COVID Workout

We are having a “coming out” party as we near herd immunity and over 90 million people have been inoculated against COVID-19 or have had the virus. Hopefully, current vaccines will be effective against new variants like COVID-273 (OK, I just made that one up). 

There are lots of things we should take away from this experience, but one overall message is that we ought to be a little more concerned about our health. There have been awful consequences from lockdowns including depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, spousal and child abuse, undiagnosed and untreated chronic problems, and even suicides. Some of this could have been avoided with more targeted lockdowns but also if we were in better health to begin with. 

Another lesson appears to be that at least some people don’t really need to be in an office for forty hours a week. And that has led to the problem of when to stop working at the end of the day and when to start if you are not commuting.

If you replaced the time you would be commuting with working, then you are probably working nearly an hour longer (the average U.S. commute time is 52.2 minutes per day) than before. Now that the lockdowns are lifting, we see that only about 1 in 10 companies expect all employees to return to the 40 hour office week. Nearly one-third of employees say they will quit if they are forced to return. 

So what should be done with that hour? How about use it to focus on getting healthier? Some people may need it for sleep but, for many, it could be used for exercise. Regular physical activity according to the Centers for Disease Control can help prevent, treat or even alleviate chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, and some cancers. Over 40 percent of us are obese. For those 50 or older, four out of five have at least one chronic health condition. For those over 65, the figure is getting closer to 90%. Exercise will help with those conditions, but could also help if another pandemic hits.

How much exercise do you need? Here’s the good part. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, you need about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week; ideally 30 minutes a day, 5 times per week. That fits right into our no-commute time. For my part, I break exercise into four parts (not all done on the same day). The four parts are weight-lifting, aerobics, stretching and balance. Stretching, or warming up slowly at the outset helps to prevent injuries and, at the end, is vital to not feeling muscle fatigue. Balance exercises are better for when you get older, when falls become commonplace and serious. Weight-lifting is a good way to keep weight off and makes you look better. Aerobic, or anaerobic if you are in good shape, is heart healthy. 

Staying cooped up has led a lot of people feeling depressed or anxious. If nothing else, exercise releases endorphins that just make you feel better. Just start – even for a few minutes a day – even if it's just walking around the block. You will be happier, sleep better, and, according to one source, help to ward off wrinkles. The office can and will wait.