The Covid-19
A new year is upon us. We can take a deep breath and hope that we don’t ever have to live another year like that one EVER again. Most of us are struggling to keep our heads above water. We are walking into the new year, looking back at our holidays and wondering, “was that it?” Most of us tried to find tradition in the untraditional but it really wasn’t there. And as the year came to an end, our ability to say no to that extra glass or three of wine became a struggle. And when we bought a box of chocolates as a present and opened it on the drive home, finishing it before we got home…well fuck this year. So now we are dealing with those extra pounds which we can now call the Covid-19, let’s only hope it’s as easy to lose them as it was to gain them.
It is about time we look ahead instead of looking back. What happened in 2020 can stay in 2020, seriously. Our clothes might be tighter than we’d like, and that’s alright. Our motivation to get back into the gym and get our asses kicked might be a bit of a struggle, and that’s alright. Our nightly habits of dessert before and after dinner might be more of a disguise to just eat candy, and that’s alright. But we can’t let that be our excuse to jump into 2021 with optimism and goals. We can’t let the struggles and challenges of the past weigh us down into the future. The good news is, we still have a few more months where leggings and sweat pants are acceptable. And puffy coats and layers are the dress code for every social gathering.
So now we get to start the new year and evaluate what really matters. We need to put ourselves first and decide what is worth changing and what makes us truly happy. We need to get rid of the idea that things are either good or bad. Most of our decisions are going to sit in the grey area. We can have an extra helping of dinner, but make sure you really wanted it and didn’t eat it just because. We can drink a glass of wine every night, but make sure you enjoy it and didn’t just pour it because the bottle was open. We can skip our morning workout…never mind, don’t skip the morning workout, that might be the easiest and best decision of your entire day.
Don’t overwhelm yourself with health and fitness goals that are only going to make you more stressed out. Or goals that are unattainable at the moment or even this year. Start from the basics, find success and add to it.
-Get outside for 30 minutes every day.
-Workout for at least 30 minutes, three times a week.
-Get eight hours of sleep a night (if you can’t sleep that long, be in bed with no electronics).
-Eat 20 grams of protein at every meal.
-Eat as many vegetables as you can, just be aware of dressings, dips and sauces.
-Drink at least 75 ounces of water daily.
-Limit alcohol consumption, especially calorie dense cocktails and beer.
-Put electronics and distractions away during meals.
These habits are a great way to get the year started. Give yourself a break and allow yourself to enjoy the times that you get out for a walk or an outdoor beverage. If you can nail these few basic habits for three or four weeks, then add a new habit. But use this time to restart, recharge and reevaluatere, start off by accomplishing the little things. Maybe even add in a time limit to social media. Maybe add in reading a book every evening. Maybe add in a weekly dance party.
Just because the new year has started doesn’t mean we are going to have all the answers or less stress or more sleep at night. Our kids are still at home most days. Our social gatherings consist of one friend outside and hopefully a fire pit. Don’t over complicate, don’t punish, don’t abuse. The overindulgences of a holiday season filled with isolation and lost traditions was hard enough. It is time to be easy on ourselves and start back to the basics. Don’t exhaust yourself with more things to do. Sometimes making it until the end of the day is the best we can do.