Fitness Food and You

As I’m adjusting to this new normal, it’s hard to believe what I’m now feeling ECSTATIC about.

The other day I visited my local mini mart, which has been stocked, surprisingly, with wonderful staples. As I went to reach for the thin, non-absorbent paper towels, I looked up and saw (HOLD ON), a two-pack of BOUNTY. BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS!  REAL PAPER TOWELS!  It seemed like a mirage. I swear, when I reached up for them, I heard the music from “Rocky” buzzing in my ears.

My local super market started implementing social distancing from the onset of this pandemic. Every time I went to the store, I had wait on a long line, and shop in a store with empty shelves and panicked faces. It was so depressing. I hated the experience so much that I started going every 3 weeks and doing a giant shop. Recently, the supermarket started  posting shopping times on (HOLD ON) Open Table. Now, I simply sign onto Open Table, book my shopping time, and off I go. When I get to the store, even if there is a line, I get to go right in.  Cue in “Rocky”.

I called my podiatrist yesterday. My foot has been bothering me and I wanted to make a telehealth appointment. Vanessa, the receptionist, told me that the doctor was also taking (HOLD ON) regular appointments. REGULAR APPOINTMENTS?? You mean the kind of appointment where I can SEE the doctor IN PERSON??? ECSTATIC.

If anyone had told me three months ago that I would feel this passionately about Bounty paper towels, shopping at my local supermarket through Open Table, or seeing my podiatrist, I would have told them that they needed serious help.

Oh, this  new normal!

As many of you know, this epidemic is making us feel like we’re on a giant roller coaster. For me, when this first hit I felt all over the place—anxious, moody and exhausted. My friend sent me a link to zoom—she told me that I could start training people virtually. Training virtually?  Zoom? NO THANK YOU!  Virtual training was NOT or me! A week later, I was training my clients virtually.

Virtual training is fine. It is far from ideal but it keeps us connected and my clients maintain some level of fitness. In the process, I’ve learned  how to be more creative. Often times people have no equipment—I still want them to have a good workout so I had to figure that out.   When there is equipment, I worry about injury, so I’ve learned how to accurately describe the right way to pick up weights.   It’s a lot more work but worth it.

As things have improved here in NY, on Monday, I started seeing a few people outside, on my patio. I moved some equipment  into the sunshine. My table was filled with hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, sunscreen and water. When I got too close, I put on my mask. To protect my boxed-colored hair and face, I wore sunglasses and my signature red, floppy hat. One of my clients laughed so hard at this getup. She said that I looked like a stylish bank robber.

I was overcome with joy seeing people face to face. What I missed so much was the little nuances that I can’t see on zoom. I was able to accurately assess when something wasn’t right, or when I needed to tweak an exercise. It was sublime.

I was one VERY happy,  stylish bank robber!

During this pandemic, I’ve been doing virtual training sessions and nutritional counseling. While it’s far from ideal, I am still able to connect with my clients and watch them make progress and for that I feel extremely fortunate and grateful! For me, feeling connected is what’s keeping me sane.

During these connections, my clients and I have been able to talk and share—we’ve shared our fears, frustrations, and how our new “normal” way of life is wreaking havoc.

One of my clients, let’s call her Maggie, suffered with bulimia, in her early 20’s.  Now, almost 50 years later, Maggie’s eating disorder is re-surfacing. The other night, she had a binge—something she hasn’t done in a very long time. While she didn’t purge, she overloaded on sugar. The next day Maggie could barely hold her coffee cup because her hands were stiff and arthritic. (Sugar is extremely inflammatory—a topic for another blog for sure.)  She is not alone. Other clients and family members are experiencing similar things. Past traumatic events are suddenly knocking on the door wanting to come back in for a visit.

To get more clarity, I spoke with a friend of mine, who is psychologist. I wanted her professional take. She said that in our current situation, the loss of control over various aspects of our lives may bring up earlier traumas involving the same sensation of losing control. The previous trauma could be anything from an acute illness to living with an abusive parent or spouse. Previous negative coping habits, like drinking, drug use, or over eating, may re-emerge. That’s exactly what was happening to Maggie.

The silver lining to Maggie’s story is that instead of self-loathing, she responded with self-kindness. She didn’t beat herself up. Instead, she paused and realized the reality of this pandemic. We are experiencing something that happens once every 100 years. We all are suffering with some form of anxiety and many of us will be triggered from past trauma and will regress.  We have to acknowledge it for what it is, forgive ourselves, and remember that tomorrow is another day.

Often, we hear about random acts of kindness. People doing lovely things for friends, neighbors and/or family members. In this very difficult time, we also have to make sure that we have non-random but DAILY acts of kindness towards ourselves. We need as much self-nurturing as possible.