By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP

During the COVID 19 viral season, one of the challenges is not able to exercise. Oh, do I miss my gym routine. 4 months ago, when I was doing my daily gym routine, I would count the hour, or minutes, and hope that hour of Zumba would finish quickly. Now that the lockdown is in place, getting back to the “Boot Camp Exercise” becomes a luxury. It probably won’t happen for another 10 -12 months.

Alas! How do I get myself to move my butt? I got it, there is no negotiation. The alternative is excessive weight gain and possible metabolic syndrome with a big fat belly. With the horrible big belly in mind, I decided to set up my exercise routine. I negotiated with myself that I would walk for an hour during my lunch break, (yes, I am still working) and will do at least half an hour of exercise in front of the TV after dinner. Let me share with you my struggle (a successful one though.)

First step: I had to convince myself that I needed the exercise routine. It was quite obvious, the waistline is getting bigger and the arms are hanging out flaps of unwanted fat. Yes, accepting the bad situation is step number one. Just like in the AA: confessing that “I am an alcoholic” is the first phase to begin healing. Okay, I admit that I am overweight due to the COVID 19, and I need help!

The second step is discipling myself. I cannot give myself an excuse not to do it. I might have a long working day, but I should proceed with moving the arms and legs. Now, it could be boring if you just throw your extremities in a random fashion. I, therefore, developed a set of motions for my head, arms, legs, and belly. To make it fun, I chose the best time to do it: after dinner and watch my favorite news.

When it becomes a routine, or habit, you will forget to give yourself an excuse not to do it.  Now I am programmed to do it between 6 to 7 p.m. I picked my TV news stories, and sure enough, the 30 minutes exercise program is not as painful as I thought.

Now I hope I would arrive to the final stage, and that is, incorporating this exercise as part of me. No whining, no excuses! Just like Nike’s slogan: Just do it!

To tell you the truth – I have not arrived to the last stage yet. But with the grace of God, I hope I can do it. Yes, you can do it too.

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