I used to get a load of incidental exercise. But after a year of working from home, slacking off from the at-home star jumps, and moving no further than the distance between the bed and the armchair in the room next door, I developed a chest infection that has taken four courses of antibiotics to interrupt. X-rays and CT scans all clear thank goodness. My GP's orders were clear however - I needed to start running.

So I have started running. My suffering is positively existential, but mid forties is definitely the other side of "I'll deal with it later", and the cemented chest infection is a proper scare on this front. Things are on the up.

How is everyone else holding up with this stuff after year suck?

I'm doing well with my physical health tbh. My wrestler friend gave me the workout he uses when there's no gym in sight and I do that every other day, then just get my steps in on the spare days. I might find something more strenuous cardiowise for those empty days now the weather has turned.

I dread to think what the last eighteen months would have done to me were I an unhealthy eater. A few people I know have really gone off the cliff edge.

I am very fortunate I have a park 1/4 mile from my house that my wife and I have been running in since this shit started. It's .5 miles each lap so easy to keep track, though I kept it to 30 minutes at a time, cuz I really don't like running any longer.

The running combined with some home workouts and surfing (when beaches opened again), I've managed to only gain 7-8 pounds, which are slowly coming off; at 49 it's a little harder to stay as slim as I'd like. I usually gain 5 lbs over winter anyway.

Mentally I fared fine. I was never worried really, and was pretty careful even though I worked with the public the whole time. I masked, distanced, &c, as much as possible. My wife was kind of a wreck for much of the past 14 months. My son, too.

I am convinced we (the royal we) went through a low-grade yet prolonged trauma, the long-term results of which remain to be seen.

Be well all.

When my industry was shut down over a year ago, I was able to resume a routine of daily 10k walks or runs, and alternate that with swimming once the pools reopened. Come November when work resumed full time, like memory foam, I became a blob once again. I would still squeeze in a swim on the weekends but it made nary a difference. At 53, it is a seriously uphill battle to remain fit when you are sitting for a 14 hour work day. The job that began in November just finished a few weeks ago so I am back to the swimming and walking schedule. Also, making a change to my work station so that I can stand instead of sit, if desired.

I was a runner, then a triathlete from about 2011 - parts of 2016. Life happened, and I gave up swimming and cycling, and eventually gave up running, and got fat again slowly during 2019 and 2020. So it goes.

Late 2020 I started trying to slowly work back into shape, and I’m happy that I’ve been able to keep at it. There is a substantial difference between getting in shape in your mid 30’s vs. your mid 40’s, but I’ve graduated from wanting to be able to run again to now being person who runs 5 times per week, doesn’t hate it and sometimes looks forward to it like I used to. One literal step at a time, I’m working back to being somewhat in shape...

Today I got to the top of The Hill. "Not bad!" I thought to myself. "I am really getting into shape here!" I thought myself also.

Woman across the road, staring at me along with her kids, all with worried looks on their faces, calling out loudly: "Hey are you alright?! I have my ventolin inhaler in my bag if you need it!"

: /

Started intermittent fasting the night of the Super Bowl. Lasted for quite a while, but then I started fine-tuning and adjusting. What changed it outright is my job which often finds me having to eat/taste while I'm fasting. While I'd love to use work as an excuse not to fast, well, it is. But I've learned a lot about myself while trying to be disciplined, and I don't want to toss it all away. Going to start boxing training soon, and I'm pretty geeked about it. Drumming has been my sole source of exercise, and I haven't been doing any of that. Might as well get in better shape and be able to clock a motherfucker.

The last two years have been kind of hard on me. Between work, internships (15 hour per week in undergrad and 20 in grad school), and school, I haven't been able to do much but veg out without seriously pushing the limits of my sanity. Add in the general level of loneliness and depression compounded by the pandemic, and I I've put on a lot of weight. It's making it harder to get back to doing things I now have the time to do (play drums, go on walks, et c.). The fact that I have been living off carbs and caffeine over the last year probably made it worse (Coca-Cola was all that was keeping me functional some days).

So I've gone back to drinking just water (which I like), I'm bringing my diet back under control, and I am making a concerted effort to get exercise every day. I'm starting off easy with the half-mile walk around my block, followed by about 10-15 minutes on my brother's weight machine, then a good half hour on the drum kit. As my stamina improves, I want to increase all of those times, mostly in the drums, because I like playing drums. I'm giving myself one easy day every week, where I just play the drums, but play them longer. I even went outside in the rain! I'm proud of myself. I guess I'd like to build up to jogging instead of walking, obviously, I want to increase the weight I'm lifting over time. I wouldn't mind being a little stronger.

I've had about enough of overpriced bags of chips and vending machine fare for a while. It feels so nice to have the time to just cook again (it really didn't help that I was only home on the weekends and crashing in a friend's basement during the week). I may try Keto. My best friend has been doing it and it hasn't been too bad for him, plus he's losing a lot of weight. I am definitely happy that I have time to play my drums again. It's the only form of exercise I actually like, and there's a budding evidence base that speaks to its efficacy towards burning calories and building muscle. I've lost a lot of stamina and my skill has suffered, and I'm not going to let that go!

I dunno. Kinda just committing my thoughts to the written word at the moment. They're not very organized.

I was able to get into a relatively healthy routine over the lock down times. I’m not sure what changed when exactly but I found myself just slowly getting tired of eating terrible food. Started cooking a lot more and got really into ingredients and the minutiae of the process. Now I haven’t gone “cold turkey” but I for the most part do not eat dairy, I only occasionally eat gluten and have *dramatically* reduced the amount of sugar I consume. It’s been a very slow gradual process for me. I’ve lost nearly 30lbs.

This week marked the 4-year anniversary of when I went into the hospital following months of symptoms that several doctors didn't properly diagnose, despite having two MRIs and a spinal tap, but ultimately finding that I experienced two strokes.
Initial symptoms were tingling sensation and numbness in my left hand. It evolved into slurred speech, facial droop, dragging my left foot when I walked and then losing the ability to tie my shoes.
Fortunately, my girlfriend, FM Ginger, realized there was something seriously wrong with me and got me to the hospital and my insurance covered everything.
Following rehab, I made a fairly strong recovery, although I never regained the ability to play bass or guitar.

Despite my issues, I still feel fortunate to still be around. On the same day I went into the hospital, one of my friends died from a brain aneurism. Three days later, another friend had a fatal heart attack.