I DID A RUN! I actually did a run and managed to keep going for 1 whole mile! In my last update in May I was concentrating on building myself back up slowly. I continue to have lots of symptoms however the fatigue seems to be easing off and it's probably the most debilitating symptom of all. I can deal with chest pain and rashes, but once the fatigue hits it stops me in my tracks so if it continues to ease off I'll be over the moon.
My current approach to rehab is prioritising work and family, I need to be able to coach and take my classes, I need to be able to do school run and look after my kids. If I'm busy I don't exercise much at all so I have energy for classes. If I have a quieter week with spare time I'm starting exercise slowly and taking a very gentle approach. My run on Friday is my first run in months and 1 mile is the longest I've run since getting Covid in December. It's frustrating not being able to do all the things I used to do but it's the only way I can create a baseline where I can continue to do what I want without a crash. Patience is key and I'm learning the hard way that I'm not the most patient person!
A few weeks ago I qualified for a clinical trial, the company carrying out the research are looking into the genetic trends of people who have suffered with Covid badly and also looking at genetic links in people with long Covid. I've sent my DNA off to be tested so will wait and see what happens. It wont give me a quick fix but may give me a reason why I've been hit so hard and it feels like some answers will help right now.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't even take a paracetamol for pain, I eat anything and everything and don't feel like I need supplements normally, however at the moment I'll give anything a go if it might help! After doing some research into more natural approaches I've started to take Phyto-nutrients. The UK Phyto V study has been conducted by scientists, physicians and academics from Bedfordshire and Addenbrooke's Cambridge University Hospitals. It's one of the worlds largest nutritional intervention studies on people with long Covid and is attempting to boost diets with high doses of Phyto chemicals. These little miracle ingredients are thought to improve gut health and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. After just a couple of weeks of taking them I'm definitely feeling less fatigue and more energised. Maybe a coincidence? Either way I'm happy to keep taking them in the hopes that they might be helping.
In more positive news I haven't had a big 'crash' for weeks. Sometimes it's easy to lose perspective but this is such a huge positive. It means even if I'm feeling ill and my symptoms flare up I can still function, I can work and take care of my kids. I can manage as long as I don't crash so fingers crossed it stays this way.
Our amazing business, E.L. Fitness is going from strength to strength. We have new corporate contracts, new members joining our amazing boot camp community, we're continuing to keep our wonderful senior community active, we launched Walkfit 3 weeks ago and we recently got involved with Cippenham School sports week. I managed to do all my classes with no major ill effects AND run a mile in my spare time. I've also started to slowly do some workouts recently and try and get back to exercising. The last 6 months have been such a huge rollercoaster but it really does feel like I may have turned a corner.
Today as I'm writing this the fatigue is definitely kicking in after an accumulation of lots of busy days, but there's so many more good days than bad now and I have to focus on that. I've come a long way since the early days of this illness and we have so many exciting things coming up. The only way is up and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. Bring it on lets do this ELFs.
Sam x