The Tools & Resources I’ve Used During COVID to Keep My Sanity and Get My Health Back
BY MICHAEL SICURANZA
This week, I posted on Facebook that I have lost close to 15lbs this year – 25lbs lost while in the office and 10lbs gained while working at home. I was joking but there was a fair amount of truth in this statement. I am a creature of process and that process was disrupted for the first few months. I ate more than normal – especially baking – something I never do. Whether it was stress, boredom or just being out of my normal routine, I let myself go health-wise and put on 15lbs or so going into the late spring / early summer.
Here are the techniques, tools and thoughts that helped me and continue to help me. Obviously, I am not a doctor (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night) so consult with your physician and be smart about diet and exercise.
Develop a New Normal Plan – First thing I did was prioritize what was important to me on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. I went back to that time-honored tradition of time blocking. Every Sunday night I look at the calendar and time block my fitness, client work, homeschooling kids etc. Knowing that I have blocked off and set aside time for the things that are really important reduced my stress level significantly. It allowed me to get a lot done without sacrificing myself in the process. I guess not a surprise – gee the financial planner telling me to have a plan, lol.
Walk Everyday – Erin and I have made it part of our routine to get those 10,000 steps per day. I usually break it down into a early morning walk, midday and evening. Each timeslot helps me in different ways. Morning inspires me, midday resets me and evening relaxes me. Walking becomes important especially if you are trapped at a dining room table all day on Zoom calls.
Strength Train – This has been a lifesaver for me. I’m fortunate to have bought home gym equipment several years ago. Everyone at all ages should lift. Bone health, flexibility and muscular strength are essential to living a great life. Oh, did I mention that strength training burns more calories than time on the treadmill? Had a stressful day – lift. Had a great day – lift. Erin and I try to get 3-4 days per week in with Sat/Sun being my hard days. We keep it simple – squat, deadlift, barbell press and chin-ups. Here are some of the online resources that I’ve used to help with my technique and knowledge around why people should lift.
Get Your Protein – It doesn’t matter what type of diet you subscribe to – keto, paleo, vegan, whole30 – studies show that Protein intake is the most important macronutrient when it comes to weight loss. I don’t understand the science behind it, but it seems that all diet zealots agree on this one thing. Initially, I was using MyFitnessPal to track my protein and calorie intake but I found it to be lacking. Then I switched to Carbon Diet Coach app and my progress took off. It is specific to my goals and makes adjustments based upon the data I input. It was created by a PHD. I will diet for 3-4 weeks and then go back to maintenance calories for a week or 2. Rinse and repeat. The nice thing about this style of dieting is that I’ve planned to go back to maintenance around the holidays – so I’ve eliminated the guilt of eating lasagna at Christmas.
Be Grateful – At the end of everyday I try to remember who and what I’m grateful for. Sometimes it is really big things like health. Other times it is something small like a story one of my daughters told me. Keeping a positive mindset and being thankful is hard and requires regular attention.
These were some of the things that I did during these difficult times to get back on track. What did you do? I’m always looking for new ideas – email me and let me know.