My community pool opens for lap swimming tomorrow, I’m so excited. We have to reserve a time slot and the locker rooms remain closed, but I’ll be there this weekend. Finally.
Can I just share with you all that after 2 months or so of not working much, I am probably healthier than I’ve been in a long time?
I am (mostly) eating better, because I have time, I’m getting a fair amount of exercise most every day, and I even look better, “COVID hair” and all.
I am working a little more every week, but will likely be back close to full time fairly soon. I hope I can keep up some of the good habits I’ve started, and stay “less stressed.”
Love that!
After the initial shock of the closures, the job loss, the fear of losing our livelihoods, getting COVID…I feel REALLY GOOD. So much less stressed! It’s like summer vacation! It will be sad when it comes to an end!
Another swimmer! Congrats about the pool re-opening! Enjoy!
I am surprised that I am eating better during the last almost 4 months of working from home. I’ve read so much about the weight everyone has gained, but I have actually lost a few pounds. My lunches are MUCH smaller, which helps. At work I approached lunch as though I might never be fed again- and the options from our food service were pretty big portions and high calorie. And the candy jars… I’ve changed my eating schedule up, too. I don’t eat my breakfast until 11, then lunch around 2, and it is usually leftovers or maybe just a PBJ uncrustable. My husband makes a good Hello Fresh dinner and I don’t eat the whole portion. I do eat fruit and have a little dessert, but nothing like the way I cruised the candy jars at work. Not to mention birthday cakes, etc.
In a way, I have been more stressed. My work has been insane- in large part due to virus-related work issues (essential retailer). I try to sit out on my deck for 10 to 20 minutes at least- in the sun- every decent day. I have a reasonable tan and I do believe in the Vitamin D thing for the virus. My running is going well (fingers crossed that I stay uninjured). I find the news and political climate to be stressful and I’m not good at removing myself from things that aggravate and upset me (i.e. some threads on this forum…) I miss my friends at work. I stare at a screen too much and get very video-meetinged out.
But- I’m healthy for now and have a lot of good things in my life!
I did a yoga class today that focuses on hips and hamstrings. I have really upped my yoga since quarantine and was shocked that I did a dhanurasna (bow pose). I was able to grab my ankles and hold the pose!! Consistency pays off!
Yay for the pool opening! Ours is open. We have to sign up in advance, one person per lane, a brief period of the pool being empty so workers can clean. The sign up fills completely. Meanwhile the gym is empty. People feel safe swimming but not in the gym. The lake is also full: lines of cars waiting for it to open in the morning and there is a cap on numbers.
@ClassicMom98 , speaking of swimming, how did you make the leap from water to land? I usually hear about people going the other way, from running to the pool.
I have been working full time, but with no commute I am using the extra time to up my running mileage. In addition, I can take a break (most days) and either walk or do a strength workout. I have kept up the healthy lunches I have been making and have maintained the pre quarantine weight loss.
I am hoping our WFH keeps going for awhile, and that when we do go back I will only need to go into the office a maximum of 2x/week. I’m planning to retire in January (they don’t know that yet) so I might never be back in the office full time.
@Lizardly in HS my favorite PE teacher was the football coach and girls track coach. He recruited the swimmers to run, and I did. I wasn’t anything special in HS. And it is a bit funny, I refused to run the 2 mile because who in their right mind would run that many laps in a circle? Fast forward 12 years and I ran a marathon by myself on a track at 3:50am so I could get to work on time at 8!
I didn’t run much in HS. But once I started college, my sister found a flyer for a marathon in the city where I was born. She wanted to do a road trip and asked me to do it. Idiot me said sure! It was in 6 weeks. I ran 25 mpw and did a long run of 12 miles. Good enough. Lol. I did do well though. Pacing I was good at and my swimming training carried me through. I wound up running a negative split and qualified for Boston. I didn’t even know how far a marathon was when I agreed nor had I heard of the Boston marathon. But I was hooked after that.
Evening 5K run today. I don’t like running. Where’s my barbell? 
@ClassicMom98 That’s amazing and also very funny. I heard stories like that about women running marathons in the seventies. They didn’t know what they were getting into in terms of distance and training, then had great outcomes and were hooked.
So you have done a tri, too? Not training for anything now? Just in it for the mental health benefits? I don’t have your speed, but enjoy endurance sports. Somebody says “hey let’s sign up for this 10k run/2mi swim/100mi bike tour” and I’m in.
Our community swimming pools will not open this year. 
I didn’t check into this thread all day. Some really great and encouraging posts! Also, kudos to everyone’s pandemic eating and exercise achievements!
I too have found the extra exercise during WFH to have been very beneficial both mental health wise and physically. I have averaged about 5 miles per day - 6 or 7 days a week during this time (running and/or purposeful brisk walking) with those 2-a-days. I have also continued to work full time - my position always have a full plate of work daily - but not traveling plus the longer days has helped.
I can’t fool myself though. I can’t keep it up forever because once I go back to the office time gets shorter and I’ll start to get cranky if I can’t find time to do other things I love - and things I am responsible for at home.
Eating wise, I’ve been eating my breakfast about the same time as when at work - about 9am but at home I’ve been only eating a lighter lunch - just haven’t been as hungry mid-day. LOL I loved how @MomofWildChild said it - sometimes at work I could eat a horse at lunch! Dinner has been late - late enough that I have lost some of the need for the evening “snack”.
Good work people!
And OMG @ClassicMom98 ~ running a marathon at a track in the middle of the night!!
Great story. Keep up that exercise.
Your story brought me back to HS. My FroshWorld History teacher, who lived down the street, was also our track and X-country coach. He was always asking me to tryout for XC, but I always blew him off, ‘thanks coach, but I’m a football player.’ 20+ years later, after I had moved away, he heard that I ran Boston, so he reached out (thru family connections), with a short note: ‘Congrats. (And I always told you that you should be a runner.)’
@bluebayou Ahhh- I’m jealous. I’ve tried SO hard to find my high school PE teacher who I adored. I have searched everywhere, but I’ve lost the trail. She’s older than me, obviously, but I think still alive. She would absolutely flip over the fact that I became a distance runner. I used to cheat and cut the corners in hockey (field) practice and PE when we had to run laps. I didn’t see the point of running just to run. I would love to tell her.
Had a tough one today. It just wasn’t my day. Beautiful morning, so can’t blame the weather. 8.2 miles done, but lots of walking breaks after 3 miles. Got it done- somehow. I’ve been doing a lot of miles and just… life catches up with you sometimes.
My friends and I totally failed on the 2 lap route this morning- we kept getting lost! But- we totally succeeded in having a great run (just under 8 miles) together. So it was a win. Add to that - beautiful weather. Win-Win.
@BunsenBurner that’s sad news about the pools! They’ve already made the decision for the whole summer? I guess it makes sense as far as hiring and training staff, but it’s sad!
I am not sure what’s going on with our local pools. Our county is opening up more slowly than some places. I had wanted to practice my swimming or even take some lessons this spring in preparation for open water swimming this summer. There are sometimes lessons nearby for adults who can swim but are not ready for masters level swimming…this was going to be my year to try that out, but it will have to wait.
Good thing I have the trusty rowing machine in the basement.
@orangepurple - yes. Communities around here had no idea when we would be allowed to move from phase 1, so no lifeguard hiring could be done. And frankly, that is a cost saving measure for the municipalities’ bleeding budgets. Sad thing all around. Especially for our young friends who run a swim school. They will be holding a lot of dryland training this year.