My title and alliteration for this post comes from watching far too many teen dramadies on streaming services where all they talk about is sex. Thinking back to what television 90s kids had growing up, we didn’t learn much about sex unless you had cable or the coveted HBO. Anyway, this post is not about sex.
So many of my peers live alone and almost have no accountability or motivation during these bleak times of COVID. We’ve all moved to more remote places and aren’t too keen about going to the gym during COVID-19, plus we lives in cold weather places. How do we find a way to mutually motivate each other without landing on any internally sensitive landmines?
I had a call with an old friend who has very poor bedside manner, but he is very smart and thoughtful. He’s one of those men who has been through a lot of self-reflection and mental health issues, so he legitimately knows what he’s talking about, but telling your friend she looks “big” is something that could be finessed. He’s not wrong — I’ve gained about 25 pounds. Due to mental health issues, medication changes, two surgeries for a broken clavicle, and minimal work from home, I am a victim of quarantine weight gain. To be fair, I had a good 35-year run of treating my body like shit so I can’t be mad at it for reacting to a year of sitting on the couch.
Now my question is, where can I find motivation to get up, go to the gym, be active, make better choices, and break some habits that got me here in the first place? I’ve been on my own forever and am finding the “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality exhausting — I need outside voices to push me. But, I’m not sure that’s my friends, family, or peers. Fad diets and expensive exercise classes don’t actually work, so it’s time to make a plan.
Plan to come — more head.