I’ve been a bit quiet since my fling with COVID in early August but I’m very much alive and kicking.
(You may have gleaned that my blog title is a reference to After the First Death, the Robert Cormier novel, which took its name from a Dylan Thomas poem called A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London. But neither of these things bear any relevance to anything I experienced or anything in this post – I’m just a pretentious weirdo who wants people to know I can read. 😄)
I had a mild case of COVID and kept working from home the entire time so I was one of the lucky ones. And in my household of four, only two of us tested positive.
But there was the fatigue. It could’ve been seasonal affective disorder, or low iron, or something else entirely… but I definitely felt like my energy levels sapped when I had COVID and for a few weeks after that. Or maybe I just don’t get enough sleep. According to Fitbit’s Sleep Profile, I’m a Giraffe, which means my sleep tends to be on the shorter side… like my height, which is most definitely not giraffe-like.
One thing I’ve been trying to do since I recovered is to start getting up early and working out before heading to the office. It hasn’t been daily but I do generally feel better on the days when I make the effort. More energy, less mid-afternoon slump. The early start goes against my nature but I’m trying to retrain my brain… and body, I guess!
Any tips for turning a night owl into an early bird would be much appreciated. 😛
Lee-Ann Khoh 
Well paced bite size chunks. Slowly build up the chunk sizes, and how often you have them.
That’s how you change your mindset, and form those positive habits.
I started out a couple of mornings a week, 45 minutes each time.
Over a couple of years I built that up to five morning a week, one and half hours each time, but allow myself two hours for those days where it’s hard to get going.
I learned very early on too that you get up early, get it over and done with, and you’ll feel the benefit the rest of the day; plus you won’t be carrying a pre-exercise dread all day with the weight of knowing you plan to exercise at the end of the day.
And having a solid routine I know if I miss a day or two occasionally it’s ok, as I do more than enough the rest of the time.
That’s my experience anyway.
To each their own.
Best of luck with your ambitions.
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Thanks mate, this is helpful – remembering that it doesn’t need to be all or nothing right away. 😄
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Waking up earlier in the day gets me more energised too, compared to in the afternoon or evening. As someone who voluntarily forced himself to wake up at 6am for the past year, I’ve learned that merely waking up earlier isn’t a guarantee of productivity. And working out first thing in the morning is definitely the hardest of them all (compared to other times of day).
I don’t really have tips for you, just the observations lined above, lol. Wishing you all the best on your goals!
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It’s a work in progress! 😊
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