Most people measure how far along they are in a project by how many hours are left to complete it. If it’s a project that takes 40 hours and I’ve worked at it for 10, I’m 25% done.
Those that do a lot of projects or manage projects know the hardest part is getting the project started. Getting a project off the ground is like static friction, as it’s harder to get it moving from a standstill than it is to keep it moving (Law of Inertia).
People that have worked with me know I am more stressed at the beginning of a project than when it is underway. In a building project, you have to have plans, coordinate labor, and purchase materials before you hammer even one nail.
Once things are rolling and everyone knows what to do, things are much less stressful. Systems fall in place and stuff gets done.
I heard this expression for the first time a few weeks ago. It was meant as a snide comment about something I did that appeared to be half-done. The real meaning is in how it recognizes that getting a project started is the hardest part.
As previously mentioned, Barb and I had COVID-19 back in March.
Since that time, I have been suffering symptoms of Long Haul COVID (LHC). In my case, it has been two things 1) joint pain, particularly my right knee and 2) sensitivity to gluten.
I could function OK but I limped around a lot and spent a lot of time in the bathroom. I figured out the gluten thing after binging on bread and pasta a couple of times. I felt like crap.
Long Haul Transformer. Nothing to do with this Blog. Thought it looked cool.
Long Haul Covid is big business these days and there are clinics specializing in the treatment popping up all over. But I wasn’t gonna pay no clinic. Like everything else I do, this was going to be DIY.
In the The Big Bang Theory, Howard Wolowitz is an engineer among his scientist friends.
Howard is the nuts and bolts guy. His friends are the pure scientists. While the others are running experiments to support theories, Howard is making toilets that work in space.
And that’s how it works in the real world. Scientists answer questions based on the Scientific Method and Engineers take the findings of these Scientists and use them to design and build things that are practical.
Last week we celebrated something that we have been working for all of our lives.
Being Debt Free.
With the burning of our the Mortgage Note on our house, we are finally free.
I don’t like owing anyone anything, particularly something that charges interest. Working to give my hard earned money away to receive nothing in return just doesn’t sit well.
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
But even though I hate debt, I acknowledge that it can be a good thing. It all depends on the return of the debt to whether it is good or bad.
According to the CDC, 377,883 people died in the U.S in 2020 with COVID as the underlying cause. That’s roughly 11.3% of total deaths.
Our country went to great lengths to fight the coronavirus. The government went $5T into debt and the Federal Reserve printed about that much. The result has been a declining dollar and increasing inflation. We disrupted supply chains and caused rampant inflation in products such as lumber. 20 million people initially lost their jobs and today there we are still short 8 million jobs from where we were in 2019.
The land of the ‘free’ shut down businesses and forced people to stay home. We stayed away from each other and everyone was required to wear masks.
We were willing to ‘do what it takes to save even one life’.
The interesting thing is that many more people died of heart disease and cancer than of COVID last year. Nearly twice as many people – 690,882 – died of heart disease. Cancer killed another 598,932.
The more interesting thing is that cancer and heart disease have been killing this many people year after year for many years. Heart disease has been the leading cause of death for 80 years.
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.
Last year around this time, Barb and I were in great shape physically. Coming into Fall of 2019, we lost a bunch of unwanted fat, had a regular exercise routine, and were eating right.
By October 2020, we had gained a bunch of fat back.
So what the heck happened?
You could say it was “COVID”. But I have a problem with that.
This meme reflects my attitude toward the value of time.
Time is the most valuable commodity we have. We each have a limited supply, with some having more than others. How we spend our time is important.
I obsess about the value of my time. I am constantly aware of what I do with it and I make decisions based on this awareness.
It’s one of the main reasons I retired from my job early. The job was rewarding and I enjoyed the people I worked with, but decades were going by and I felt my time would be better spent elsewhere. The question I asked myself was “Did I have something better to do or was this job the best use of my time?”
When I was getting ready to retire, others of retirement age approached me to pick my brain. The two main questions were “Why?” and “What will you do?” For each question, I had a long list of answers, which no one really wanted to hear. So, I pared down my responses to one sentence: I’m leaving because I have better, more important things to do such as run my businesses.
Many people ask such questions to reflect on their own circumstances. I often found the retirement conversation would drift back to their own intentions to retire. My advice to those considering retirement: If you don’t have anything better to do, stay at your job.
You should know that I took a big financial hit to leave my job in my 50’s. Suze Orman would have given me a big thumbs down. But it has never been just about the money. It’s about how I prioritize my time.
And that’s the key for me – to spend my time on those things that have the highest priority.
There’s TurboTax for doing taxes, Quicken for accounting, NOLO for legal forms, WebMD for health issues and YouTube for carpentry and mechanic work.
For people that are trying to be fit, there are literally thousands of workout and exercise information videos.
So why in the world would someone need to hire a Personal Trainer when so much information is available for free?
Before I dive into this, I will reveal my bias: I’m a gym owner and believe EVERYONE needs a Personal Trainer. I have one. Barb has one. Everyone in our gym has at least one.
But I’m not only biased because I am a gym owner. I NEED a Trainer as I have special needs:
I don’t want to spend more than 5 hours in a gym per week because I have a busy life.
I set the goal high for my fitness. I’m almost 60 and expect to do what I did at 40.
I have a bum leg and a back that likes to give out
I want to weigh 10 pounds less, but like to eat Cheez Its
Because of my high expectations AND the fact that I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the gym, my workouts need to be efficient and effective. Because I have physical issues, I need professional help.
And that’s what I have. Someone whose life work is helping people stay capable. Someone that understands the body and customizes my workout for my needs.
Me and My Trainer (2012) – Winning a Father/Daughter Race
So I definitely have a bias.
But please consider these questions if you’re wondering whether you need a Trainer:
Anyone watching Game of Thrones is familiar with the defense system of medieval castles. Though most castles weren’t required to protect themselves from the undead with a 700 foot wall of ice, each of the castles of the Seven Kingdoms had the same basic defense system.
Castles utilized a “Defense in Depth” strategy, which was multi-layered and resulted in slowing down the enemy giving the defensive forces advantage.
The first line of defense for a castle is in the area surrounding the wall. Large fields, ramparts, waterways and moats were utilized to slow down the enemy.
The next line of defense is the castle walls. The enemy is required to either break through the wall or scale the wall in order to effectively attack the castle. Those trying to get through or around the walls were met with arrows and burning oil.
The defense system we should set up for COVID-19 is similar. It should be multi-layered for optimum effectiveness.
We are all using distancing as a primary defense against the virus. This is the equivalent of putting a “wall” of space around us.
The gate of a castle is one of the most vulnerable areas to attack. Castles had draw bridges and guards protecting the gate in a variety of ways.
Similarly, we protect one of our most vulnerable entries to the virus – our nose and mouth – with masks.
But what happens when “the wall is breached” and a flood of enemies enter our bodies?
A castle’s defense system does not end at the wall. All castles were protected by a trained fighting force and were configured with large internal courtyards where the enemy could be picked off before they could overrun the castle. Later castles had walls within walls to make it even more difficult for intruders.
A good defensive strategy to fight the Coronavirus will include more than just a wall and a drawbridge. A good strategy will ensure that once we are infected, our body is a ramped up, virus killing machine. In addition to prevention (distancing, masks, hand washing etc.), our multilayered defense system should incorporate a responsive immune system.
The science tells us that the components of a responsive immune system include 1) maintaining a healthy weight 2) eating the right foods 3) having the right activity 4) reducing stress and 5) proper sleep.
Healthy Weight
As I already covered in Plan B, we are 4X more likely to suffer severe consequences as a result of COVID-19 if we are obese. What’s obese? Check out Plan B where I cover it in detail.
It’s very important to get to a healthy weight if you are overweight or obese. The science is showing more and more how death rates climb with obesity rates.
The Right Nutrition
Eating right is certainly part of maintaining a healthy weight.
Details of the Stay Off the Scale Challenge is a good place to start with your nutrition plan. It covers the main elements of a healthy diet. One of the major considerations around the holidays is staying away from sugar!
The right nutrition to fight COVID-19 is not just about weight loss. It’s also about boosting your immune system. Immune Boosting foods should be added to your diet along with proper supplementation. As a minimum, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc are necessary supplements to protect yourself.
The pandemic is piling on stress and stress weakens your immune system.
People nationwide are making significant changes in their lives to reduce stress. Some are retiring and others are moving to lower stress areas.
Maybe you’re not ready for such big changes, but even small changes can make a big difference. Exercise reduces stress, so starting a regular exercise program is a good way to bring stress levels down. Barb and I have added Yoga to our exercise regimen for a few weeks now and it is really having a calming affect. Just the breathing alone is very relaxing.
Healthline has a list of things you can address to reduce your stress and is a good place to start.
Sleep
Getting good sleep is critical for your immune system. This is when repairs to your body are made. How well you sleep is often an indicator of how you are doing with managing stress, so if you’re not sleeping well, the first place to look is at the stress in your life. That’s one way you know you’re on the right track – once you’re getting good sleep you know your exercise, nutrition and stress management are in a good place.
Caffeine intake is another source of stress and sleep issues. It’s easy to get caught up in the vicious cycle of needing coffee to get through the day and then not being able to sleep at night.
Once you’ve addressed the obvious causes for poor sleep like stress and coffee, you can try some natural sleep aids such as melatonin and/or magnesium. It might be just the thing to help you sleep through.
And by all means, talk to your doctor. I have a friend that had chronic sleeping issues all of his adult life and did everything right but still struggled. His entire life changed for the better after one doctor’s visit.
Conclusion
As a gym owner, I am disappointed in the guidance we’ve received from the CDC. Nearly the entire focus of fighting COVID-19 has been on prevention with very little emphasis on the impact overall health has on fighting the virus. The science is clear: generally, healthy people are kicking this virus, where those that have one or more of the co-morbidities identified by the CDC are more likely to develop serious health problems.
We need to place just as much emphasis on getting healthy as we do on wearing masks, social distancing, and washing hands. This virus is here to stay for at least another year. People are still being infected even when they do everything right.
Your BEST defense is a multilayered one, which includes being in the best shape you can be!
