My Journey With Weight Loss – The Impacts of the Pandemic

Per the advice of my coach today I bumped up my 8 interval times from 2:00 minutes of walking/2:00 minutes of running to 1:30 minutes of walking/2:30 minutes of walking. Got through those intervals without wanting to quit. I know, there are still small intervals of running but if you told me a year ago that I would be running for 20 minutes during a workout I would have thought you were crazy. Seriously, a year ago I would have laughed at the concept that I would be working out.

So let’s talk pandemic. My family has taken COVID-19 very seriously. As my 2 siblings who live with us have very serious health issues we really didn’t have a choice. The first 3 months of the pandemic I barely left my house unless it was for a necessary appointment or shopping. Even now going out remains a luxury and we are very careful to check into COVID protocols before we go into any premise. I found the spring and summer weren’t too bad. I had started walking by June and I found it was amazing of just having social interaction by saying hello to someone who walked passed you (and the vast majority of the time I got a hello in return). As a matter of fact walking the beach on the promenade early in the morning I soon realized there was a large number of us that were passing each other each day. It didn’t take long for that simple hello to become smiles, waves and how are you doing today. We are lucky here as we have a beautiful promenade by the bay that allows for plenty of social distancing. It helped me keep sane and motivated me to keep walking.

During this time we also had the 7pm noise. Our little neighbourhood hit the street every night at 7pm to acknowledge the work being done by first responders. Every night one neighbour would play O’Canada on his guitar and we banged our pots and pans. There are many kids in this neighbourhood and all of them love our dogs so each night the dogs got lots of cuddles and treats. We even had several nights where a friend of mine came by and made balloon animals for all the children (and some of the adults). We were all cognizant of social distancing but it was just nice that every night there was someone to talk to. By the end of the summer we had gone from being a neighbourhood to being a tight group of friends. We were way past giving a quick wave hello to the point where we have all stepped up to help and care about one another. Sadly, as the weather turned and our COVID restrictions were tightened so that we are only allowed to be with people from our own household, standing far apart on the sidewalk getting caught up on occasion was the best we could do.

But there are good things that have come out of the pandemic. For me it was not just about getting to know all these friends but it was got me moving. Once I started my daily walks I realized how wonderful that fresh air felt and it became addictive to be outside. By the end of the summer I had the darkest tan I think I have ever had in my life (though note, walking during the summer always involves strong sunscreen, sun glasses and a hat) and I can’t wait for the weather to be a little better so that I can go back to those outdoor walks and to get off that treadmill in my garage.

There has been a major downside to changing so significantly physically during the pandemic. Unfortunately, no one sees me. Ok, occasionally I might run into someone but mostly it is just my family. Don’t get me wrong they have been very encouraging about how I look but they see me every day. Ego wise, it does a lot when I bump into someone I haven’t seen in a while.

I guess ultimately I have to be grateful for this pandemic. It got me moving and me to truly enjoy this beautiful city that I live in.