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!
We have been training women locally to lift weights and strength train since the late 80’s. When we started Fay’s Fitness in 1993, our motto was “Women Should be Strong”.
Back then, our whole business model was to 1) educate women on the benefits of strength training and 2) help women learn how to strength train properly. We recognized the benefits of strength training for women. Women could build strong muscles and strong bones. They could shape their bodies and with the additional muscle added, would have a kickass metabolism that would help them maintain a healthy weight.
I believe everyone has a superpower and being political is not mine.
If I had to pick a superpower for me, it’d be troubleshooting. I noticed early on when I was an 19 year-old Electronic Technician in the USAF. that I could never accept that there was a problem I couldn’t solve. My brain just doesn’t let go until things are back working again.
As a Design Engineer for 27 years, I used Fishbone diagrams for solving more complicated problems. Here’s one Barb and I created for addressing the COVID crisis.
I apply my troubleshooting skills to Personal Training. A good personal trainer will interview a client and gather all the data to discover what is needed. They may not make a Fishbone, but essentially we are all doing the same thing.
First of all, you should know that we love you and care about you.
Because we care about you, we wanted to bring something to your attention.
We’ve noticed over the past few months that you’ve gained a bit of weight around your middle.
We get it; the COVID has thrown us all off a bit. But, now that the “New Normal” has set in, we all need to get healthy.
In fact, it’s never been more important.
Along with trying to prevent infection by wearing masks, socially distancing and washing our hands, we need to make sure we maintain a healthy weight to handle the virus should we get infected.
So if Plan A is to prevent infection, Plan B needs to maintain a healthy weight to combat the virus.
So what is a healthy weight?
According to the CDC, a BMI under 30 means you’re not obese. About 40% of Americans are obese so a “healthy weight” goal for many of us is to get to a BMI < 30.
If you have a lot of muscle, the BMI chart can be inaccurate. It’s true that many strong, fit people are outside the healthy BMI ranges. If this is the case, you can measure your body fat and use that as a guide. There are scales and other devices that can help you figure out your body fat composition.
You’re at risk if you have over 32% body fat as a woman or over 25% if you’re a man.
A third way to measure health risk is by measuring the circumference of your waist. The National Heart and Lung Association indicates that women with over a 35″ waist measurement and men with over 40″ are at higher risk for disease.
The world is going to great lengths to contain the pandemic. Businesses have been closed and people have been ordered to stay at home. Governments that are already swimming in debt are taking on more debt to provide for families. All of these actions have had unintended consequences that have made it very difficult for a lot of people.
So we all need to do our part in beating this. Outside of prevention, all of us must do our VERY BEST to get and stay healthy – as though our lives depend on it. Because they do.
And if you don’t know where to start or if you need any help, you know where to find us.
There’s so much going on in the media right now that significant stories are getting lost.
One such story is that of the gyms and fitness centers in the State of New York.
A little background:
Governor Cuomo placed all state determined “non-essential” businesses on “Pause” on March 22, 2020. The “Pause” was to last until April 22nd but was then extended to May 15th.
After the “Pause”, Governor Cuomo announced that New York was going to eventually reopen its businesses in four phases. Each phase was to be 2 weeks apart and the situation would be monitored at each phase to ensure the data supported reopening.
Four days before Phase 4 was to begin, the Governor announced that gyms, movie theaters, and malls would not be included in Phase 4. In fact, he had no idea when they would be allowed to open.
The reason cited was that there was concern over the air conditioning units that could potentially circulate the virus. No data was provided.
The local fitness industry is livid.
Over 700 gyms joined a class-action suit against New York State, citing that it had no evidence that gyms were any more likely to spread the virus than restaurants and bars, which were allowed to open in Phase 3. Compare that with the fact that Florida and Texas are closing bars – not gyms – in a reaction to the increasing number of cases.
The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) went to bat for the fitness centers and contacted the Governor’s office directly. They got the run around as the office never cited any facts regarding air conditioning. IHRSA provided data and studies supporting the opening of gyms (similar data was presented to the US government and they announced gyms could open in Phase 1).
When Governor Cuomo was asked directly by a reporter he dismissed the claim and indicated fitness centers were unwilling to make clients wear masks. This was a false statement.
Most gyms are not large box chains like Planet Fitness. The majority are small mom and pop shops serving under 200 members. Many health clubs like ours don’t have centralized A/C. Meeting CDC distancing requirements is easy to achieve by limiting capacity as is being done in other industries. In our gym, we have members sanitize before and after using equipment.
I can tell you first hand that fitness center owners are the wrong group to mess with. They are conditioned against adversity. They make very little money for their efforts and are dedicated to helping people. The battle we are in against the system of “Sick Care” is unrelenting. Our opponents are Big Pharma and a Medical system that doles out drugs to hide symptoms of a body that is neglected. Our other opponents are Big Tobacco and the Food Industry which keeps people high on cigarettes and sugar.
The move by the Governor could very well put a nail in the coffin of many small clubs that just can’t remain solvent long enough to last. More importantly, Governor Cuomo’s draconian actions with the lock down in New York State have set many businesses back years and have caused the state and city governments to swim in red ink. NYC alone has a $10 billion deficit they are trying to fill.
Cuomo’s plan is for a Federal bailout. The stimulus checks, the PPP program and the PUA that were provided by the Federal government are not near enough to make up for shutting down the state for 4 months. With the pandemic being far from over, I can’t imagine New York getting enough aid to cover all that has been lost and all that will be lost in the future.
Whereas many states have tried to strike a balance between keeping people safe and keeping them employed, New York’s focus was all about perceived safety. Keep in mind, New York City still has the highest number of cases per capita – by far – of any other area in the country. New York has been very selective on what businesses were closed from the start. The subways and other mass transits were allowed to run throughout NYC spreading the disease. This is likely the main reason the number of cases increased for over a month after the lock down started.
My wife and I have been in the gym business for over 30 years and we will continue to “fight the good fight”. We are not in it to win but rather push back against a society that has lost its way. We will do this until we can’t do it any longer.
To my friends in the fitness business: keep up the fight!
