents I give emotional and practical support. My daughter is functioning at around 8 years old and is unable to live independently so she requires the most care from me. I wish I’d known about Carers UK and the invaluable support and information that they offer when I started caring.  

Once I started caring, my time constraints as a full-time carer working and running a home made it hard to be active and I neglected this part of my life, not fully recognising exactly what a benefit being active could have on my caring role. 

I started small by doing a simple workout DVD when I could, and when I realised how beneficial it was to my mental and physical health I did a bit more each day. I get up early before my cared for wakes up and doing a 20 minute workout every day. It sets me up for the day, both mentally and physically. Being as strong as I can also helps when I am required to do things like lifting or moving my cared for. 

Getting active with Carers Active 

I first found out about Carers Active April in an email from Carers UK. It caught my attention as it's something I'm keen on and am always looking at ways to improve in. It's hard to choose my favourite part of Carers Active as I love them all! I think if I had to pick I'd say the Healthathon as it's so well organised and varied. I like the mix of different activities and speakers. With it being online I like the flexibility of being able to dip in and out of it during the day. 

I think having a selection of good, varied workouts in one place helps carers to be active. It saves time looking and means you can easily find your favourites again. Having the prearranged active Share and Learn online sessions with Carers UK mean you can plan ahead and it's all there for you just by clicking on a link. You also get to be with carers and have fun. 

Completing a workout gives me a real sense of achievement. Sometimes I don't feel like doing it but I push myself as I know I'll feel much better for it afterwards, and it gives me a boost for the day of caring ahead. I like a good aerobic workout with weights which gets my heart rate going. I feel then like I've done a proper workout! 

Being active benefits everyone 

My advice to other carers who want to get active is to start off small and do what you can, when you can. You can always build up from there. Do something you enjoy as it will be more fun. Putting on your favourite music whilst your being active can make it seem to go quicker. Don't forget that any physical activity is better than none, just try and be consistent to see the most benefits. 

I have come to see that being active means I can be in the best health that I can possible to do my caring. It helps me to build resilience to deal with the challenges that caring undeniably brings. This then means that I am much better equipped for my caring roles which in the long benefits run everyone. Being active means a lot to me now.