It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Discouragement
Chuck’s 150+ year old description heralding the French revolution is timely. It is easy to become discouraged during this pandemic. Fortunately, I don’t have to look very far to recall privileges to counteract my frustration. The peasants of 1800s western Europe would be thrilled to have my life.
Striving for fitness, or simply maintenance, requires great personal drive during these times. Personal drive–that is all that is required. It should be easy.
Advantages
One advantage of the pandemic is the plethora (I love that word!) of online opportunities to guide you through yoga, aerobics, walking, cycling, and strengthening not to mention meditation, prayer, and relaxation. Then the profusion of cooking shows for healthy and not so healthy eating and drinking. Life is good.
We know what to do. Getting off the recliner is the hard part.
Be kind
Life experience has taught me to avoid unreasonable goals for myself. Likewise, I refuse to berate myself for physical sloth which is, for me, often a sign of impending physical illness. Self-forgiveness is absolutely necessary for sanity.
A lift in my mood propelled me to the yoga mat. Not really. My knees discourage me from getting down on the floor, limiting me to a chair or upright exercises. But a few mini morning salutations, downward dogs, and planks had me feeling refreshed after a short five minutes.
Repeat
Only five minutes. And I was ready to tackle the day. Not that there is much to tackle. But I was ready to find something to initiate.
Into my brain is filed the memory of well-being produced by a short burst of mindful physical activity. Tomorrow, when sloth sets in, I will pull out that memory, rise, and greet the sun.