I don’t know what you’re doing right now. You might be sat at home on your sofa, coffee in hand, revving yourself up for your next workout. Or you might be ‘working from home’, when in reality you’re sat there, beer in hand, staring into space and wondering- what even is life. Or maybe you’re like me and you’re trying really hard not to fall into the latter, and at times - are miserably failing.
Covid seems to have affected everyone in different ways. Some people are thriving under some rest and newfound freedom. Others are finding themselves lonely and feeling a little lost. One thing that’s apparent is people react in different ways. To those that are doing everything imaginable to fill their time with hard work and training, with learning new languages and endless reams of housework, I commend you- but I think there is something to be said for learning to pause and rest when it’s offered to us. And to those, pulling away slightly from community, rolling out of bed in the afternoon and getting to the evening realizing you’ve done nothing- there’s something within our emotional and mental well being that requires us to be productive, to not waste time, and simply put- to be doing things. There’s a lot as athletes and non-athletes alike, we can learn from both of these sides.
As a runner and athlete, it is not a nice thing to be told that the season that you’ve just spend months and months preparing for, is now completely up in the air. The hours you spent running, lifting, stretching, training, climbing- the early nights and the even earlier mornings, the number of times when you just got on and did it, even when you didn’t want to. And then to be told that you might not even get to use what you’ve gained. The event you’d spend months in anticipation of, cancelled, postponed. The plan out the window. Not only that but training places closed down, your running buddies you’re not allowed to see. If you’re not a runner and you’re reading this you may not understand. But when you invest vast amounts of time into something, and that thing is taken away, it feels like a waste. But that’s the first point I want to make…
1) Your training is not a waste!
Committing to exercise is a long term, life-long commitment. You could get really fit for 2 years, do some awesome things, run some great events- but in 5 or 10 years if you’re back to where you started; then what was the point? Sure we all hit points in our lives when we backslide a little, but exercise should be a habit. Since we’re looking at long term goals, look beyond the race that got cancelled. You’ve now got more time to prepare! So that sub 1hr 10km you wanted to hit, why not go for sub 50mins?! That Half Marathon you wanted to do, why not go for a full? Stop finding excuses and carry on training. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
2) Productivity is not the same as perfection
Can we just get real for a moment? How many of us came into isolation all revved up- planning 3 workouts a day, 40 mile weeks and (finally) getting around to stretching twice a day? And how many of us have rigidly stuck to this? Having a plan will make you more productive. But having a day every now and then where you just watch Netflix and eat some chocolate is okay. You have not then ruined your training plan or suddenly become unfit. You have listened to your body, and learnt when to stop. And if you love exercise as much as me, that’s not always an easy thing to do. However, that is NOT a reason to continue like that. Take a day or even 2, and then you get back on your plan. Don’t lose those habits!
3) Stop Comparing!
Comparison is a killer. The number of home workouts, runs, exercises and whatnot I’ve seen on social media lately is crazy. Use them well- take ideas, try workouts, let them inspire you to work hard and have fun. But don’t assume anything about anyone’s workout habits from them, and certainly don’t hold yourself to the standard that’s on the screen, because you don’t know what’s behind it. Look at where your fitness is and find the right balance between enjoyment and discipline. Workout, train and move because you want to, because you know it’s good for you physically, emotionally and mentally- and not because you’re holding yourself to a standard that either isn’t true, or because you feel bad because it seems like everyone else is. If you do that, you’ll only ever feel like you’re failing. Find your own reasons why, and then get on it.
Covid isn’t going last forever, build good habits, keep moving, and don’t ever lose your love of exercise. Stay safe, stay sane but most importantly- Stay Home!
Until next time!