First day of getting back into light exercise after a very rough month ending with a COVID infection. As of Tuesday night / Wednesday morning, I was barely able to stand and walk without support. Today, Friday evening, I got myself back into light exercise, as promised.
Some might consider it too early, as I'm still symptomatic with COVID, but I think it's only going to serve substantial benefits to me.
I've seen middle-aged and elderly folk (including in my family) who are suffering the consequences of prolonged lack of physical activity. At some point, a degree of damage can become irreversible, especially if they lack the will to resume physically improving themselves due to the difficulty and pain that's induced by the problems they obtained from... you guessed it... not exercising. It's like a self-perpetuating cycle.
I've also seen the polar opposite: elderly folks (including, once again, in my own family) who are physically active and are thus able to function very effectively even when they're sick or somehow injured. Even the mindset of recovery and physical activity are positively affirmed, as those who are already active want to stay active and strong.
It scares me to become weak, knowing the potential that I have already reached and still have yet to reach. I never want to reach the point where I'm absolutely too weak to function independently to some degree. I'd like to be that 90-something year old who can still walk without someone else's assistance, even if it means using a cane or walker, or do basic household tasks, or even engage in a hobby that involved using my limbs or fingers.
Look, I know I'm not going to be in my 30s forever. Thus, it's essential that I establish as excellent a base for my health now as possible, so that I continue to maintain for as long as possible in the future. It's only going to improve my quality of life and decrease healthcare costs in the future (of course, a bad stroke of lightning can hit anyone, but this is going to reduce the chance of preventable illness).
So anyway, that's enough of the health preaching.
Today, my light exercise consisted of doing half of the repetitions of my typical bodyweight exercises that I normally do. It wasn't easy, especially since I'm still not fully recover and about 3 to 3 1/2 weeks out of practice... but it was also not hard. I did not push myself to get there. And it was a bit energizing. It hit every major muscle group, and was a good way to prime my body for going a little bit further tomorrow.
Without a doubt, I'm still going to feel this a bit tomorrow. It's a light shock after a period of inactivity and brief, acute illness. But it's only going to propel me to go further. I know I'm not doing a damaging amount of exercise, and am easing into it. This will be my muscles adjusting back to reality. Hence, I'll keep it going. I'm not going all the way tomorrow either, just increasing from today.
I'll continue dialing in my diet. The same combination of oats, yogurt, and fruits, now also with my daily pair of hard-boiled eggs, and I'll also add back in some Mediterranean salad, and just for tonight, a bit more of that famous Mom's chicken soup (just one more because she also needs some of it to recover - I'm already feeling better than she is, and she thankfully does not have COVID). Drinking more water, of course - a relative weakness of mine, but something I've done better over the past 2-3 months.
My brain actually began working today, so the idea came to me to wear a mask while doing some household things to help out while not infecting her. Glad that I could actually be of use this time with such a simple solution! Now that I'm getting better sleep (although still fairly screwed up due to a broken Circadian rhythm), my brain function is actually coming back to me.
Speaking of Circadian rhythm, it turns out that I will still be working one more night on March 31st, provided I don't have any fever (which I greatly doubt will come back at this point). Thus, instead of completely readjusting myself to daytime, I'll take an intermediate approach. I'll adjust myself to more of an afternoon schedule, then do this single night shift, and then switch back to daytime. I think that my body will ease into daytime easier this way (having the single night disruption) rather than continuing a night schedule just for one more shift.
After this, I'm definitely limiting my night shifts. It's been clear that this takes bad effects on my health, and I have to prioritize my health from now on. If I'm not a healthy doctor, I'm not going to have a healthy career and provide good care for my patients. The hospital doesn't deserve more care than I do!