Gym-spiration – I Need Some

Two years ago I joined Planet Fitness, determined to get out of my funk of being overweight and exhausted. I had a goal of getting my body back to where it was in my twenties. Now being in my 40s, I realize that was quite a lofty goal, nonetheless I worked hard at it. Because of certain health issues that I have, including COPD and asthma, it does make it hard to keep up with workouts the way healthier people would. I was actually proud of myself because I was going to the gym 5 days a week without fail and continuously upping my workouts to beat my personal bests. I did end up losing about 20 lbs, gaining a lot of strength but not a lot of tone. I still had quite a few inches of fat to lose.


Then the pandemic hit. In March and April, all of our gyms started closing down. Membership fees were frozen until an unknown reopening date. I went ahead and canceled mine because I didn’t want to be surprised with a membership fee when they decided to reopen. During that time of being stuck at home, no longer able to go to the gym which was directly between home and my office, which had also shut down, my motivation went to shit. Now I was waking up to walk 20 steps to my desk where I sat for 10 to 11 hours everyday only to walk 20 steps back to bed at the end of my shift. Working at home redefined a sedentary lifestyle. The pounds came back quickly. The energy left quickly.


Now that the gyms are open again, I have been trying to get back on the path albeit slowly. My lack of energy makes it difficult, as does no longer passing by the gym on the way to the office and back home. Now instead of ending my shift at 8:00 p.m. and going to bed, it means actually getting dressed for the gym, driving down there, wearing myself out, and driving back home. When you haven’t really left the house for 8 months, that’s a heck of a chore. I know that one option would be to wake up a couple hours early and go work out before I start my shift but I’m always leery of doing that because anything could happen to make me late for work. I am no stranger to flat tires and dead batteries. I’m also no stranger to back injuries which lay me up for a few days at a time. One wrong move and my scoliosis reminds me it’s there.


I desperately want to get back to my 5-day a week workout routine. The trouble is finding the energy and motivation to do so. I suppose I do have the motivation in being sick and tired of looking the way I do. I know that the more weight I lose the more energy I will have. So what’s my problem? I think once I got into the gym habit it was easy to go. It was my personal time, my alone time, and I looked forward to it. The lockdown broke that habit however and now it is extremely difficult trying to get back into it.


For those of you who continue to go to the gym, I would love to hear what inspires you to keep at it. Let me know in the comment section below what motivates you to be your best self.

Work At Home Bliss

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend, whether in person or virtually. Just remember to cherish every moment and remember this won’t last forever.


As we both work in a medical industry by proxy of their third party call centers and are therefore considered essential employees, my roommate K and I began working from home in March. Florida went largely into lockdown and those who wanted to work on site for whatever reason did so at their own risk. By April, among those who remained in the office, we already had at least one positive covid case reported. That drove the rest of us home.


Recently, K was offered the chance to return to working at her office and after weighig the options, decided to continue working from home. I also had the same opportunity (different company, same field), and considered going back, if only for the air conditioning. My pros and cons list ended up overwhelmingly skewed toward staying at home. Take a look:


PROS:
• No commute / savings on gas
• Not having to socialize
• More self-directed work
• Vape at my desk
• Much better mood
• 2 seconds from the bathroom
• Dressing comfortably
• More time to handle personal business on lunch
• Can eat at my desk
• Only contact with supervisors is through chat / email
• No loud coworkers
• My cats lower my stress
• Naps / showers on lunch (self-care, man)


CONS:
• No AC in the summer (house just doesn’t have it)
• Inconsiderate neighbors


So yes, much happier being at home and running my own show than having to deal with the drudgery of actually having to go in.


What about you? Has your work environment changed? Are you working from home when you used to work in an office? Do you still work on site and are you concerned about your safety in having to go in? Please share your experiences in the comments!