On March 8th, 2022 I self-tested positive with Covid-19. A week later I went to a clinic and was officially tested positive. After being Covid free from it's first onset, it finally caught up with me.
For about two and a half weeks I struggled with a fever upwards of 100 degrees, fatigue, lack of appetite and about a 12 lb. weight loss. I was at 178 and dropped to a very slim 165. Needless to say I lost a significant amount of strength.
Going back about a month prior I had decided to go on a bulking phase, my eating habits were not as healthy as they were before that, but I saw significant weight gain in both muscle and fat. I definitely was bulkier, but my waste line grew in size as well. I also saw a significant rise in my A1C. After all that hard work to bring it down, it shot back up again. Well, that was the end of that. Thus I began my journey to gain my health back. Then Covid hit, and at a pretty significant time, my second day at a new job!
Towards the end of my covid ordeal, as I was beginning to feel better, my desire to continue my fitness journey began to fire back up. I had a renewed focus to get back into to it, but this time I had a new plan to my workouts. Along with proper nutrition - Plenty of protein rich foods, low carbs, reduced sugars and nutrient dense, whole foods. I also incorporated two key strategies to my workout regimen.
Progressive Overload
and
Active Recovery
Progressive Overload is when you add slightly more weight or reps and try and do more than your previous workout, constantly testing the limits of your strength. Since I don't have a lot of weight options for this I added more reps. In little over a month my strength came back and I became even stronger than before. I also put on a couple lbs. of lean mass. At 168 I am at least as strong, if not slightly stronger than I was at 178. This is the first time I really attempted to do this, but after some research I realized this may be one of the best ways for me to quickly gain my strength back. I will continue utilizing this technique.
Active Recovery is doing light exercise between sets, immediately after your exercise session or during the days you would normally rest, or all three. I opted to do about a 30 minute exercise on my days off, with walking, elliptical and planks. The exercise helps with muscle soreness and recovery.
I also started myself on a new supplement - Tart cherry juice. Full of antioxidants and muscle recovery properties, this helped me get back into my routine and I've taken it ever since.
By doing progressive overload and active recovery exercises along with a healthy diet, I was able to successfully "bounce back" from an illness and recover my lost strength in a short amount of time.
Although everybody's recovery is different, and illness severity varies, if you're hit with illness, you can get back into a healthy lifestyle and routine. Don't let the temporary setback discourage you from meeting your goals.
Suggested Reading:
https://www.healthline.com/health/active-recovery
https://www.healthline.com/health/progressive-overload#benefits
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-tart-cherry-juice-benefits
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