It’s time to start moving out of this ‘Limbo Phase’. In my last installment I put forth the idea that we need to start toward this on an individualized basis. There are a LOT of variables in play and it really is up to YOU to understand your variables and work out a strategy for moving forward that is best for you.
But before we dive into the ‘How’ here is some context of the ‘Why’. There is a lot of uncertainty out there about COVID-19, however, with each passing day there is also a wealth of emerging information we can use to guide us.
Will there ever be a safe time?
Can I or anyone else guarantee now is the time to venture forward? . . .of course not! The reality though, is we have to. Time is dynamic and forces change. We have made the critical and successful steps in slowing the progression of the viral transmission but at a huge and unsustainable cost to the economy and our livelihood. There is no option to sit on the sidelines and wait for this to settle down as many suggest we have to do. Now is the time to be BRAVE, SMART & highly ADAPTABLE so we can take INTELLIGENT RISKS.
What this illustrates is how far down the rabbit hole of what I call the ‘Human Construct’ we are. We want the ‘sure’ thing and are intractable with fear unless we have it. Life, living is not a sure thing in Nature, only the strong and adaptable survive. Living is an arrogant act of defiance.
We got here as a species because our genetic pool is strong, robust and adaptable. And guess what?...Our immune systems evolved over millions of years to deal with a virus such as COVID-19. In fact, the emerging data suggests the population of infected, asymptomatic individuals is far higher than previously thought which suggests that this virus is not nearly as lethal as projections portrayed it to be.
Not to mention that we are keeping people who would have otherwise died alive with pharmaceutical and mechanical interventions as so elegantly put by Dr. Cathy Dudick MD at minute 16:40 “The people that I am taking care of in the ICU are not healthy and are being kept alive through a medical miracle” (I recommend taking the time to watch this video by Cathy after this vlog because her thoughts echo mine and she is on the frontlines as an ER Trauma Surgeon and Director currently working 2 hard hit hospitals surrounding the NY area hotspot).
It’s going to be a tightrope balancing act of epic proportions . This video link really shows how delicate a balance we need to cross….the moving trucks are time and we are crossing a chasm between the safety of SIP and a shut down economy to prevent a disease epidemic disaster to getting our dynamic lives going again to prevent an economic disaster….in both cases there are casualties; deaths and bankruptcies (essentially economic death). There is no ability to completely evade either, just mitigate both to their minimum under the circumstances and ultimately to prevent either from becoming a full blown disaster.
Can we do this?
The video reveals we can…..it takes teamwork so while you walk your tightrope it’s important to have your team surrounding and supporting you to make things happen in all aspects of your life because that is what the OFM promise delivers.
Consider the following:
Start to get into a training routine based upon your lifeload…..be it 30 minutes or 3 hours and balance it around your work and family, just get started.
Assess your situation as you venture back into normalcy.
Are those in your household and immediate contact at risk?
Are you in a hotspot or conversely in an area that has no active COVID-19 cases?
Have you had and recovered from COVID-19? Do you even know if you have had it or had an exposure?
Has anyone close to you or you know of come down with COVID-19?
Where do you need to train? Is it in a gym, a lap pool with others, a spin class? Adapt to strategies which allow distance thus added safety. If not be at ease and assess the situation. Swimming in a chlorinated pool is relatively safe. Chlorine kills.
Isolate yourself if you get a bug of any kind. Encourage but do not shame others to do the same.
Get outside and in the sun whenever and wherever you can. UV light and fresh air are the best solutions to prevent contracting the disease and build your immune system if you get an exposure. It helps others around you as well.
Make sure to get that one long aerobic workout and one or two higher intensity workouts per week but always with a warmup to ‘The Switch’
Get a goal, like a race or competition on the calendar to motivate and force you into a routine that will get you to that goal.
Be ready to adjust and adapt as this situation changes and develops.
Dynamic Balance is an all-encompassing concept of OFM. It is a paradigm-shift I hope you will embrace over the static, binary thinking modality of our sound-bite media.
Got more questions? . . . we are here to help.