Katherine Wilson, Employers for Carers

"Doing physical activity might be far from your mind when you’re juggling your work and looking after your family member or friend but, to support both your physical and mental health, it’s important to find time for you."

In this blog, Katherine Wilson (Head of Employers for Carers) gives a few ideas on how you can find time for you whilst juggling work and unpaid care.

Balancing caring responsibilities with everything else you have going on can be extremely difficult, and this is something we often hear from carers who are combining paid work with unpaid caring.

Doing physical activity might be far from your mind when you’re juggling your work and looking after your family member or friend but, to support both your physical and mental health, it’s important to find time for you. Here are a few ways in which you can increase your activity levels.

Five top tips for working carers to get active

1. Minimise the amount of time you spend sitting down

Many of us spend our working day looking at a computer screen, but if you can break this time up with some simple activities such as stretches or gentle exercises it can support your flexibility and strength as well as help you to be more productive.

2. Make the most of small windows of time

Finding time to go to an organised activity such as an exercise class might not be possible for you, but even a 10 minute brisk walk at lunchtime or a short exercise video before you start or finish work can be beneficial for your health. Every minute of activity adds up.

3. Consider an active commute

If you’re regularly travelling to your workplace or to visit a relative, consider active travel options such as walking or cycling that you could do to combine your journey and increase your activity levels.

4. Take time to think about your own wellbeing

When you’re so busy, it can be difficult to find time for you, but it’s important to make sure that you take time to relax, de-stress. Activities like yoga can be good to help you wind down, especially when combined with mindfulness exercises, which can have positive benefits for your mental health.

5. See what support is available from your employer

It’s worthwhile seeing what support is available from your employer, for example some employers offer cycle to work schemes, offer reduced price membership to local gyms or even have staff walking or running groups.

To find out more about Employers for Carers, please visit employersforcarers.org