Quarantine Workouts

This weekend was beautiful despite the sporadic rain showers here and there. I went for a run in Central Park with my sister and it gave me a bit of inspiration to help push me through the fear of starting my marathon training soon. It was a new trail and change of scenery and honestly it was a breath of fresh air compared to my neighborhood runs for the past two years. Sometimes I wonder how I’m going to push through all 26.2 miles but running the new trail this weekend reminded me the WDW marathon route is going to be new to me so that’s going to help push me through to see everything as I run since it runs through all 4 parks. The rain this weekend was light but it felt amazing running through it, as it helped to cool me off during my run.

For marathon training, I’m going to try and follow Jeff Galloway’s training plan, but with modifications here and there as I progress. These plans are free on runDisney’s website. I also joined a runDisney Facebook group where I can log and track my progress with all those also preparing for their first marathon. So far everyone’s been really helpful and inspiring, with the moderator creating a comprehensive spreadsheet to help everyone track their progress and mileage, whether it be their first marathon, first Dopey or Goofy challenge.

In between runs, I’m going to continue to do weights at least 3 times a week to cross train. I was reading another marathoner’s blog about how sore she felt after her run, despite being an avid runner and stretching pre and post run. She realized it was because all she did was run, and didn’t strengthen her core or anything else. Once she incorporated other different types of workouts, she saw improvement in her recovery. This made sense to me since I’ve never really had an issue post run with recovery, so I definitely will keep up with my weight lifting, as well as remembering to take proper time to stretch before running. Running is more than just running, it requires you to be strong in all areas of your body to help you through the run, as well as aid you in recovery. I need to get into the habit of properly stretching post runs as well. I’m just always impatient with time. I never want to take my time, but rather do things as quick as possible so I can move on to the next thing. Probably why I have no patience for yoga every time I try it out. But this is the time to learn to slow down as the training plan calls for 30 minute runs twice a week on Tue/Thu, a long run on the weekend and cross training in between. So I should really fit some yoga in there since I’m not supposed to be running everyday. This training plain is supposed to help me not only finish strong but also without injury. 26.2 miles is going to definitely be brutal so slow and steady will be the name of the game of this training. I got new running sneakers, some new active wear and I’m ready to tackle this on headfirst and headstrong! 2020 may be cancelled but I’m using the rest of this year to focus on my training. It’s probably a blessing in disguise to keep me focused on the goal, otherwise I’d be expending my energy trying to go to all the dumb pop-ups, trying to gram everything.

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Anyways, I have my workouts posted in IG story highlights, as well whenever I workout on the daily, but a few have asked for it written out, as a list is easier for some to look at, at a glance, than having to constantly flip through videos and posts. So this post is for you guys who requested this for your workouts. Bookmark, screenshot, use as you please.

Legs

1. Stiff legged deadlifts with dumbbells, barbells

   • 3 sets of 20 reps (single dumbbell, double dumbbells, barbell)

2. Dumbbell squats

   • 3 sets of 20 reps (single dumbbell, double dumbbells, barbell)

3. Barbell deadlifts

   • 3 sets of 20 reps (increase weights every 3 sets)

4. Barbell squats

   • 3 sets of 20 reps (increase weights every 3 sets)

5. Squat thruster with barbell

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

6. Reverse lunge bicep curl

   • 20 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

7. Barbell side lunges

   • 3 sets of 20 reps.

8. Barbell squat/leg raise

   • 10 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

9. Static lunge with dumbbells

   • 20 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

10. Barbell curtsy lunge

    • 3 sets of 20 reps.

Chest/Core

1. Dumbbell chest press

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

2. Arnold chest press

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

3. Dumbbell flies

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

4. Dumbbell pullover

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

5. Close chest press

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

6. Pushups

   • 3 sets of 10 reps

7. Planks

   • 3 sets of 2 min 30 sec planks.

8. Windshield wipers

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

9. Leg raises

   • 3 sets of 50 reps

10. Twists with dumbbells and leg lifted

    • 3 sets of 30 reps

11. Standing diagonal crunch

    • 10 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

Arms/Shoulders

1. Single arm bent over rows

   • 20 reps per arm = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

2. Single arm tricep extension

   • 20 reps per arm = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

3. Front to lateral raise

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

4. Dumbbell reverse military press

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

5. Bicep curl variation

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

6. Skullcrushers

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

7. Chest press

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

8. 21s

   • 7 lower - 7 upper - 7 from the bottom all the way up = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

9. Bicep curl/shoulder press

   • 20 reps per arm = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

10. Do the following 5 exercises continuously with no rest between. 1 set of 20 reps each of each exercise.

11. Barbell shrugs

    • Barbell upright rows

    • Dumbbell shrugs

    • Dumbbell bent over flies

    • Dumbbell front raises

12. Barbell bent over rows

    • 3 sets of 20 reps

Resistance Bands

1. Glute bridges

   • 3 sets of 20 reps

2. Clam shells

   • 20 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

3. Donkey kicks

   • 20 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

4. Fire hydrants

   • 20 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

5. Monster Walks

   • 10 steps forward, 10 steps backward. Do 3 sets.

6. Crab Walks

   • 10 steps one way, 10 steps back the other way. Do 3 sets.

7. Side Taps

   • 20 steps per leg, alternating legs. Do 3 sets.

8. Plank with Hip Abductions

   • 10 reps per leg = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

9. Hip Thrust

   • 3 sets of 20 reps.

10. Single Leg Glute Bridge

    • 10 reps PER LEG = 1 set. Do 3 sets.

It took me forever to finally get a routine together that I like, that flowed well for me. I don’t have an exact science or rhyme or reason behind it, I just liked how these moves flowed for me when I tried them out together. I try to do legs 2-3 times a week, with chest/core, arms/shoulders, bandwork once a week. I alternate legs with the other sets every other day. So basically for example:

Monday - Legs

Tuessday - Chest/Core

Wednesday - Legs

Thursday - Arms/Shoulders

Friday - Legs

Saturday - Bandwork

Sunday - Rest or do any of the workouts I want.

Cardio I do basically every day, through at least a 5k or a 1 hour run, whatever time permits and every so often on my days off if I’m feeling up to it, I go for a long run. So far I’ve done either a 10 mile run and a half marathon once a month since quarantine started. I didn’t mean for it to happen, I was just on a running high halfway through it and was like why not. I probably will slow down on that during the summer because of the heat, and because I have to start marathon training soon, which requires me to rest more often between runs, to help build endurance for the increased mileage. I know this method definitely worked this year when I was training for the half, so I just need to remind myself to be patient. I always want to progress faster than I should because I want to be done with it, but I also know that the sooner I finish training if I finish it earlier than I should, I’ll be overconfident and take it too easy before race day.

I used to like biking for cardio, but as time went on, I slowly started to become addicted to getting my steps up and thus I ended up running more than biking. I guess you could say I finally do like running, hahaha. I’ll still tell you how much I hate it every step of the way DURING the run, but after, is a totally different me talking to you.

If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck and I hope you have a great workout!

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New Kids On The Blocks

A month ago, one of my favorite bloggers Color Me Courtney shared on her Instagram that she was building the Harry Potter castle Lego set as one of her quarantine activities. It got me thinking what other castles you could build out there and when I googled it, I found that Disney does have a Cinderella’s Castle Lego set. Unfortunately, the sticker price on it was $350. Whoa. I hesitated because that’s one hefty price tag. For just Legos! Clearly, I wasn’t the only one with this idea for quarantine though because within the week, it was sold out and backordered til April.

And when it came back in stock, I was still on the fence and of course, within the week, it was backordered again til 6/29/2020 on the shopDisney.com website. It’s like I’m never going to learn my lesson. In the meantime though, my coworker Sana decided to fall down the same rabbit hole and buy the Harry Potter castle Lego set for us to put together, hahahaha! It took a while to arrive though because of all the shipping delays caused by covid19. We started it today and let me tell you, I never thought I would enjoy putting together Legos but I found it really therapeutic and fun!

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We got half of it done in 5 hours and we’re saving the other half for Saturday, my next day off from work. It’s sad because I’m torn between finishing it as fast as possible but I also want to slow down and take my time because what am I going to do when it’s all done? I can’t exactly go around buying more Legos to put together, lol. First of all, they’re expensive. The price of kids toys these days is highway robbery. And secondly, I would have no idea what to do with it all afterwards, lol. I don’t have kids nor do I want to clutter up my house. But I did bite the bullet and order the Cinderella’s Castle set off Lego.com so it would be ready to ship asap when it comes back in stock within 30 days, which is sooner than the Disney site.

Who knew I would end up really like building lego sets? Now I see the fascination at the Lego store, lol. I don’t like random blocks and putting something together from pure scratch though. I like an actual set with instructions and designs as I don’t have the patience for that kind of free flow creativity these days. If I’m going to build something, I want to make efficient use of my time and have a blueprint.

I still dread accidentally stepping on one in my house though, lol.

Have you picked up any new fun activities and hobbies during quarantine?

A Love Letter To NYC

Dear New York,

I know I always say I’m in a love hate relationship with you and every time I travel to other cities and countries, I complain about how “ugly” you are compared to them, but I really miss you. I know I’m like that terrible ex that constantly cheats on you but in reality, you’re my bottom bitch. I always come back to you.

I miss my favorite restaurants and how everything I want to eat is a train ride away. I miss my favorite dessert spots and their holiday and seasonal Instagrammable specials. I miss the Met museum and I miss Central and Bryant park. I miss walking down Soho window shopping. I miss the smells of Chinatown and the waiters in Little Italy flirting with you, to get you to come in and dine.

I miss coming to NYC every 2 weekends when I’m off work to shoot something new and wonderful with a friend. I miss going on gram tours with my Ohana. I miss trying out a new foodie spot with my best friends for their birthdays. I miss walking across the Brooklyn bridge for a silly pic for the gram. I miss spinning Poke stops. I miss the vibrant colors of every new street art I come across and the special messages painted on them. I miss the bustling sounds of the city, the different fashion at every corner and the smells of halal when I pass a certain block. Ah yes, I even miss climbing the stairs inside the subway that always feel like Mount Everest to me. I miss seeing flowers all lined up in a rainbow and seeing lovers pick up a bouquet on their way home for a special someone.

I miss hot pot. I miss steak. I miss huge oversized portions of fresh pasta. I miss ramen. I miss pho. I miss chicken and rice. I miss sharing appetizers with friends. I miss dining with my family and ordering everything off the menu so we can try everything. I miss overpriced millennial ice cream shops. I miss pop-ups. I miss every little hidden gem corners of NYC. I miss that beautiful skyline.

It makes me sad to see my city in its current state. It looks like a ghost town, something out of a movie. On the one hand, it’s an Instagrammer’s dream with its empty streets, but also a nightmare as traveling outside is currently advised against, with the dangers of public transportation and exposure. And don’t even get me started on the recent spikes in open racism towards Asians. I say open racism because the racism was always there. People are just feeling more bold now because they think it’s okay because a certain person in power is careless about his choice of words, further emboldening the racists.

The current world today is extremely different from how it was a month ago. It feels unreal. And it’s really scary. I worry that we may never go back to ‘normal,’ and at the same time I don’t want it to since ‘normal’ clearly wasn’t working. But I do want life to get back to some form of normalcy. I want to be able to go back to the gym, to get back on my routine and lose this quarantine weight. I’m currently struggling to find a new routine to balance it all out. I’m mad because it took me a year to figure it out and then another year to make it fully habit. And now a wrench has been thrown in the mix. Usually I can deal and work around the obstacles thrown at me, but this one is a doozy as it affects my life in more ways than one. My mental health is on a roller coaster ride lately, as every day is different. Some days I’ll wake up feeling fine and other days it feels like my demons are on full blast, eating away at me and my body dysmorphia. With my gym endorphins, I was able to keep the monsters at bay, but right now I’m struggling. I get really discouraged because it feels like the 2018 chubster version of me is staring back in the mirror sometimes. Sometimes I want to throw in the towel because I feel like everything I do, does nothing. But I know that if I stop entirely, it would be worse. So I try to work on my self discipline and self motivation to keep going. I throw myself into home workouts and runs but all it does really is passes time. It doesn’t help me maintain my weight, tone and figure as much as heavy lifting does. I don’t have any current goals set either because everything is currently cancelled in 2020 - vacations, races, springtime events, etc. This further throws me into despair because I usually always have a goal to keep my food monster at bay and in check.

I’m also struggling to keep myself busy since I’m not out and about on my days off anymore. I thrive on adventures. I am not a creature of cabin fever. Even in college, I hated staying cooped up in my dorm room and would try to run away to the mall or on food adventures with friends. I miss my friends too. Being a social butterfly, I miss seeing them and spending time with them and taking cute photos with them. I miss my family. I miss being brought together over food. I’ll regret saying this later but I do miss my mom and dad. My dad texts me every few days to make sure I’m ok and constantly tries to remind me to cover my hair at work (he thinks a face mask is not enough when I send him selfies of me at work). I worry about my mom since she’s still working since she works in a factory and is considered essential as well. My dad finally got mandated to stay home as all nonessential construction has come to a halt, thank goodness. Both my parents are fragile af when it comes to their health so I really want them to stay home in a time like this. Unfortunately there’s no persuading my mom even though she’s got plenty of vacation and sick time stocked up the wazoo. But this is where I get my own work ethic from so it’s not like I don’t know where she’s coming from. I just worry because she has a heart condition. All I can do is hope she’s staying safe amidst all of the exposure.

I’ve come to terms with certain things not happening anymore in 2020 though, like being able to run a qualifying race in time for next year’s princess. I was really upset at first but hey, what are you going to do? It’s not like it’s going to be my last race. I’ll just work harder next year to beat the qualifying time. I ran the virtual run for my DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler this past Sunday and I did it in what would have been a qualifying time of 1 hour and 43 minutes so hopefully I can keep up this trend when real races are allowed back in our lives. I AM grateful though that all this hit after my Princess race weekend vacation though. I would have been more devastated if I had trained all this time, planned all this time, over the entire last year, just for it to be cancelled. I’m happy I at least got to see my first goal of 2020 through of running all 3 races, even if the rest of the 2020 goals are now put on the back burner. I do feel for everyone who had big events planned in the coming weeks and months. Weddings, communions, baptisms, races, concerts, festivals, vacations, proms, graduations, trips, literally life itself has been put on hold. It’s okay to feel upset about things you had planned. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to miss, postpone or cancel something important they were really looking forward to. And the funerals or lack thereof, for those who have passed are really sad too because of the banning of large gatherings. It’s a very lonely time to be living in right now, especially if you’re mourning someone, or have someone in the hospital as visitors are not allowed. My heart also goes out to those grieving and to those having to go through something alone. Years from now, we’ll probably look back on this as a tiny pebble in the road in an otherwise happy life. But for right now, you have every right to feel sad. You’re allowed to feel upset. Don’t let anyone minimalize your pain simply because the bigger picture we’re dealing with is “more important.” It doesn’t make your own feelings any less valid in what you have to sacrifice to keep everyone safer in the long run.

Speaking of that, every situation is different in this current state of the world, and again, it doesn’t make any one experience any less valid.

You could be any of the frontline healthcare workers, whether it be a nurse, doctor, case manager, specialist, etc., now overwhelmed with so many patients to see, but no PPE to change between patients, to keep both you and your patients from cross contamination, due to dwindling sterile supplies to protect you. You’re struggling with anxiety and fear as you worry about going into your next shift. Worried about bringing the virus home to your family. So much that you might be staying at a hotel or other arrangements away from your family to keep them safe.

You could be a student, worried about how your studies are supposed to go moving forward. You may no longer graduate on time. You may not have the resources to be able to access an online course now that everything’s shifted to online. You could be kicked out of your dorms, and living currently with a friend because you can’t just pack up and go home because your ‘home’ is too far or overseas or whatever. You feel like a burden on who you’re staying with even though they’ve reassured you it’s fine.

You could be a teacher struggling to figure out an online course cause the technology isn’t that easy to figure out. How do you teach a lab class online?

You could be working from home, as your job allows, but working from home isn’t always as easy as it sounds. You don’t have all your office essentials at the ready so you have to improvise, making your work harder and more time consuming as you figure ways around not being able to access everything you need. Suddenly, your work from home days are somehow longer than when you worked in your actual office, and thus this becomes more stressful than the internet glorifies it to be. And your boss is Miranda Priestly, making impossible demands of you as if covid19 is a mere inconvenience to her like a “drizzling storm.”

You could be a frontline essential worker, working in factories, grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. risking your health and safety because you need that paycheck to make ends meet because regardless of the virus, life still goes on and bills still need to be paid and your family still needs to eat.

There are so many scenarios and situations. I can’t go through them all but the point is that covid19 is a challenge to not only our physical health but our mental health as well in so many ways and is impacting everyone’s lives currently. Just because you feel a certain way does not invalidate how another person is feeling or what they’re going through. It’s not a game of who has it worse or who has it better and shouldn’t complain or whatever. People cope in their own ways and make adjustments however they can to deal. Some people try to maintain as much normalcy in their lives as possible, just to make it through the day.

I don’t talk about it often because I am mainly trying to keep my focus at this time more so on my staying active, healthy and keeping up with my fitness, but yes, I am a pharmacist working at a local hospital on the frontline currently. I have to get my temperature checked daily and I have to get there earlier than usual because all entrances to the hospital but two are sealed off now in order to streamline the temperature screenings. It takes me a little longer to get in because I have to wait on line to get checked before getting to my department. And because a few coworkers in my department were found to be positive with the virus, my colleagues and I are now being monitored by employee health and mandated to wear masks inside the pharmacy. It’s been a nice vacation to not have to wear too much makeup to work because I have to keep my mask clean but it’s also been a little sad because I do miss wearing a full face of makeup and feeling like myself. Yes, it sounds superficial and trivial, but when you feel like yourself and show up for yourself, your mindset is different and you’re more focused and ready to do your job. It’s like wearing your pjs vs your work clothes. One you’ll feel too comfy and not want to do anything but bum around in, and one you’re dressed ready to tackle on the day’s agenda and get stuff done. It’s the same way for me getting full on ready for work. It’s the little things but they make a big difference, especially in this climate of how stressful it already is to go in to work.

There have been a lot of changes too on how we handle everything in the pharmacy too. Everything is constantly wiped down and we constantly have to call environmental to come clean our department every time we suspect or find that another employee is sick. On top of our own paranoia of possible contamination and infection. Every time a crash cart tray is brought down to the pharmacy to be refilled, we have to double bag it before handling it and taking it in, due to fear of covid19 contamination. We have to set it aside and leave it downstairs for the pharmacist designated that day to refill them. Whichever pharmacist is assigned to do the trays that day then becomes the ‘lucky’ one who will have to don all the PPE and drown every single item in the tray with bleach before sorting through it and refilling the tray. The process is long and tedious. On top of the fact that the patients are coding more often and rapidly than normal so the pace at which we have to refill these trays daily is becoming harder to keep up with. We have to constantly keep on top of it because you wouldn’t want a code crash cart out in the hospital without an accessible tray of properly cleaned and restocked meds were you to go into any type of crash. And lately, I’ve been hearing way too many codes go off overhead, every hour, on the hour, multiple times in an hour. It’s really sad to think about.

There are changes constantly every day too. From my director, supervisors, from the head of medical, from the top of the hospital board. Every policy is constantly changing as supplies dwindle, drugs go short or on backorder, patients numbers go up and employees go down. Every day is something new we have to keep up with. It’s a very uncertain time. We doubled in patients testing positive and being admitted overnight last week.

I’ve also been assigned to the IV room more often than usual lately. Usually I’m on the computer entering orders, checking labs, adjusting doses, and tracking down nurses and doctors to renew meds or clarify orders. But because of the high level of volume at which the IV drips on covid19 patients are going through, I’ve been IV more often since I can batch orders a little quicker than my colleagues. But the other night, even I was overwhelmed with orders and needed help from another pharmacist to back me up. It’s getting to be a lot. Because of that night, I went into the next few nights more prepared as I came in to work. I pre-batched more drips that I knew we would be running through faster and kept on top of what was being requested by the nurses to keep up with the constant flow of outgoing meds. But every day is something different unfortunately. This past week, we ran into a bigger problem running out of certain meds and we had to improvise to make sedation drips for patients, but the process took us 5 times longer. For example, usually when I have to make a Versed drip, I usually just draw up 2.5 vials of 50mg/10 mL vials to make enough for one bag. We ran out of the 10mL vials and they’re on backorder so we had to start using our stock of 2mL vials. And when that ran out, we had to use the 1 mL vials. That meant we had to draw up 25 vials in order to make 1 bag. Unfortunately most patients were running the drips at the max rate and running through at least 4 bags in a 24 hour period. And currently, we have 114 positive covid19 patients. A good amount of them are sedated and in critical condition and not only on Versed drips, but Fentanyl, Propofol and Precedex since they’re intubated and on vents. Some patients are also on epinephrine, vasopressin, phenylephrine and norepinephrine drips. It’s getting pretty bad. Now imagine any one of those drugs being on shortage. Now imagine competing with all the hospitals across the nation for supply of them. I work in a relatively small hopsital so having to batch all these IV orders to keep up with the patient demands is getting to be overwhelming and stressful. We just can’t seem to be making them fast enough and keeping up with every new problem to re-strategize.

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All the noncovid19 patients have been moved into surgery and recovery room areas, even our ICU (critical care) patients so they’re all packed together there now. Meanwhile all the ICU floors and regular floors are now all covid19 patient floors. Or rather the entire hospital is covid19 now. I tried to go down to 2 Central the other day to refill my water bottle, only to find the doors to that unit closed for the first time. Peeking through the doors, I saw everyone all gowned up and rushing everywhere. WELP, there goes that. Luckily, my pharmacy technician saw me and redirected me down a hidden hallway where the residents were all hiding, with a water station in there.

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I see all the nurses, technicians, aides, unit secretaries that pass through my pharmacy and I also hear them on the phone when they call. It’s scary and really sad to hear them because a lot of them have been thrust into unknown territory. They’re used to being on a certain floor, dealing with just certain patients specific to their specialty - cardiac, stroke, post-surgery recovery, whatever. Now they’re being forced to sink or swim and learn how to take care and help covid19 patients without much training to know what we’re dealing with because this came on so fast and we just weren’t prepared. It’s a scary thing. And I can only imagine it being an even scarier thing to lose a patient you worked tirelessly to take care of and nurse back to health, because this disease is so unpredictable. Everyone is trying their best and we can only do so much to help each other.

How am I dealing with it? I’m okay for right now. I’m stressed but not as much as others are, I guess. Or at least I don’t show visible signs of it as much as others. I’m not sure why but someone said it might be because I’m attuned to chaos. But I’m also not exactly the type to frequently freak out visibly. I usually try to just take in what’s going on, observe and adjust to my surroundings. I mean, what is freaking out going to do for me? Of course, I’m worried about catching it and passing it on to my loved ones, but I’m already trying my best to contain it best I can. I haven’t seen my parents in weeks. With my husband and baby sis, we’ve been pretty good at washing hands and making sure we shower when coming home from being out on food runs and exercise runs. I change right out of my work clothes upon coming home. The best we can do is hope for the best. So I continue on with my life as I try to establish a new temporary routine for the foreseeable future. I’m trying to maintain working out at least 5-6 days a week and get my steps in and keep busy. I go into work to stay busy there too, as stressful as work can be, I actually do enjoy working as it helps to pass the time and is currently my only source of social interaction. LOL, my coworker said it last week since I used to always say at work “we are not friends, we are coworkers” when reminding others that I am here to do my job and not allow biases to get in the way of my job, that for the next few months, we are are each other’s only friends as we’re each other’s only direct contact in the world since we can’t travel or go anywhere but work and essential stops.

The local businesses and restaurants in our area are taking a pretty bad hit and yet are still doing the best they can and providing my hospital with donations of meals, masks and much needed goods. I do want to say thank you for all those who have reached out to me on my Instagram too. It’s really encouraging to see the neighborhood come through to help healthcare and frontline fight this. I appreciate the kind words cheering me on, thanking me for being frontline, and for showing up and continuing my fitness aspirations. I appreciate those that simply ask how I’m doing and those that simply just listen, without trying to add in their two cents and be overbearing with unsolicited advice. I do have a lot going on in my head that I don’t address as I personally fight through each demon coming at me. It is a very challenging time we are navigating through as this has never happened to a lot of us before. Our entire life being uprooted as we know it and being forced to change everything in our lives. The world today is certainly not the same as it was a month ago. A month ago today, we were literally only worried about losing an extra hour of sleep from Daylight Savings. The truly trivial things.

We’re going to get through this though. My beautiful city will get through this. I will get through this. You will get through this.

This too, shall pass.

I’ve lived by this phrase since high school. It’s gotten me through a lot. Maybe one day, I’ll finally get that tattooed on me if we make it out of this alive.