Stay the Course

With vaccination rates rising and COVID-19 hospitalizations dwindling, our world is slowly and carefully opening back up. For the last 17 months we have all been abruptly uprooted from our day-to-day routines. This disruption caused our normal activities to be completely cancelled, drastically sidelined, or shifted to an online platform. Now, it feels as if the sun is shining not only figuratively but literally and we want to go out and do ALL THE THINGS!!!! This feeling of freedom and return to normalcy is more than welcomed, it is desperately needed. Our society has endured a lot of loneliness, isolation and fear, so the desire to go out and be amongst people again is warranted and encouraged. I'm just going to have to say, don't overdo it. I'm the queen of silver linings.... I can find them ANYWHERE. I don't want to be the rain on the post-pandemic parade, but I do want to make sure you take a moment to recognize how your behavior over the last year may have benefited your overall health. Consistency- that's the name of the game when it comes to fitness and nutrition gains. This past year we have all nailed consistency. The barriers we often face in making it into our training sessions have essentially been eliminated. It's not hard to make it to your workout when your calendar is clear and you just have to throw on your shorts and go into your den to log in and do it. Getting ill during the pandemic was rare and we haven't been vacationing either. AND if you were a brave/lucky person who travelled you could still log in from Hawaii or Mexico and workout. There were no big family meals, or work parties, or date nights so our chances to over indulge were minimized as well. We had time to cook our meals and sit and eat them without rushing out to drop a kid at baseball practice or sit in traffic to make a work meeting. My point is simple, with all the restrictions that the pandemic required, it also provided a chance for us to show up to our workouts and eat reasonably well. Take a minute to pat yourself on the back and say, "hey, maybe it wasn't all bad." Now, looking forward into our expanding opportunities, take stock of what served you well during the time in isolation. There will be more distractions and obligations as society returns to the "new normal", but if you can hold onto the habits you developed during the pandemic your health will benefit from your commitment to consistency. Ok, I've said my piece, now go out and enjoy your family and friends, go to parties, cheers happy couples at weddings, and kiss babies. Just make sure you show up to your workout the next day!