In our current times of COVID-19, do not treat it as a time to cease activity. This is the time to adjust your schedule while following established guidelines. There is going to be a new normal, which has not been fully defined.
physical health
AWTR Show #779: Fall Fitness Motivation
AWN Content Curator, Chrissy Gibbs, is bringing five tips for fitness motivation this during this Milspouse Empowerment Moment!
Preparing for a Pandemic Winter
Happy autumn, AWN! Whether you spent the summer navigating the uncharted waters of a pandemic PCS or spent it having socially-distanced BBQs, we have finally crossed the threshold into autumn. Now is the time for cooler weather, pumpkin patches, and cozy chats around warm fires.
But as the ever-pragmatic Ned Stark used to say, “winter is coming.”
Under normal circumstances, winter brings to mind the joys of the holiday season and spending lots of time indoors living our best hygge lives. Unfortunately, 2020 has been anything but normal.
Finding Fitness Motivation
Health and fitness are an important part of life, especially when you are in the Army or any other branch of the military.
I know for me, staying in shape in order to pass the Advanced Physical Fitness Test (or APFT, for short) is especially important to me. Although it has now changed to the Advanced Combat Fitness test (or ACFT) as of Oct. 1, 2020. However, the ACFT that is for the record will not count until 2022. For more information on the ACFT go here or here.
That means that it gives soldiers more time to train and prepare for the ACFT, and that’s great for me as I am in the Reserves. For my Reserve unit, up until recently, we did not have access to the equipment needed to train. Now that I do have access to equipment, I am lacking the motivation to train and workout. So what do you do when you have lost motivation and don’t feel like working out?
While You Believe In Yourself, You Control Your Destiny
What would you think if you saw those words every time you looked in the mirror: While you believe in yourself, you control your destiny.”
I Am So Darn Competitive
This month we are revisiting with Alisa Harvey. The difficulty was finding a starting point, in lieu of sharing her accomplishments I asked questions. Alisa has participated in local community and international events. You will find that retirement is not a word in her vocabulary. Alisa is relevant in the sport and being a mother has family obligations which she must manage.
COVID-19 is having an impact, but she has found ways to maintain her fitness. The environment is serious, but you do not have to put your life on hold.
Not all of us can be Alisa, but there are points which you can apply to your approach to fitness. Each person is responsible for their own fitness, and you will get out of your program what you put into it.
Enjoy the following, and hopefully something will spike your interest.
Running is a Gift
Many of us continue to make adjustments to find the new normal within this COVID-19 era. It is easy to be consumed by the daily news. The situation is serious, and this is not the time to withdraw but to be vigilant and take precautions to be safe. The situation does not mean that all exercise activities should stop. Prior to COVID-19 you probably invested time to remain in shape—now is not the time to stop.
You can still exercise while maintaining social distance. While the will be smaller, you can still achieve the same results. I am three years out from my heart operation and continue to make adjustments.
Start Somewhere, and Keep Going
While many of us continue to adjust to COVID-19, it does not mean that we have to stop doing any form of exercise. We know how to adapt and change because that is what we have been doing all our lives, so why stop now?
Joe Lugiano is a lifelong friend and coach who has gotten me across many finish lines. His style has been to set me up so I will push myself to a desired goal. The goal was not always achieved, but it was not for a lack of trying.
The takeaway is the concepts and for each of you to find what works for you. Maybe running is not for you, but you have to start with something. How could you have grown up without running?
A Global Perspective: Italy
Let’s begin in the tiny town of Vo, Italy, where the government shut everything down as soon as they had their first confirmed case of COVID-19. My friend, Laura, who was born and raised in Italy and frequents her hometown quite a bit to be with her family, is my direct resource for this particular segment.
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