Staying fit during a pandemic

SAN DIEGO, CA, UNITED STATES

04.13.2020

Story by Seaman Apprentice Louis Lea 

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)   

If I were told a year ago that the beginning of my naval career would be spent mostly at home, I would have been skeptical; however, that is the reality many of us are living today amid the COVID-19 pandemic while social distancing. I expected my service to involve showing up to my command every day. That isn’t possible right now, but it doesn’t mean I’ve stopped serving. My duty to our country has shifted to a more personal one. When I’m not on the ship, I have a very specific responsibility: staying fit and staying ready.

Fitness during a pandemic means more than just exercising every day. It also means staying spiritually and emotionally fit. Keeping my life in order is extremely important to the Navy’s mission. When the pandemic subsides, I will be ready.

When social distancing and stay-at-home orders first went into effect, I was just as lost as you. Does this mean I can’t go to the gym? Am I going to be able to travel to see my wife? How am I going to get toilet paper? All of these things are becoming more difficult by the day, and all of them are essential in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here’s how I manage during the pandemic and my advice to you.

Physical fitness

Exercising looks different than it did before. It’s no longer going to the gym to hit the weights after working hours. For me, it’s going on a run before the sun comes up to avoid congestion on the sidewalk and contact with others. Core strengthening now takes place on my living room floor with a yoga mat laid out, Netflix running in the background. Dumbbells have transformed into the grocery bags I curl on a walk home from Walmart. Trips to the beach have become my lying on the front porch in board shorts to soak up some sun.

The world hasn’t stopped; it's just changed, and your daily habits need to do the same. Be creative!

Spiritual fitness

With the closure of nearly all beaches in Southern California, the opportunity to surf has been severely diminished. Previously, I spent time on my board thinking, reflecting and unwinding. Spiritually, it was an important part of my routine. Sorting out our thoughts is essential to maintaining mental health. Our brains need to process our daily experiences. Now, instead of surfing, I practice yoga. I get the same amount of quiet time to just think about all that has been thrown at me over the past few weeks.

If yoga isn’t your thing, you can sit on a park bench, front porch, or vacant part of the ship. Time spent alone isn’t always productive, but it certainly can be. Just make sure your alone time is working for you rather than against you.

Emotional fitness

Emotional well-being is as much a part of being fit for duty as physical fitness. Taking care of your emotional health can be done in various ways.

For me, it takes the form of increased communication with my wife and family: a call to my mother before bed, sending new music to my sister when I find it and playing video games with my brother when we get the chance. Living in a different time zone than my wife makes schedule alignment difficult. On days when we are both busy, a quick text exchange is all we can manage, but the days we are able to FaceTime for an hour or two are the days I look forward to the most. In times as hard as these, staying connected to those you love can be an integral part of keeping you afloat.

“Can I call you?” has become one of my most sent and received text messages since the implementation of social distancing, but we must remember we are not going through emotional distancing. Call your family when you think of them. Tell your friends you love them.

Take time to reflect. Are you social distancing the right way? Stay active, keep in touch with your loved ones, and most importantly, stay fit.

• Date Taken: 04.13.2020
• Date Posted: 12.31.2020 17:36
• Story ID: 386304
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CA, US