There’s been so much talk about taking care of ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t know about you but I’m feeling emotionally drained. It’s hard to get motivated to do the things I normally do to stay fit and strong. Strength training has been erratic. Cardio has been not as vigorous as usual. TV watching is up; exercising is down. Eating is up; vegetable consumption is down. This is a challenge, that’s for sure.
I am struggling with my emotions, fluctuating from feeling fine to feeling grief and sadness and then moving on to anxiety. Such a great time, really.
Are you fighting the same battles? I think many of us are struggling with taking care of ourselves.
I’ve been trying to think of what I can do to increase my motivation and improve my emotional well-being. Here’s some ideas.
Podcasts
I’m trying to keep myself in a positive frame of mind so I’m trying to listen to upbeat, inspiring podcasts or just entertaining ones. I’m avoiding those that are scary or gloomy.
Here’s an idea: pick out a few old episodes of Fit Strong Women over 50 and listen to them.
I’m hoping to one day be able to resume traveling so I may listen to Janet Palcko discuss her adventure on the Camino de Santiago. There’s also the talk with Denise Wakeman about adventure travels. I think setting a travel goal for the future might be an incentive to stay active.
If you’re struggling with eating, check out some of the episodes we’ve had about healthy eating. If you’re feeling unmotivated, look at some of the episodes about motivation.
Blog
Don’t forget that there’s also the blogposts on the Becoming Elli website. Do some reading to help inspire you.
There are many posts so use the search feature to figure out what you want to read.
You can find lots of posts about food, exercise, and motivation.
Meal Planning
This might be a good time to plan your meals in advance. If you know what you’re going to eat, you might be tempted to restrain yourself from junk food.
Check out some of the recipes in our Fitness Food recipe e-book if you’re stumped for ideas.
Since most of us are avoiding grocery stores, doing as much planning ahead as we can is probably a good idea anyway.
I find myself wondering what I can do with what I have on hand. I recently found My Fridge Food, an interesting website where you select the ingredients you have on hand and it gives you recipe ideas.
Daily Goals
If thinking about traveling or what you’re going to do some time in the future isn’t working for you, try to set daily goals.
I have committed to hitting my 10,000 steps per day. I wear my Fitbit and try to keep track of what I’m walking.
I’ve also tried to do something fitness related every day. Sometimes that is just going for a walk (see how that ties in with the first goal?) Other days, I do some cardio such as going for a run or riding my indoor bike. I’ve also tried to do some online exercise classes. They’re better than nothing but they do make me miss my gym.
Staying in Touch
I am not a person who talks a lot on the phone but lately I find myself calling people just to check in. Emailing people is also good. Even a quick text is a good idea.
We need to keep our social networks alive even as we isolate ourselves.
A friend of mine started an online book club so we’re going to meet via Zoom to discuss the book. That should be fun.
The Becoming Elli community has had a couple Zoom get togethers. It’s been enjoyable to hear what others are doing and to put faces to names.
Conclusion
Let me know what you’re doing to stay fit and strong. I think that means in ways beyond the physical too. Are you exercising? If so, what are you doing? Are you figuring out healthy ways to eat? We need to support each other as we work on taking care of ourselves.