New World

We find ourselves in a different world recently. The threat of contracting this virus is real. We can respond in one of two ways. We can either be paralyzed with fear or find ways to live our best, healthy life in this new environment. From what I understand, this is not expected to go away very soon. I choose the latter

Either Way

Those of you who are dedicated health and fitness enthusiasts know that this life is it’s own kind of hard sometimes. People who are not dedicated to health usually do not appreciate or respect your efforts to be healthy, much less your efforts to look good. Quite often, it’s perceived as merely vain. I present this question, who cares what they think? You will, most likely, be around to bury them. Even with this COVID issue, it’s pretty well accepted that healthier people fight this off better than those with pre-existing health issues. So, the situation exists that we cannot allow this “new” microbe to change our health initiative unless it is to make us more determined than ever to be healthy. With or without this virus in the world, we have to continue with our self-care.

Are You Serious?

Although I’m sure that most of the memes and comments that I have seen are a joke, I also know that most people are continually looking for any excuse that they can find to just quit working out and eating healthy. Sometimes I am shocked at the people who so nonchalantly abandon their healthy eating on a whim and then actually post about it like it’s acceptable. It’s not acceptable. Bad habits are addictive. Everything always looks for the easiest route. Even water will always flow downhill, it’s easier. We know about inertia, a body at rest (or in motion!) tends to remain at rest (or in motion!) until acted upon by an outward force to change it. It is merely a tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged. It’s a law of nature. You don’t need COVID as an excuse to do nothing, it comes naturally. Yes, the gyms are closed, so what? If you lift weights, find something heavy. If you are a cardio bunny, then either run out your front door or run in your house. The only thing that should determine whether or not you work out is your will to do so. In the aftermath of a tornado outbreak that destroyed everything except my Iron, I stayed in a motel and stacked plastic totes to make a squat rack. Believe me, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I had to eat carry-out for weeks. I bought extra protein and shunned the carbs, still eating sugar-free and high protein and low-carb. I made good progress during that time. Living in a world that has a new virus cannot destroy your health initiative unless you allow it to do so.

Methods to My Madness

I am a healthcare worker. I live in Alabama. Alabama is predicted to have the highest death rate of all the States when this is all done, not the highest number of deaths. The rate is a ratio based on number of cases and population. We are going through this because our brilliant citizens of this fine Southern State would not quit assembling for party time or church when they should. Our stubborn streak is going to kill a lot of people. I am living the same life that I was living before this happened. I eat the same. I work out the same. I lift heavy at home and walk outside. My progress has been wrought with blood, sweat and tears, literally, and no damn rogue virus is going to take that away from me unless it kills me. I have not, nor will I ever, look for excuses to transgress. If you are constantly looking for excuses to quit or give up I find it hard to believe that your progress came as hard as mine has come. Again, this life is not easy but it’s a Hell of a lot easier than being sick or getting old and decrepit. At 63, I’m the nurse that people look for when they need someone physically strong. There is nothing worth giving that honor up. Nothing tastes that good and no level of difficulty in a workout is enough to make me quit. I will progress or die trying. If you can even begin to fathom that this outbreak is any kind of an excuse to gain weight and get flabby, I strongly admonish you to get real with yourself about your motivation.

Nothing has changed. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you still can. I am in “Plague Central” for the States and work in health care almost every single day. It hasn’t changed a thing.

Create Your Life. Be Healthy.