Navigating Holiday Fitness Amid a COVID-19 Setback
There Goes My 19% Body Fat!
The exhaustion was unusual. I’ve been an early riser since my days as a journalist began over 45 years ago. I usually jump out of bed at 4 a.m. and am ready to hit the gym by 7 a.m. But in the days leading up to Christmas, 6 a.m. would come and go, and my body had no desire to get vertical.
Chalking it up to holiday stress, I continued with my usual routine, adding decorating both my house and my mom’s house to my normally crowded to-do list. My partner and I were also preparing to host Christmas Eve dinner. I should also mention that I was doing all this while still working my full-time 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. job. The routine continued through Christmas Day, after which I fell into bed exhausted but pleased with how everything had turned out.
On Dec. 27th, I went to the gym and had an exceptional workout, even extending my time on the elliptical by an extra 10 minutes.
The next day, I could hardly get out of bed, and it had nothing to do with the previous day’s workout. I’ll spare you the details and cut to the chase.
Two Pink Lines Seal My Fate For At Least Two Weeks
The two pink lines on the home COVID test confirmed my fears. After four years of being vaccinated, boosted, masked, and doing everything right, I joined the ranks of the COVID-19 infected.
“There goes my 19% body fat!” was the first thought in my mind. I know, how shallow. But cut me some slack. Fitness is my therapy. It’s not just something I do for my body, but for what it does for my head … and the safety of those around me.
After three days of not working out, I turn into the Incredible Hulk in reverse. I feel my muscles start to shrink, but my vile mood expands to make up for my perceived muscle atrophy. (Perceived because it’s all in my mind. But without fitness therapy, my mind is a terrible place to visit.)
Since turning 65 last year, I’ve been proud of how I reached and maintained the lowest body fat percentage I’ve ever had.
To say this was top of mind during my five days of COVID-19 isolation would be an understatement. But, unlike my younger days as a gym rat, my freak-out level was not what it had been in my youth. Instead of stressing over being unable to work out, I focused on healing.
It was when I started to work out smarter, not harder that I finally reached that elusive below-20 % fat percentage that I had longed for all my life.
I thought of this as I recovered from COVID-19 and focused on keeping my body strong and healthy despite the virus that was screaming for attention.
A COVID “Fitness” To-Do List
One of the biggest lessons of facing a challenge like COVID-19 is realizing you must pivot in response to the situation. Here are the biggest takeaways from my experience. These are takeaways you can use not just to recover from COVID-19 but also for any physical challenge life throws at you to interrupt your fitness routine.
· Don’t Freak Out (It’s called relaxing)
· Keep hydrated. If you pee yellow, you’re not hydrated enough.
· Eat your fruits and veggies. (Jelly-filled cookies don’t count.)
· Don’t skip meals. I didn’t lose my sense of taste or my appetite, so this wasn’t a problem for me. If you do lose your appetite, try to eat as much as your body will allow. Sometimes just starting to eat is enough to motivate you to keep eating.
· Take your vitamins
· If your doctor prescribes them, take your meds. However, beware of being prescribed something just because you check off a box on the COVID care protocol list. I went to urgent care and was prescribed a cough medicine and Paxlovid. I didn’t have a cough and my symptoms did not warrant anything as strong as Paxlovid.
But I checked off the over 65 box, so there you go. I took neither medication.
· Meditate
· Stretch
· Avoid the temptation of exercising.
· Tell your active mind to STFU (That’s shut the f**k up in case you needed clarification.)
· Stay positive (Thinking about all your fit friends in the gym is off limits)
Most of all, practice gratitude. My partner was amazing throughout the entire ordeal. The view from my window during isolation was spectacular.
Gratitude keeps feeling sorry for yourself at bay.
Beware Of Information Overload
While recuperating in isolation, I read as much as I could about the virus and recovering from its effects.
I also watched a lot of YouTube videos. I don’t recommend this unless you can avoid the temptation of clicking on videos with titles such as: “Everything You Need to Know to Live to 150 and Beyond.” or “Despite What Everyone Tells You, Spinach Will Kill You.”
My God, there’s a lot of crap out there!
Also, be careful of thinking every little thing you feel is a COVID-19 symptom.
“OMG! My toe hurts. Is it COVID?” (Google frantically to find out if the WHO recognizes painful toes as a COVID symptom!)
Chances are incredibly high (as in so high it’s non-existent) it’s not COVID-19; it’s just a sore toe.
If you’re concerned about any unusual symptoms, see your doctor. COVID-19 is a personal journey. Read up and educate yourself, but don’t compare your journey to everyone else’s.
You are a person, not a statistic.
Look at the date an article was written. If it’s from 2020, look for updates. In the early days of the pandemic, there was a lot of information that has since been disproven. Read up on the latest news, and listen to your body.
Building The Empathy Muscle
While I did nothing to build my physical muscles, I worked hard to build the empathy muscle for those whose journey with COVID-19 was not as easy as mine. I don’t care what you think about the virus, the conspiracy theories that surround it, or its political implications.
The fact is, people died, and our world has changed because of the three years we spent in various stages of quarantine. Be thankful you’re still here, and have compassion for those who suffered—and are still suffering— because of COVID-19 and the pandemic.
Self-Reflection, Lessons Learned
Fitness plays a crucial role in health and recovery from the unexpected. Keeping our immune systems strong is one of its most important roles. But overdoing it does just the opposite. It tears our bodies down, making us vulnerable and leaving the door open for viruses and other unwelcome visitors to enter.
In retrospect, I should have slowed down before the holidays instead of pushing myself to exhaustion. Not listening to my body lowered my defenses and allowed COVID in the door while my immune system blinked. I had let my guard down. I had been complacent about taking my vitamins. I thought I was invincible.
COVID kicked me in the ass to remind me that I’m only human. Thankfully, my years of practicing health and fitness helped me to kick back even harder.
I have not yet gone back to the gym since recovering from COVID, but I’m feeling more motivated to do so. I’ll keep you posted once I start my regular routine.
In the meantime, use my experience to look at your life right now. Are there areas where you should be slowing down? Are you ignoring your body’s messages? Are you shutting down the voice inside your head that’s begging you to pay more attention to yourself?
Your body knows best. Listen to it.
I am not a doctor, and the information in this article is taken from my personal journey. It is not meant to diagnose or treat COVID-19 or any other illness.
Thank you for reading this article. I welcome your comments. If you found this article helpful, please share it and give it a few claps so others can find it. If you’d like to support my work, buy me a coffee!
Barb Besteni is a writer, spiritual seeker, former rock star, and animal lover. After 35 years of writing, copyediting, and producing content for local, national, and international television news, she left the newsroom for the comfort of her home office. Get an email whenever Barb publishes a new story on Medium: https://medium.com/@barbbesteni/subscribe
