What happens to a recovering all-or-nothing thinker during a Global pandemic, when routines are crashing and burning and life as we know it is not even recognizable compared to three months ago?

I read a book called What You Can When You Can several years ago that slowly, but permanently changed the way I think about health and fitness. I am a recovering all-or-nothing thinker, so back then, the idea that I didn't have to run every single day, or eliminate every carbohydrate in my diet was a novel one.

It didn't happen all at once, but I realized by trial and error that what works best for me is balance. I run when it feels good, lift weights to get stronger and eat well most of the time, and there is plenty of room in my healthy lifestyle for treats and indulgences.

In the old days, I'd go months or a year without "cheating," then spend months not being able to "get back on track" when I did. These days I eat what I want, and of course, sometimes I go too far, eat out more than I should, drink more wine than what is healthy, or skip too many workouts in a row—Because I'm human.

Or, I'm just a likely to go far in the other direction: workout too much, or not eat enough calories. My all-or-nothing tendencies didn't go away; I just learned how to manage them.

Now, I recognize the triggers of all-or-nothing behaviors, and I am better able to self-correct in a matter of days or weeks, rather than months or years in the wrong direction.

The biggest lesson I learned that is all or nothing, usually, eventually, leads to nothing. You can try to be perfect, but what happens when life gets in the way of perfection? If you haven’t noticed life hasn’t been perfect lately.

All-or-Nothing Thinking During a Global Pandemic

I struggled for the first couple of weeks. I wasn't packing a healthy lunch, because I didn't have anywhere to go. Then because I didn't have a healthy lunch readily available, I ordered take out more often than usual.

My Achilles was talking to me, so I wasn't running as much (or hardly at all). I was getting fewer daily steps because I wasn't in the office every day. It turns out that there are fewer steps from my couch to my fridge than I thought.

I built a healthy lifestyle around a routine that ceased to exist. With such close proximity to the refrigerator, I was snacking more and not making as many healthy choices as usual. Hubs brought more junk food into the house (that proved irresistible), maybe as his stress response, and I wasn't moving as much in my new routine.

I had an extra layer of stress and anxiety, taking in what was going on in the world. I had a close friend in the hospital on ventilators. I lost income from personal training clients, I had an elevated resting heart-rate, and I wasn't sleeping well.

Any of this sound familiar? I don't have kids, so I know many have it much harder than me: Homeschooling kids, financial insecurity, closed gyms, working from home, or not at all.

Or perhaps the stress of being an essential worker, or being married to one, maybe you're separated from family to keep them safe, while the rest of us are sheltering at home.

It's easy (and totally normal) to get overwhelmed when your whole life changes overnight.

It took me a few weeks to adapt, to overcome the thought that because I couldn’t do everything I wanted, I should do nothing. My first step was to adjust my mindset, accept what was out of my control, let go of that (as much as possible), and focus on what I could manage.

OpportunitIES In Limitations

I took it one step farther. Instead of spending my energy thinking about the things I couldn't do, or what I didn't have, I tried to look for new opportunities that weren't available in our old world.

We train our bodies with exercise, but we must work to train our brains as well. I am teaching my mind to look for opportunities, instead of dwelling on inconveniences or losses.

What can I do now that I couldn't do before the shutdown? I am expanding my thinking, not just to make do with what is available, but to look for opportunities that might be better than before.

How could things be better when we’re in the middle of a world pandemic?

It’s not to discount the pain and suffering but to open our minds to opportunity.

Improve Movement Patterns

A lot of people are switching from gym workouts to bodyweight workouts due to restricted gym access. It may not sound better, but look for the opportunity—Could it be time to focus on corrective exercise, stability, or mobility?

Improved movement patterns will make you more resilient when the gyms reopen. Often we ignore the practices we need in favor of what looks impressive on Instagram.

A forced reduction in load and intensity for four to six weeks may just be what we need to prepare ourselves for better future performance. This time is an opportunity to readjust our training focus to prepare for a strong comeback once the gyms (and world) reopens.

RUNch

I've been running at lunch, otherwise known as RUNch. Run + Lunch = RUNch.

I love mid-day runs. When I was working, I'd have run early in the morning or in the evening after a long day. Lunchtime runs weren't possible because it took too long afterward to make myself work-appropriate again.

Now, I can just wipe myself down to cool off and go back to work at my dining room table, then shower in the evening. My new co-workers don't mind.

Frequency Training

I've been doing six pushups and five assisted pull-ups every hour on non-strength training days. The idea is to keep the reps low, about half of your max, but hit the muscles frequently throughout the day. It takes about two minutes, and it feels excellent between bouts of sitting.

With the frequent repetitions, without maxing out allows practice for performance improvement. Coaches note: Immediately discontinue reps or frequency at any sign of pain. If it is too much for your body, it can cause more harm than good.

It's yet to be determined the outcome of my frequency experiment, will it improve my skills and ability? It's fun for me to find out.

Hourly pushups and pull-ups at the office would not be possible; this time at home is creating an otherwise unavailable opportunity.

MINDSET

If your mind immediately goes to "I couldn't do that because (insert reason here)," challenge your mindset. Don't accept every thought as a fact, because our minds reflect our limiting beliefs.

Our brains try to protect us against uncomfortable feelings, but we must be willing to face and challenge uncertainty to grow and improve.

Ask yourself:

Why can't I do that?

What would it look like if I could?

What could I do instead?

What small step could I take towards it?

There are opportunities in challenges. Your situation is likely different than mine, but if you train your mind to make space for improvement, rather than dwelling on the negatives, you may find ways to improve your health and fitness in a time of struggle.

I challenge you to think, "What can I do now to improve my health, fitness, or mindset that wasn't possible before?"

It may not come to you right away. Keep your mind open to opportunity. What new healthy habits could you develop now? Maybe it is cooking at home or learning a new skill. It might be improving sleep habits or reading more. Perhaps getting outside for daily walks or writing in a journal. You might write and mail letters to friends, a concept that was obsolete a few months ago.

What you decide is as individual as you. Let me know what you come up with on Twitter, Instagram, or in the comments.

While I encourage you to look for these opportunities, I also want to add that it's ok not to be a high performer right now. Maybe what you need more than anything is rest or recovery, and that's ok too. If your body and mind are stressed, sometimes the opportunity to take two steps back and focus on self-care is the best road to health. Allow yourself the grace to take care of yourself first and foremost.

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