After not cycling for about five months, on Thursday morning I finally got on my bike to go a doctor’s appointment about 15 minutes away from home. It was the most gruelling journey. Not because of the roads or weather, but because by body went from cycling on average 24 km per day to 0. I was panting for breath after five minutes.
I was so disappointed in myself for struggling. I have always taken pride in how much and how fast I cycled, but the truth is I have become comfortable with myself in lockdown even though my habits are unhealthy for my physical and mental well-being.
There is no reason why I didn’t cycle. Winter is far from an excuse because there is a stationary bike at home which I could have used to continue my daily movement despite being physically off the road.
Some call it lockdown wall, or lockdown fatigue but many of us have hit a breaking point in different ways and for me that was on Thursday. I was so ready to head back home immediately and torture myself with the most intense workouts, but this was later followed by immense guilt. I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to stick to a healthier routine. I felt guilt that this sudden burst of energy will be fleeting as there currently isn’t an exit plan for our lockdown here as yet and it is inevitable for me to have a relapse.
Getting back to being physically active can be daunting. But if we are to be honest with ourselves, most people are experiencing what we are currently going through. It feels detached because we are all isolated, but the situation has been the same for almost all of us.
Start small
You may feel as if your energy levels should go back to exactly where they were before you took your break and that is understandable but not realistic. Nothing is more depressing than feeling exhausted and as if you have lost at the same time. Accept that you are not as strong as you were before; rebuild your strength.
Make a plan
It is easy to get comfortable in isolation after a long period of time and breaking habits could sometimes be hard. Try to schedule time in your day to be active and be intentional when you are making your plans. I have found that because the gyms remain closed, it has been easy to make excuses. Life is not the same and while it is hard to imagine doing things in a different way, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be done and with the same results.
Building back muscle
Muscles don’t stay the same if you aren’t exercising and naturally after a break you will feel a strain even for something as simple as cycling. Stretching and having a sound warmup are helpful for building endurance and not putting additional strain on parts of the body.
While I still feel sluggish and at times not too hopeful of being as active I was before, I think the constant goal for most of us is to try to feel better that we were when we first realised we had hit the lockdown wall.
