Your Body is a Temple — Blog — Courage to Caregivers

Join the Movement!

"Change happens through movement and movement heals." ~ Joseph Pilates

Our topic this week is also a challenge: Move with Courage! Research continues to show that daily movement can benefit your mental AND your physical health. Anything from light stretching to moderate exercise to vigorous activity can do the trick. The key is to find activities you enjoy and to do them with people you like (or alone if you prefer).

I’m proof that movement heals. For much of my life, I went to the gym and attended aerobics classes regularly. But then, the unthinkable happened. I started feeling chronic pain and fatigue, and doctors and specialists could not figure out the cause. Determined to find something that didn’t cause more pain, I discovered Pilates. The gentle gliding (and compassion of my instructors) transformed me. The movement helped my body – and my attitude. I started feeling healthier, brighter, and stronger.

That’s why this week, and throughout the entire month of July, we’re challenging YOU to move any way you want – walk, run, bike, hike, swim, paddle, dance, wheel, garden, do Pilates, practice yoga, meditate – with our MOVE WITH COURAGE Micro-Challenge Calendar.

Wellness, Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerJuly 13, 2023Movement, Move Your Body

August Newsletter: Treat Your Body As a Temple - Nourish Your Mind-Body-Soul

We have spent most of this year talking about ways to nourish your soul, but it’s equally important to NOURISH YOUR BODY. Throughout August, we shared ways to NOURISH your body, develop a positive body IMAGE, MOVE your body, and REST your body with good sleep hygiene.

August is also National Wellness Month. At Courage to Caregivers, we're focused on supporting caregivers to make their health and well-being a priority ALL year LONG!

When we make deliberate choices to improve our physical and mental health, we are showing that we have worth and value. This exercise in validating the importance of our very existence is essential in building self-esteem ... it's also self-RESPECT.

Your body is a temple and deserves to be shown the highest form of respect and reverence. The result is increased life expectancy, fewer health issues, improved mental health, and more energy and enthusiasm.

Your body is also the essential component of your existence. You have two choices. Either treat it as dispensable and unimportant, resulting in disease and illness. Or treat it with respect by making an effort to fill it with healthy foods and liquids, to keep it strong through regular and consistent movement, and to recharge it with rest/sleep.

When you do something good for your body, it also is a gift to your brain and emotions. When your physical, emotional, and cognitive health are good, these are gifts to the people you love.

Check out the August newsletter focused on our theme of Your Body is a Temple here!

Want a Good Night’s Sleep? Don’t Overthink It.

It’s one of the most common problems there is … not getting enough sleep. Maybe we’re trying to pack too many waking hours into our busy days at the expense of sleep, or maybe too much stress is keeping us from turning our brains “off” at night. Whatever the reason, lack of sleep not only can keep us from operating at peak performance, but it can also have a negative impact on our physical and mental health.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 25, 2022Sleep Hygiene, Sleep

Be Playful, Break the Rules, and Just Move

We often hear from busy caregivers that finding time to exercise is often the biggest challenge. For me, it’s about prioritizing movement. When we have so many other priorities, it can be hard to fit movement into our day if we think of it as separate from everything else and one more thing that we “have to” do.

That’s why, as we explore this week’s topic of move your body, I want to share two articles from our friends at the American Institute of Stress that are great resources for busy caregivers.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 18, 2022Movement, Move Your Body

The “Magic” of Body Kindness

The ability to accept our bodies as they are and identify the qualities and strengths that we possess, instead of trying to change our bodies to fit the expectations of society, is a way to build our self-esteem. Your body is an incredible machine, capable of sustaining life and completing complex tasks every minute. When you stop all the self-criticism, shame, and judgment once and for all, you will find that YOU can do magic!

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 11, 2022Body Image

Show Your Body the Respect It Deserves

At Courage to Caregivers, we’re focused on holistic wellness – supporting the WHOLE YOU in your journey of health and well-being as a caregiver for someone with mental illness. And so, a lot of what we talk about involves our feelings, our emotions, and our soul. But we must remember to take care of the body, too. Our physical health is just as important as our mental and emotional well-being as we strive for holistic wellness. Everything we do affects all three of these types of well-being, and the way we care for one of them affects the other two.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 4, 2022Nourish Yourself

Sleep: A Healthy and Essential Boundary

We’re closing out this month’s theme, “Your Body Is a Temple,” with the topic of sleep hygiene. This is an important topic for many caregivers because we often feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities, and there never seems to be enough time to get things done.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 26, 2021Sleep Hygiene, Sleep

Your Mind and Spirit in Motion

There's no denying that moving our bodies benefits our physical health. It protects and strengthens our muscles and leads to better mobility, balance, and coordination. Movement also benefits our mental and spiritual health.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 19, 2021Move Your Body, Exercise, Movement

You Look Marvelous!

Having a positive body image is part of the journey to self-love. You don’t have to meet any expectations for how you look, simply accept that you look great! YOU are perfect, just the way you are!

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 12, 2021Body Image, Nourish Yourself

Nourish Your Body … and Your Soul ✨

Much of the time, our discussions on self-care focus on topics related to the nourishment of our soul, but nourishing our body is also important, and that’s our topic for this week. Our physical health has a strong impact on our mental and emotional health, and proper nourishment can help us maintain our energy level, keep our mind and memory sharp, improve our mood, and make it easier to tackle the challenges that come our way.

Your Body is a TempleKristi HornerAugust 5, 2021Nourish Yourself, Nutrition