the reformation [2/2]

The last time I posted about my physical 'reformation,' I was at 173# and shooting for 145# by the end of December. Shortly after that post, covid-19 ran rampant through my family. The girls weathered it just fine - the worst Naomi and Maggie had was a slight fever one day and some sniffles - but Ash and I were a different story. We didn't have any of the 'fearful' covid-19 symptoms, with difficulty breathing or anything like that, but we were physically wiped out for about two weeks. Compounding the physical exhaustion was a mental fatigue or brain fog unlike anything I've ever experienced. Those Chinese sure make weird sicknesses! 

\All this to say, perhaps the biggest aftereffect of covid-19 was that for months afterwards, I was plagued with muscular exhaustion. My workouts were reduced to about a third of what they were before the sickness, and as a result I began losing muscle and putting on weight. By mid-summer I was back up to 180#. Thankfully over the past six weeks, I've been regaining my strength and endurance. It's been an uphill battle, but - barring any unforeseen circumstances - it seems I'm out of the woods. I've begun setting new personal records, am enjoying hour-long grueling workouts once more, and am generally feeling fit, healthy, and energetic. I've added a trap bar to my workout regimen, so now I'm not just confined to dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, and handle-bands. When you work out from home and don't have the time to physically go to a gym, you've gotta slowly accumulate your equipment. My ambition over the next few years is to get a rowing machine and a bench. 

My original goal of 145# by Christmas just isn't realistic anymore, given the covid-19 sickness and the fallout. I've scrapped that goal and replaced it with a realistic goal of 160# (though I wouldn't mind hitting 156# and being no longer 'overweight'). I'm keeping my daily caloric intake around 1600 calories; it's a very slight caloric deficit, but I don't want to go too low because I'm working on building muscle at the same time. I'm not a big fan of the binging and cutting cycles, so I'm embracing the 'slow and steady wins the race' technique. And since I won't be cutting this autumn or winter, I'll have enough of a caloric window to enjoy some of my favorite of Ashley's homemade meals: meatloaf, potato soup, homemade bread, pork chops and apples, and on and on. Autumn and winter is definitely when she pulls no punches in treating me to delicious homecooked meals.