My physical health is kind of the pits. I’m sure I’ve gained weight these past months (clothes still fit but *just*) and I was already overweight so haven’t made best use of the pandemic slow down to get that under control. Like some others, I’m exhausted! Even though I’ve been on vacation for 4 weeks, the stress and anxiety of what the school year will hold is taxing. I also consume far too much news - difficult because one of my coping mechanisms is researching!

I am quitting coffee this summer, for health benefits. Currently about four weeks in. I am down to about 50 minute naps mid day, instead of two hours! Hope to feel more naturally energized and have a better, more stabile mood, among other things. I have read that it takes up to six months to have the substance completely out of ones system, so I am barely getting started....

JAileen, I miss pandemic cocktails too, but you are right about the sleep! Trying to limit those to once a week.
I take early morning walks to avoid the heat and the sun, and I take Pilates/strength training classes online 3x per week. Looking forward to doing more activity outside in a few weeks when the weather cools.

Dh's coworkers are doing a walking challenge, seeing who can get the most steps per day. Dh didn't join until mid-June, but since then he has been averaging 15K steps or more per day, sometimes a lot more. About half of the guys who started in January have over 1K miles walked so far. Anyway, because Dh had a liver test come back less than ideal and his triglycerides are high, he has taken this opportunity to get healthier. He has adjusted his eating habits and with the exercise, he has lost about 15 lb in the last month.

Because I don't want to be left out, I have increased my activity level, too! I don't enjoy walking, and I have never, ever had a pair of shoes that didn't leave blisters after walking many miles in a day, so I bike about 20 miles a day (trying to increase, but it is hard to find a route that increases mileage slowly instead of all at once). I, too, have adjusted my diet, trying to eat more fruits and veggies and less bread and potatoes. I even downloaded an app on my phone to track measurements and weight. I want my weight to be healthier (so, down), and I want my measurements to be healthier (bigger hip to waist ratio, meaning less abdominal fat).

Even though we aren't doing the same activities, it is nice to both be getting healthier. His group keeps him competitive with the other guys (they all post their steps from their phone app each day), and my charts and graphs keep me accountable, at least to myself. And we're cooking healthier meals for the whole family!

I was thinking this morning during my strength workout at home how lucky and grateful I am to have established this routine 18 months before the pandemic lock down. I have never wanted to be tied to a place to exercise- gym, pool, etc - which is why I was a runner for so many years as it was so easy, with low equipment requirements and I could run most places I traveled. I am not sure I would have started a routine like my current one in the turmoil of the last 5 months, but it's been very helpful to stay the course. Livestream yoga is the best thing to have come out of the lockdown! Never going back in a studio. I also walk several miles 4-5 times a week because it's good for me, but mainly out of boredom. Suburban DC is not consistently a lovely part of the country - I live in an unremarkable suburban area, cross over 10 lane highways twice on my usual routes, and am pretty sick of the walkable miles around here. My husband and I are talking about taking more day trips to hike in state and regional parks in the next few months. I am so desperate for a change of scenery.

My overall feeling lately is ennui. A little depression. Not being able to look forward to anything is very draining. Add unrelenting humidity and over 90F heat, and I just want to sleep.

Echo - you and your husband are doing great. For some reason reading about his 15,000 steps made me think of David Sedaris and his FitBit. He's so funny!

https://www.newyorker.com/maga.....ping-out-3

Laurie, I would like to learn more about your routine. I too live in suburbia and the parks near me are so small that I prefer walking in neighborhoods. So far, I’ve had only one scary encounter with a dog.

I'm depressed , lonely, anxious and bored. I do exercise via zoom twice a week.
I'm really struggling with getting excited about anything these days . I was doing more walking about a month ago but its been so hot and muggy the past few weeks that I can't stand to be outside for more than a few minutes. Today is cooler but raining. I did more baking earlier during the pandemic but found that it was making me gain weight so now if I bake I give most of it away lol. I think the hardest thing for me is the uncertainly of it all and having no end in sight.
We cancelled our vacation and are having a staycation with my daughter and sons coming home , I have ideas of things we can do but I'm just not as enthusiastic as I should be,

Gail, I hear you and can relate so much. I was doing better until mid June, when I got hit with the double whammy of hot and and humid weather arriving, and the loss of my pug Tippi. My mood since then has taken a bad hit. And getting motivated to exercise in the heat wave has been near impossible (we just broke a record for consecutive days over 90 degrees). I'm actually really relieved to have a cooler and rainy day today -- I just sat outside on our covered porch talking with my husband and stepson, and it was so nice not to break a sweat just from *sitting*.

I hope you feel better and find something to get excited about. I am looking forward to a little camping trip next week to break in our new-to-us Airstream camper, but even that is not sparking as much enthusiasm as it would in other years. I know this is a sign of depression. Hugs from afar to you.

One thing that I like with city walking is listening to podcasts. When the walk is not scenic or has become boring I do find a podcast helps. I have listened to crime, comedy, psychology and political.

The not having anything to look forward to is really hard.

I am not depressed, but I am not upbeat like I was last year. Last December I was diagnosed with pacemaker induced cardiomyopathy (heart failure). Late January I had surgery to implant a new pacemaker that would resynchronize my ventricles. Immediately after the surgery I had problems. Woke up from surgery with numb left forearm, left hand and fingers. Was told this was normal for 2 months and to rest arm and hand, ice it, and use compression. I was finally given a script for physical therapy and then everything shut down.

Luckily about a month later (3 months post surgery) I was able to go to physical therapy. At that point I could not bend my fingers at all. 10 weeks of physical therapy I was able to regain some mobility in my hands and fingers. Went to a hand specialist a month ago who is bewildered and had a nerve study done last week. Seeing the hand specialist again next week.

In the meantime I have been doing cardio and mobility exercises on my own (able to stream some videos that I like). Doing my stretches everyday for my entire body for the past few weeks. Until then I only concentrated on my upper body. Keeping my right arm and shoulder strong with exercises I was able to do before the surgery and with left arm can only do 3 to 4 lb bicep curls and using exercise bands for my other upper body exercises since it is hard for me to grip weights and easier to use bands.

I never realized how much I like using exercise bands. They are so versatile that I am incorporating more whole body exercises with them. Plus they are easier for me to grip or wrap around my hand. I use to belong to a gym which I really liked. But after much thought decided not to go back. The virus has played a major role in my decision, but I think I finally figured out that what I need along with strength is mobility My gym and others I had researched promote strength over mobility - a good fit for younger people, but at my age 64 I need mobility, balance, as well as strength.

Hi Carla,
On a negative note: I too am in the same funk as everyone else. I'm bored, tired, overworked even with working at home, plus trying to see my mom on occasion. At one point I thought I was exposed to COVID from work, but have since tested negative.

While I've been trying to be careful with overeating, at one point I noticed have one to many glasses of wine during the week which contributed to some weigh gain.

But on a positive note: I have my health, my hubby, and my two new adopted 8 month old kittens (Luna and Nyx) who have given us so much joy. Plus, my gym instructor reached out to me so we've been doing some hard core HIIT classes and let me say I haven't been this sore since 5-6 months ago. Running has been a miss due to the hot and humid weather here in the East Coast and do miss my strength training, but the advantages of living in a city is that we can walk everywhere.

Stay strong and think positive. We're all in the same boat. Take care all.