Suggestions for healthy living during the pandemic

MEMBER COLUMN

Editors note: Joan Rose from Mutual 12 shares some of her funny insights and reactions to the suggestions and articles that center around healthy living during the pandemic and what is actually happening during her daily routine.

By Joan Rose

LW contributor

Suggested Morning Schedule: 6 a.m. – Wake up and greet the day, then lay in bed and stretch your whole body luxuriously.

What I Do: 6 a.m.- I wake up, remember where I am, check body parts to see which one is hurting this morning. Throw back the covers and slowly raise myself into a sitting position, then dangle legs over the edge. Sit there for a minute until the room stops spinning then slowly heave myself out of bed to a standing position.

Suggestion: 6:30 a.m. – Meditation is wonderful, try to practice it in the morning to create a general sense of well being.

What I Do: Once I tried Meditation before getting up, but fell asleep. I had to wake up all over again.

Suggestion: 7 a.m.–Don’t take a hot shower, try taking a cold shower, since experts say that is better for your body.

What I Do: Are you kidding?

Suggestion: Having two breakfasts a few hours apart in the morning decreases the odds of being overweight.

What I Do: I always have a good breakfast at 7 a.m. and then coffee and a chocolate doughnut or bear claw at 10. Haven’t lost a pound.

Suggestion: Do something fun in the morning.

What I Do: Define fun. Simply getting up, taking a hot (never cold) shower, getting dressed and eating breakfast exhausts me. Then I collapse into my recliner, turn on the morning TV news, try to recover from my shock at the latest death tally, and fall asleep... again.Naps are underrated, by the way.

Years ago, I would jump out of bed in the morning, get a shower, get dressed and have a quick breakfast, then I would bound out of the house, get into the car and drive to the office. There, I would work all day at a stressful job. Never had much time for fun. If I had that job now, of course, I wouldn’t be going anywhere because of our current stay-athome orders. It’s nice that I can stay home. I’m loving retirement more every day.

Suggestion: Go for a walk.

What I Do: I try to walk to the mailbox and back before lunch everyday. It has been suggested that we wear masks while walking, but if I do, I have trouble breathing, so I have decided to tough it out by just avoiding anything that looks human. Others out walking are dutifully wearing their masks, and I always give them a wide berth or just cross the street.

Suggestion: Do something fun in the afternoon.

What I Do: Now that I’m in my retirement years, fun is relative. I haven’t actually changed my schedule that much during the pandemic. Just watching my favorite TV programs, painting, playing computer Scrabble and Words with Friends keeps me occupied. Of course, actual visits with my kids, grandkids, and my kindly neighbors are now out of the question, but I keep in touch with my family daily by text or email, and I have managed to keep busy.

In the words of someone famous, this too shall pass.