After Covid and Getting Back to the Starting Point - Tech, Routine, and Willingness Follow Through

As you know, I got the corona virus just after Thanksgiving (I till don't know how exactly I got it.  I didn't go anywhere prior to that except Home Depot looking for Christmas decoration and picking up Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving at the Grove in Los Angeles).  And it's been heck trying to get back into shape.  I have made progress and I gave myself a generous timeline to do that.  And while I had hoped to "under promise and over deliver", it may look like I need that amount of time to get back to where I was - assuming there is no lingering issues that some recovered Covid patients reportedly experienced.

I jokingly gauged where I was post-Covid based on age - I felt like I was over a hundred by how I was walking in the house.  I would have to rest after getting up from the couch to the kitchen.  Washing dishes required that I pause to ease the pressure off my back.  I had issues breathing through the masks for a few days (I panicked when I though I suddenly was no longer taking on air).  Seven days after showing no symptoms, I felt I was closer to 80-90 range. I was walking better but still had to rest and take naps.  And two weeks later, I was closer to about an average 75 year old.  I was able to take a couple flights of steps but I felt like I was walking on mud.

Routine

During this time, I kept my progress with my Apple Watch and my iPhone and a spreadsheet.  How many steps I took, my heart rate, temperature (not through the watch), and distance I walked, and my blood oxygen level.  I am still doing that now.  It's become a routine for me and I've added other tasks to it as well.  As a matter of act, I've set a goal to create a routine app based on my experience by the end of the year.

Right now, I am starting to run.  I likely lost 10-15 pounds during that time and have gained it back rather quickly.  So, I'm now trying to force myself to get back to where I was pre-COVID-19.  During the month of November, I had ran at least 1 mile per day.  I am trying to get back into that.  

The Tech

Since this is a tech blog, I have to really note how helpful wearable technology is today.  The Apple Watch with its health sensors, especially with the oxygen sensor, was critical to my time while I was sick and the recovery period.  It's not perfect.  Health features in wearables, regardless of weather it is the Apple Watch or Fitbit devices, are in the early stages.  And I'm happy to note that there are other companies in this realm and that our choices will not just be Apple and Google.

The Follow Through

Beyond tech and building a routine, what is required to make it all work is the will to make it all happen. I am proud of how I have decided to make sure I recovered completely and get back to my pre-Covid level and surpass it.  A few friends and I do an annual guy trip that involved participating in an official 5K or 10K run before the pandemic and we will do it again after it is all over and I want to make sure I hold my own.  

It is not simply that I have said to myself "I need to get my health back" or "I want to get back to my physical level" but that I carrying it out and making it happen.  Just have to do it.  

If you're like me or just have a desire to get somewhere, physically or mentally, I suggest you do this next.  Whatever it is that you need or want to do to make it happen, go do it now.  Starting doing burpees, clean your room, or just get out of the house.  That'll be your day one.  And let's see you follow through with day 2.  Sounds simple but it is not.  It is going to be different for everyone.  Get an app or use a calendar and start logging your progress.

Just start on something.