With at least one week behind us for many of us to be homebound, we are likely facing at least a few more weeks ahead…jokes and funny cartoons on social media have been rampant about endless eating and inevitable weight gain…

Yes, no doubt, it would be so easy to gain five pounds (or more) in the next month and blame it on the coronavirus…you are so stressed out, you need to reward yourself with cookies/wine/chips/etc…the gym is closed…what else is there to do…you’re bored…you deserve it during this difficult time. NO. These are just excuses. Gaining or losing (or maintaining) weight during the next several weeks is one thing that is completely in your control!   You just need to make up your mind then stick to a plan. My plan is to come out of this a few pounds lighter. Here’s my strategy…

Every morning I go for a run – at first it was just around the block, then twice around, then day three I ran to Belmont Center and back, about a mile…I am NOT a runner. I do not enjoy it. What I do enjoy is being outside, and also I also love knowing that I am pushing myself…most recently I completed two miles (with a few stops to catch my breath) and my poor legs were so sore all day that every time I sat down, it was “Oh, fuck!” from the soreness…that is a good thing. 🙂

After the run I head immediately to my bedroom to do about 20 minutes of weight training…abs, shoulders, biceps, etc…seen here is a shoulder raise I do balancing on one leg which also makes it core strengthening…

With my morning workout behind me, I am incentivized not to ‘waste it’ by overeating…I eat a healthy breakfast, a salad with protein for lunch and/or a bowl of soup, a healthy dinner with salad (low carb), and lots of veggies…minimal snacking – yogurt, lots of water, lots of green tea. While tequila is my alcohol of choice, I am trying (key word, trying) to adhere to a few non-drinking nights per week. We’ll see how that goes…;-)

One recent day as we were putting away groceries, I told Peter we didn’t have enough arugula and other salad stuff, though he assured me that we had plenty…well, plenty if it was pre-coronavirus and we ate salad at home 3-4 times/week MAX….with our new way of life we are making salad FOURTEEN times/week! Holy moly…

So ladies, you can look at this as an opportunity – an opportunity to start a new exercise regime, and an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. We can’t control what’s happening in the world around us, but we can control how much we exercise and what we eat. Feeling in control is a good thing!

Not a pretty picture, but this is a picture of strength and commitment.

When life resumes back to normal we will have summer, and yes, we will have beach days. Take a look in your closet – remember those cute outfits from last year? White jeans, crop tops, your favorite spring dresses? There are lots of clothes in my closet that I am dying to wear again, and I will make damn sure that they all fit!

The Bottom Line: This coronavirus is scary and serious, taking the lives of many people of all ages. In the grand scheme of things, is being in great shape so important? Of course not – BUT – while my focus is always on ‘looking good’, this obsession also greatly contributes to being healthy.

With so little that we can control these days, it feels good to control something that gives you direct, personal, and positive results. Anybody with me out there???