Going on week 3 of my COVID-19 experience and I’m feeling relatively normal.

Like 80% of those that were infected with the COVID-19 , my symptoms were mild.

• Day 1: A dry cough was my first symptom. Otherwise felt fine.
• Day 2: Woke up in the AM with a good headache and fatigue.
• Day 3: Headache and more fatigue. Area around my belly fat was sensitive to touch – similar to when I had shingles. Lasted a few days.
• Day 4: Loss of smell added to the fatigue. Headache subsided. This was my worst day.
• Day 5: Sinuses started filling up.
• Day 6: Very drippy and sneezy, but not so exhausted.
• Day 7 through Day 9: Actually able to function. Full sinus cavity. Get tired easy.
• Day 10: Off quarantine. Sense of smell returned. Occasional cough and sinus fills overnight. Back to my daily duties – only with a longer afternoon nap.

As our governments struggle to apply one-size-fits-all programs, many people are taking a more individualized approach. Much of someone’s approach is or at least should be based on their risk. The young, healthy Spring Breakers in Miami Beach are an example of one extreme as they shed their masks and inhibitions. At the other end, there are those that are elderly with co-morbidities locked in their homes and wearing masks out to get their mail.

My approach to fighting the virus was custom made for my circumstances. The place to start for me was to follow the guidelines published from the CDC as well as the state laws. But these seemed incomplete. For instance, distancing, wearing masks, and washing my hands were only going to reduce my risk of catching the virus. They did nothing to protect me if I got sick.

And that’s what the data showed. Here in New York, the majority of infections were made within the walls of the lockdown. Once the virus penetrated your “circle”, everyone within that circle was much more susceptible no matter what you did.

The CDC’s guidelines for distancing etc. did little to help me “fight” the virus. The entire plan is predicated on avoiding the virus long enough to get vaccinated. Just following the guidelines and avoiding the virus was clearly not working, as about 10% of Americans have tested positive for the virus. I’m sure a lot of these people were doing everything right.

A more complete plan would include 1) what to do to prepare your immune system should you get infected and 2) what to do once you get infected.

My plan is laid out in my blog Your Castle’s Defense System. Avoiding the virus was only the first line of defense. My next line of defense was to be healthy and do all the right things to survive infection. See the blog for details, but my list included:

• Achieve a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Exercise regularly
• Reduce stress as much as practical
• Take the supplements Zinc, Vitamins C and D along with my Multi-vitamin and Magnesium.
• Sleep!

The end result was that I have had colds that were worse than this virus.

I realize my actions and outcome are anecdotal, but the data clearly shows that if you’re healthy, your odds improve dramatically.

Recovery

If you allow yourself to recover by getting plenty of rest and liquids, your odds of a positive outcome improve. I understood from the beginning that stress was not my friend in fighting the virus. Stress is something that isn’t considered in the co-morbidity data. One of the first questions that comes to my mind when I hear of a relatively healthy person having serious consequences of the virus is “how much stress was in their lives?”.

There’s no answer to this question as stress is impossible to measure and everyone reacts differently to different stressors. Owning a gym, I am very aware of the effects of stress. People trying their best to maintain a healthy weight hit a wall if their lives are filled with stress. Stress ruins good sleep, which in turn makes it difficult to eat right. Stress produces Cortisol which is a powerful hormone in retaining fat.

I refused to get stressed out over the virus. I completely opened my schedule to get better and refused to be concerned with anything other than getting better. It was a time in my life when I was totally focused on “putting on my oxygen mask first”. Anything that came up was met with “Sorry, I got the COVID. It’ll have to wait”.

Making excuses for not getting things done is against my nature but it was a conscious choice to turn everything away until I was well. I believe the virus gave me perspective which allowed me to put everything else aside.

I also considered stress when I resumed exercise. Barb and I started with slow, short walks. Stressing the body with too much, too soon risks relapse.

Now that I am on the other side, I feel relief. My immune system is bolstered and I worry less.

By the way, Barb got her first Moderna jab a week before symptoms showed up and her symptoms were significantly milder than mine. She followed pretty much the same plan otherwise, with the same result.

Stay healthy!

Ron