When I started reading the data regarding COVID-19 and its effects on the chronically ill and elderly, the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum immediately came to mind. Selfishly, I located myself on the continuum to see where I would fall if I contracted the virus. Then I started placing my family on the chart—then my friends, co-workers, patients and box family. I have talked about this chart before and used it to point out to my patients the importance of moving past wellness. I also have studied change and what makes people change, and in October of 2017, I wrote the following.
“I have continued to ask patients about their ability to change and what makes or made them change. The key theme is generally a major life event, whether it be a diagnosis or another event. What is sad about this change is that it is generally a little late in the game, especially after a diagnosis such as diabetes. Granted, diabetes is reversible and it’s never too late to change to get great benefits, but preventing diabetes is even a better plan, which requires early change. But how? How do we get people to not only see a need to change, but to MAKE the change and make it early and stick with it? People, including myself, have the mentality of ‘this will never happen to me.’ Why do we think we are immune? We see the people around us and the things that happen to them, but we put ourselves in this bubble of immunity. So, maybe the process of change should come with the realization that WE ARE NOT IMMUNE.”
The recent COVID-19 outbreak definitely is an eye-opener that we are not immune and that this should be a time for us to evaluate where we are on the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum. This is also a time to invest in our own health and make the changes we need to move as close to fitness as we can.
Many are undergoing quarantine and restrictions on activity, but this is not a time to be sedentary. This is the prime time to invest in all aspects of your health, including spiritual and emotional health. Stress can lead to and exacerbate any disease process. Therefore, it’s important to have a plan in place to step away from the hype, the media and social media. You may choose to read, walk, write, play a game, etc. This will be different for everyone, but the important point is to establish a plan to refresh your mind, just as you do your body.
That leads me to the next point: physical health. Change is most likely going to occur in people when they have accountability. Therefore, I don’t think relying on yourself to do home workouts and exercise is productive for most. You won’t have the accountability you’ll need.
I encourage you to invest in a method for accountability. This could be a group of friends that meets online, a family support system that holds each other accountable or a remote coaching group that offers online classes and 1:1 daily check-ins. The options you choose will vary, but I think we all know we need to change and we need to do our part in keeping ourselves as close to fitness as possible. Let this current worldwide pandemic be your eye-opener and your reason to change.
Inspiration provided by CrossFitPalestine.com.
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