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This is Week 6 of 52 Weeks of Self-Care.
We’ve covered sleep, water, and food. It’s time for the physical activity bit of “52 Weeks of Self-Care.” You knew it was going to happen sooner or later, right?
I’m not challenging you to run a marathon. Your task for this week, should you choose to accept it, is to take a 10-minute walk.
Waaaaalk.
Make it a speedy, power-walk, or plan a slow stroll. Bundle-up for a crisp walk, or lace-up for a treadmill shuffle—early morning, lunchtime, evening—whatever and whenever, just walk. And don’t fall into the oh-I-walked-five-miles-on-the-floor-today-so-I-don’t-need-to-walk-anymore mental trap. No, this challenge really isn’t about physical activity. If it was, I’d point you to 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily activity for five days of the week. (Still, you never know; you might end up loving the walking and joining me in the ONS Foundation/Pfizer Oncology Fun Run/Walk & Wheelchair at the 37th Annual ONS Congress, right?)
No, this is a time for you to relax. Move at the pace and rhythm comfortable for you at the moment. Enjoy it. Walk off the day or the night before or whatever is stressing you out. Walk it off ten minutes at a time.
Joni Watson, MSN, MBA, RN, OCN®, is a clinical nurse manager for University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin, TX, part of the Seton Healthcare Family of Hospitals. Joni holds her degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Tyler and is a member of the Central Texas ONS chapter (CTONS). She resides in Austin and enjoys reading, shoe shopping, and spending time with her family. You can also find Joni at http://nursetopia.net.
Joni, thanks for sharing .