Samantha's story

When Samantha’s son was first diagnosed with autism, times were especially tough for her. She needed some form of a release and swimming provided the perfect channel for that. “I would go down to the swimming pool and I would swim until I could no longer swim any more. I would come out with the endorphin high. I felt like a normal person again for a bit.

“That saw me through a really tough time. I was already out the house because I was taking my son to play group but if I hadn’t been, I think I would have just stayed in all day and closed the door.”

The psychological battle

For Samantha, the rather prosaic words ‘physical activity’ betray what it truly means to be active: “It reminds me of school and PE which I hated. The words ‘physical activity’ are like a chore – something I don’t want to do.” As she points out, we can so often associate physical activity or exercise with negatives. And then a mental battle can ensue before you even contemplate lacing up those trainers.

As Samantha puts it, “I think a lot of people look for an excuse. They say I’m not going to go today because it’ll be busy and the schools will be in and it’ll be really noisy. It’s not that I don’t like swimming but we’re all looking for an excuse to not do things.”

The irony is that we know of course we’ll feel better for it afterwards, as Samantha sums up in her experience: “When you’ve been swimming for a while, your head just clears and you don’t think of anything and for me that was really good.”

“I don’t have enough time!”

Many of us use this as our ‘go-to’ excuse and sometimes, it does feel impossible to weave exercise or activity into our already frantically squeezed schedules. Samantha shares an inspired idea and shows that a bit of lateral thinking can help. “I recently got a few hand weights after my son suggested it and when you’re watching something rubbish on TV, you can do a few. I need to increase my body strength because I’ve got osteoporosis.”

The initial fear of being judged

Perhaps there is something about our human nature that makes us initially resist a change to our routines and mistrust anything that takes us away from our safety nets. “When it comes to group activities, I’d say I feel anxious,” explains Samantha “because I always feel like I won’t be able to follow the steps. I won’t be able to keep up.” Of course, once we take the plunge, our worst fears are often allayed and we can even surprise ourselves.

Finding what works for you

But it’s good to try out different types of activities. For Samantha, what’s worked best for her are individual ones. “If I’m doing something on my own I do feel more hopeful, more optimistic. It just depends a lot on the situation.” Many people who have had a go at running will be familiar with the programme ‘Couch to 5K’ which is a beginner’s course to help those new to running, find their feet.

“I did the Couch to 5k in the summer…  It’s good because it starts you gradually. I’ve never been very good at running but I know that people older than me can do it.” “Building up gradually was what I liked about it. You’re working through a programme and you know that however many weeks go by, you should be able to do 5k if you stick with it.”

Getting away from it all

Aside from the physical benefits, once you’ve crossed that threshold, there is so much mental positivity that comes into play, as Samantha says. “You go [walking] with a mixed group, it helps you to step outside your role as a carer… It’s nice to meet up with people who are almost in the real world, not just the carers’ world.”

Getting support

Arranging a carer’s assessment is one way to gain support to take care of yourself and get fitter. Sometimes it’s possible to get a gym membership. In Samantha’s case, she found that her local gym already offered a discount for carers.

 “My local authority [gym] is very good. I can go in without the people I’m caring for and I can get it almost half price, but they don’t advertise that. They advertise that if you’re disabled you can get it but not carers. Then when you get the form it says that if you’re receiving Carer’s Allowance, you do get the rate.”