Trying to avoid Covid-19, I’m sheltering in place watching exercise videos like Skipping with Barbells on YouTube. I get a runner’s high watching other people perform body-bending aerobics while I dig into a sleeve of Double Stuf Oreos. The only body-bending I do these days is when I look for the last cookie that rolled under the couch.
I went on the Internet to the World Health Organization’s website (who.int) to read its guidelines on exercising during Covid-19. The WHO states, “regular physical activity benefits the body and mind. It can reduce high blood pressure, help manage weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers.”
In other words, if you wanna eat that cookie, you gotta earn that cookie.
I’m an urban dweller and not immune to exercise. Back in the day, I would run a few miles without a blink, even did a couple races. When the sidewalk started affecting my knees, I slipped on my walking shoes and put in almost 10,000 steps a day just living life. Now, in the month I’ve been sheltering-in-place, the only walking I do is from my desk to the fridge and back again. How can I exercise when I live like a hamster in a shoebox?
When I do Yoga, I move the couch into the bathroom or else I’m Downward Facing Dog with my head in the cat’s litter box. Jogging in place starts off good, but the neighbor downstairs complains it disrupts his FIOS connection. For strength training, I hoist tomato sauce cans and lift 5-pound bags of flour above my head. After 30 reps, I smell like a slice from Luigi’s Pizzeria.
Still, if I don’t work out, if I don’t burn more calories than I consume, I’m headed for a huge weight gain, stuck on the hamster wheel of fatness.
You notice how when a hamster gets on that little wheel, it runs for a while, gets off the wheel, eats something, and then gets back on. That’s what most people who exercise to lose weight go through. We exercise. We eat. We exercise. We eat. Personally, I structure exercise around a reward system. How many jumping jacks do I have to do so I can eat a Hershey Bar? How many sit-ups will get me a Twinkie? How many push-ups equal a box of Dunkies Boston Cremes? Which is why I squat-thrust for Oreos.
I know what all this exercise anxiety is about. I’m worried that as this Covid-19 epidemic continues, I’ll give up exercising altogether and become a couch potato in sweatpants.
The WHO’s guidelines on exercise say that “if you are able to go for a walk or bicycle ride always practice physical distancing and wash your hands with water and soap before you leave, when you get to where you are going, and as soon as you get home.”
I’ve decided to take the WHOs advice and hit the pavement for an energetic walk where there are far more cars than people. I’ll wear a face mask and gloves, and above all, I’ll follow the social distancing guidelines of staying six feet from others. My exercise plan may not be a fat-burning regimen, but an early morning walk every other day will no doubt be life-affirming.
Maybe I gain a few pounds during this Covid-19 pandemic, but is that really such a bad thing? I’m reminded of a very wise doctor who gave me good advice back in the day. I was going through a pretty serious medical procedure and the doc said, “Sally, no matter what happens, no matter how this turns out, you will still be you.”
So, dive into that Lemon Meringue Pie, and don’t panic. Sheltering from Covid-19 may get you a little chubbier, but just remember – you will still be you.
See you next week!
Hi Steve, so nice to hear from you and thank you for reading my new blog! Stay healthy and safe. All my best!!
I hope you’re doing well! Nice piece! I tell people I run so that I can eat. The rewards after the efforts! Stay well!