Caregivers: It’s Time To Get Healthy with ‘VRide’

We do not have to do it alone!

What is a V-Ride you might ask? V-Ride stand for Virtual Ride, or better yet a fancy word for a ride on a stationary bike! I am teaming up with my friends at Caregiving.com to create awareness to caregivers health.

Caregivers often put own personal needs second, which often turns into weight gain or other calamities which can affect one’s health. I’ve been there!

As Caregivers, we are united in our care for our caree, now through our VRide we can unite in care for ourselves. The great thing about the VRide is that anyone can do it. VRide is about getting fit, staying motivated and making virtual visits to other family caregivers. My first destination is to ‘visit’ another caregiver in the Orlando area. In fact my riding partner on the west coast of Florida ‘will meet me there.’ Once we’ve made it to our destination, we’ll visit another caregiver in another state. We’ll make stops along the way and chart our progress on a daily basis.

Here is a map of my route to Orlando…

I have just a tad over 200 miles to pedal to ‘get’ to Orlando, it will be a daunting ride, but one that will be healthy for me. Our ‘V’ Ride allows caregivers the comfort of exercising in the comfort of their own home without the worry of leaving their caree behind. This is a win/win for everyone.

You can follow my progress here on ‘The Purple Jacket’ and on Caregiving.com There will be updates on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, too.

Thre is an estimated 65.7 million caregivers in the U.S; Research tells us that Caregiving can have serious physical health consequences. In fact, 17% of caregivers feel their health in general has gotten worse as a result of their Caregiving responsibilities. I have allowed my weight to balloon up to 253 lbs, a mere 73 lbs off my target weight.

Weight as of January 19, 2013

I know most of the weight I have put on is because of the stress of Caregiving, yet I also have to take personal responsibility too. If I am to Be A Healthy Caregiver, I have to take better care of myself, too. The VRide is one way that I can give back to others while helping myself.

Want to join us? Great! Just start moving and post your daily activity in our VRide group. We’ll add events to our group’s calendar when we know the dates of a virtual stop and a caregiving visit. To join our group and blog, you must be a member of Caregiving.com. It’s easy and free to join; just go here.