Conditioning check-in and the mental drain of COVID-19

The last time I wrote about conditioning was before the widespread lockdown for COVID-19. I was excited about the workouts at the gym and getting a chance to run outside with the better weather. Then, the bottom fell out of everything as we adjusted to a new life with gyms closed, stay at home orders, and fear of the COVID-19 virus.

As with everyone else on the planet, this new reality has been a tough adjustment for me and those I know. We’re bombarded with daily bad news and worried about our loved ones, especially those in the most vulnerable populations. It creates a negative environment that is tough to overcome.

Most of the past 6 weeks have involved outdoor running and biking which are allowed under Colorado rules. There’s a nice bike route I’ve been doing that goes from Littleton to Chatfield. I inserted the route at the bottom of this post. In April, I saw bald eagles on this ride and am almost always guaranteed to see other wildlife like hawks and, of course, bunnies. My strength training has really suffered since I still find it difficult to get motivated to do core workouts at home…there really is no good excuse. It is what it is.

The biggest challenge is keeping motivated to workout during the pandemic. There are days I find myself curling up on the sofa with no energy and watching TV all day. It’s triggered from the daily, depressing news and the overall pandemic environment. There are no easy ways out of that mood, so I’ve started letting it happen now and then, following it up with rides and runs. It’s my version of taking Tanya’s advice about letting ourselves be human.

Of course, it’s important to remember how great we still have it. Thinking of Josue in Costa Rica always brings a smile as he is the most positive person I’ve ever met and his enthusiasm is more infectious than COVID-19! Everyone I know and love is safe, almost all of them still have their jobs, and I’m lucky enough to be in a position to occupy my time with writing this blog. These are all great reasons to keep a positive outlook.

With that in mind, I’m going to keep at the running, biking, hiking and backpacking, doing what I can within the new guidelines we live by. And if things get to be too much now and then, that’s ok too. Hopefully you can do the same! Hmmm, I didn’t make any promises about getting back to those core workouts at home. 🙁

As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues used to say, “Let’s be careful out there“.