Dear Friends,

“Your health is your wealth.” That’s something my uncle used to say, and boy does it ever ring true today. Not that the idea would ever go out of style, for without our health we have nothing. With gyms having been shut down for months and just reopening with restrictions, some of which are too difficult to follow, how can we make sure we are putting our health first?

If you are fortunate enough to still have your health, how do you maintain it and stay motivated to keep it up? I, for one, had

difficulty getting back on the exercise train after ankle surgery last December. I did everything I could to keep my upper body strong while rehabbing my lower half. And just when I received the green light to use my lower half, here came COVID-19, and there went my plan.

Exercise improves mood, and it also “prevents and manages cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and many other health conditions,” according to our article “Body Gratitude,” on page 24. To be blunt, my mood was in the toilet, but so was my motivation to exercise. I knew I needed to snap out of it before the road back became too long.

Since we all had no choice but to be home, I was thankful to learn that the exercise classes I enjoyed would be offered virtually. Knowing that I could wake up, head downstairs at a specific time, log on, and take a live class got me back in the fitness game. It also made me appreciate the fact that I could work out and was healthy enough to do so.

With social-distance restrictions, virtual classes allow me to see people and feel like I am part of a community outside the walls of my home. And although I tend to stare into the screen and wonder if everyone is in a good headspace with their body or gained a few pounds like me, I also realize that it takes a lot of strength to accept our downfalls and climb out of the rabbit hole. “Calling a truce with body imperfections can help us feel more comfortable in our skins, something that can go a long way,” says Milwaukee personal trainer Katie Hunt, in “Body Gratitude.” So be it. I have accepted where I am with my body and made a promise that now is the time to reverse course and find the discipline that I had pre-surgery and pre-pandemic.

I am not thrilled with myself for falling off the wagon, but I need to remember my uncle’s words of wisdom and be grateful for my health and that of my family. Because honestly, isn’t that what’s really important, in a nutshell?

May you all have the wealth of health, and make each day more meaningful than the last

Cyrece

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