My Road To Recovery

It has been 16 days since I caught Covid (and eight days since my negative test), and I am settling back into recovery and my regular life, as best I can. This is a funky illness, with so much we still don’t know. Everyone’s recovery is so different, and I made the decision to take things nice and slow, to keep myself as strong and healthy as possible. As someone who does NOT get sick often (knock on wood), this is humbling and a little anxiety-inducing, so I’m going at a slow and reasonable pace.

I Am So Conscious About Hydration

Part of recovery is good hydration, so I am doing my best to keep up with that. We all know I hate water, but fluids are critical to staying well and fighting off further problems. Our friends dropped off this lemonade flavored Vitamin Water while we were both in the thick of it and I tried it to help with nausea (lemon is good for that). I ended up actually liking it and am drinking a couple of bottles every day. It’s not too sweet, and not too flavored, so it’s hitting just right.

Limiting Alcohol

Tis the season for holiday festivities, but in keeping with hydration, I’m limiting my alcohol a bit. I had my first glass of wine on Friday, and it was lovely, but more than enough. There are a few cocktail-centric events coming up for me, but I don’t feel too much pressure to imbibe a ton.

I’m Only Eating Foods That Sound Good

For me, recovery means intuitive eating. My stomach just isn’t playing nice right now, and while I have to eat, I don’t have to eat things that don’t sound yummy. Some days it’s a nice salad. Some days it’s mashed potatoes. Meat sounds disgusting right now, so I am trying to get my protein via eggs in the morning, until I can stomach chicken or beef again.

Rest Is Critical

Now, more than ever, rest is my friend. If I am tired at 8:00PM, I take myself to bed. I park it on the couch with the pugs (Leonidas always keeps an eye on me), and just zone out with Candy Crush or a Hallmark movie. Is my tree decorated? Not entirely, but that’s ok. I do a little here and there until I feel tired. It will be a rebuilding process, like it or not, but I feel like I have to listen to my body to get back to 100%.

I’m Not Going To Push It

While fresh air is absolutely essential for my personal well-being, I am being super careful in my return to fitness. I started walking again last Tuesday, and tried running on Wednesday. I’m not having any breathing or respiratory problems, so I felt comfortable doing so. With the cooler weather, things have gone well. That being said, I held off on returning to the gym, and I opted against the 5K on Sunday with the 7AM start time. One step at a time, literally.

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