COVID-19? More like COVID 25!

My name is Kevin Baker, and I’m the owner of two Fitness Together® personal training franchise locations in the Milwaukee area. I have owned my locations since March, 2018 after a career in corporate information technology.

I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately with my homebound colleagues, and there is definitely a heavy mindset that has settled in. You know what I’m talking about; sit at your desk, then the couch, then the desk, and then go to bed… the rinse, wash, repeat lifestyle. Let’s be real, COVID took the wind out of our sails and it is hard to get up and moving again.

I don’t blame any of us for the sedentary impacts of COVID. We have never been told that we are on a mandatory lockdown, followed up with limited access to our usual lives. It is natural to make our new lives as comfortable as possible. I remember when all of this started as a couple of weeks… back in March of 2020. No one could have ever predicted we would go through what we did or know what the new normal would be like starting 2021. Regardless, here we are, and we now must live with the new people we have become, physically and otherwise.

Let’s focus on the physical impacts. One of the simple ways we measure health changes is weight gain. Optimal weight varies by a number of factors in each individual but overall studies are finding that our population has gained weight in an unhealthy way, and at a fast clip, since we started our quarantine.

Lack of exercise options, increased stress, more accessibility to food (snacks!), and even not getting enough sleep has led to larger numbers on the scale. I get it and to be honest, I was one of these people. My studios shut down, I was at home with all of my comfort foods, the world was closed around me, and I really didn’t have much motivation to do anything, let alone work out.

So, what do we do about it? I can tell you what I had to do and why it is working for me. I had to start over again in my personal commitments and fitness goals. I went back to realizing my motivations and acknowledging where I would end up if I returned to my pre-Fitness Together® state. I had to call my trainer and get back into the studio for a workout. Thankfully, my trainers get it too and they weren’t nearly as harsh on me as I was being on myself.

COVID has put our physical health under a new microscope. It is an easy point-in-time to target when individuals have been corralled into the perfect storm to abandon their fitness. I can tell you though, the spotlight might be on, but the actors were always on stage. We get calls week-in and week-out from people who have been facing these same challenges, before COVID. We have been helping clients overcome lack of exercise options, increased stress, nutrition challenges, sleep deprivation, and a strong dislike of self-image since we started. It is at the heart of what we do, changing lives through the modification of fitness lifestyles.

The numbers are just starting to come in on the true impact to public health, beyond the COVID-specific impacts, but preliminary results are aligning with what was suspected, we collectively took a break from our fitness while quarantined. It appears that we are coming through everything at this point, but many are still struggling to get back to a healthy lifestyle and we know all too well that first step can be the hardest.

If you or someone you know is struggling to get back to a healthy lifestyle, we can help. Our team will build a customized plan for your fitness based on your goals so you can achieve your desired fitness outcomes.

Whatever you decide, I truly wish you the best of health. As always, I appreciate you taking a few moments to walk with me on our fitness journey.

Fitness Together has two locations in the Milwaukee area: 18000 W Bluemound Road, Brookfield, Wis. and 2525 N Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, Wis. For more information, contact Kevin Baker, owner, Fitness Together, at 262-444-3657, email at kevinbaker@fitnesstogether.com. www.fitnesstogether.com.