How to do ‘Well-being’

Today I read an article in The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/01/quarantine-giving-you-headaches-back-pain-and-more/617672/) that not only must we fear getting seriously sick from the coronavirus, the virus is wreaking havoc on our health even if we don’t actually contract it. It made me think about some basic principles that I live by..

Here’s a video where I talk about them:

“For many people, the physical ramifications of a year or more in isolation will be temporary, or at least largely reversible. For some, though, the accumulated toll of the pandemic’s disruptions to daily life could be deadly, the piece read.

Health effects for all ages range from upper shoulder and neck stiffness, eye problems from staring at screens too much, to loss of muscle strength and balance due to loss of exercise among children and older adults. In addition there are the mental stresses arising out of fear of the virus and dramatic changes in school, work and family dynamics because of lockdowns and remote learning and work. Even heart attacks are on the rise and tied to the coronavirus.

“We are all alone and no one can save us.”

This was something my Mother-in-law told me. These were the words an instructor wrote on a board the very first day of her master’s program in social work.

It is an act of freedom to release everyone else from the burden of taking care of you and to declare you are in charge of how you want to feel about yourself.

These words are a gift. Once you take full responsibility for your mental, physical and emotional health, you get to define what good or great health is.. You get to decide the actions to take that will lead to good or great health and you get to decide when you are there or forgive yourself for not being perfect.

Movement

Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.

Aldous Huxley

I have been a runner for nearly 40 years. I started running to vent feelings of helplessness when my mom was diagnosed and died of cancer.

I discovered a love of the rhythmic alternation of my legs and arms as I moved across the ground, the sound of my heart in my chest and my breathing. It was only years later I learned how important movement is to our overall health. Movement pushes chemicals through our bodies and brains and activates positive physical and psychological connections. For me, movement spurs problem solving, new questions and joy. Even during the pandemic coronavirus, or, maybe especially because of COVID-19, getting outside and taking in all the vitamin D you can is essential to your overall health.

I live in Michigan. It gets cold and crappy here. But there are very few days where getting outside is the most miserable idea ever. Clothing is no longer a barrier to enjoying outdoor activities. Clothing companies like Fjallraven, Oros, Elvine, and others make apparel that keeps out the cold and the dampness no matter how cold and crappy it is outside. Layers, coats, hats, gloves and shoes are no longer limiting factors in enjoying the outdoors. Visit your local outdoor outfitter, REI or running shop for appropriate clothing that helps you get outside.

Flexibility is the new black

What do you do if your favorite gym is closed due to the coronavirus? What if you’re not even a gym person?

A silver lining in the pandemic is the explosion of very good fitness apps so you can workout at home. And many local gyms and yoga studios have adapted to provide online training, from personal workouts to spin and barre classes. One local gym in Ann Arbor, Vie Fit even lent out their spin bikes so you could take virtual spin classes. And personal trainer Kaylin Russeau built a “shred shed” in her backyard and shares fitness training for all levels online. And there are hundreds more people a Google search will reveal to allow you to feel connected with experts who can guide you with smart and affordable programs.

I use an app called Sworkit that allows me to customize hundreds of workouts covering all levels and aspects of fitness. Workouts without weights, with weights, kettlebells, resistance bands, yoga, stretching, workouts for abs, shoulders and backs, arms, legs and glutes. Elin, my wife likes an app called Sweat and I’ve also used apps from Adidas and Nike to add variety to my workouts.

I also have found some great people on Youtube. Here are some of my favorites:

Frank Medrano

Caroline Girvan

Travis Elliot

Adriene Mishler

You might think that you are too out of shape to even try any workouts with these apps and these people. I urge you to explore. With Sworkit if I’m tired or sore I can do lighter or shorter workouts. Most of these apps allow you to select a time for each exercise, from 15 seconds to a minute and they have different levels–beginner, intermediate and advanced so you can find where you fit.

Even if you don’t feel comfortable at the beginner level, start somewhere. Big growth doesn’t happen overnight. It happens over time with little actions applied consistently over time.

Consistency

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.

J.P. Morgan

While some of the greatest minds in history say “consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” I do believe continuous application of good behaviors and principles over time yield the best results. Big, dramatic changes rarely stick.

This means that you don’t have to pressure yourself to bench press 300 lbs. or do 50 push-ups tomorrow. Or walk 30 minutes at once. Start where you are and add. Even 15 minutes of walking offers benefits. And these little steps build over time to enhance your well-being and encourage more.

When I was training for my marathons and my 50k, I did long runs or 20-30 miles. I included short walk breaks once each hour, maybe five minutes at most to extend my ability to complete the distance. Science proves me right too.

I’m reminded of my favorite quote of all time:

Beware the fury of the patient man.

John Dryden

Be the person you want to be

The reason many diets don’t work, I believe, is they ask us to be people we aren’t. I learned a while back that if I want to grow my well-being, I need to see myself as a healthy person. If I take on the identity of a healthy person, I can act as a healthy person would.

A healthy person embraces the habits of good health. Sure, I occasionally fail epically. Can you say “cookies!” But I get back up and reinforce the image of myself as a healthy person committed to improving my overall well-being. I find that trying to be the person I envision as healthy helps me get over the speedbumps that might get in the way. I might miss one day working out but I rarely miss two. I might eat an entire container of fig newtons one day but I will work out harder and eat better the next.

“You are what you do,” psychologist Gordon Livingston says. Ask yourself, whom do you want to be?

A disclaimer

I am not trying to hold myself up as some paragon of fitness. I most certainly am not. And contrary to what you might think, maintaining my health and improving my well-being has not been a cakewalk for me.

I’ve suffered from depression and intense sadness. In 2011 I had my left kidney removed after kidney cancer was discovered. That same year I suffered my first DVT, blood clot, and I’ve had two more in the succeeding years. I suffer from asthma that makes two of my passions, running and cycling, a bitch.

Then again, my doctor has called me “a recovery machine” and he and I both believe it was all those miles and all the habits that, while they didn’t prevent the cancer, allowed me to recover quickly. Thirty days after the laparoscopic surgery that took out my kidney, I was back running. And I’ve been cancer free ever since (can I get a big “knock on wood”?)

I realize I might look like an ass in this video and in this post. Ok. I can handle that. If even one person who reads this or watches the video is moved to make a positive change, I’ll be okay with it.