Anxiety and COVID: How To Create a Routine That Maintains Your Well Being
Tanner Mackenzie • April 10, 2020
Two Important Contributing Factors To Creating a Successful Routine
Part of adapting to a lifestyle that is aligned with social distancing is establishing a new routine. Oftentimes, with work disrupted and schedules in disarray, it is easy to fall into the trap of a dysregulated daily routine.
This can wreak havoc on our mental and physical well being. Two things I have noticed since practicing social distancing:
1) My eating schedule is thrown off.
2) My workout schedule is erratic.
You might say, "Well, you may gain/lose weight, and you may get a bit out of shape, but that's about it."
However, falling out of routine can have a much more far-reaching impact than just body composition and fitness.
I have an anxiety disorder that is improved by lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, so when these are not maintained, my mental and physical well being are affected. We could all put in a bit of extra effort to keep up with working out and eating on time, but this is easier said than done.
Two important contributing factors that have been important to my well being at this time are
1) Framing
2) Progression
Say you have been used to working out twice a week at Nova, twice a week at home, and a weekend day of sports (curling, swimming). Well, all public facilities are closed, and you might not be motivated to work out alone at home in addition to your Virtual 1-On-1 Training with us.
So, your new routine might be: Twice a week Virtual 1-On-1 Training, and once a week walking the dog outside. In comparison with your previous routine, this may seem lazy or regressive. It is important to FRAME
your new routine correctly, by understanding that your old routine has little bearing on what you are currently able to execute. This will remove any shame or negative emotions from your thought pattern around your QR (Quarantine Routine).
In order to avoid the opposite end of the spectrum, which represents stagnation and true regression, the second contributing factor, PROGRESSION, must be addressed.
I implement this with all my Virtual Training sessions in the following fashion:
Edward usually trains bench press at Nova. He is comfortable at 100 lbs for 10 reps for 3 sets. Now Edward trains at home and does push-ups. Rather than trying to compare push-ups with bench press, we set a NEW standard of 20 reps of push-ups for 3 sets. Next week we attempt 22 reps of push-ups for 3 sets, and we will continue the progression each week.
Introducing Progression into your routine, training or otherwise, will ensure you find purpose and satisfaction in your QR. This can be applied to any piece of your routine:
Last week Mary walked Roscoe 2km and threw the ball for him 20 times. This week she walked him 2.5km and threw the ball for him 25 times. Roscoe is now a tired puppy.
I hope this helps you in establishing your new 'Quarantine Routine', and that you are able to use Framing and Progression effectively. If you have any questions or need help, reach out to me or your Lead Coach and we will be more than happy to chat!
-Tanner Mckenzie
Andrew has been a Nova member for 9 years. One of his long standing goals was to do his first triathlon. He has been working towards this for years and just at the end of August he did it!
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Do Hard Things Now, So Life Becomes Easier Later Modern humans default to the easy way but it's not our fault... Throughout human history, we were wired to survive constant hardship - scarcity of food, threats from predators, harsh environments and manual labor for everything. Our DNA evolved for survival in these conditions, not for modern living. Imagine an early human stumbling across a fruit tree. It made sense to gorge - there was no telling when the next meal would come. The human who gorged had a higher chance of survival than the human who only ate a few pieces of fruit. Practicing self-control in an environment of scarcity would have been a death sentence. Likewise, if given a chance to rest instead of walking miles or hunting, rest was the obvious choice. The problem? Our genes haven’t caught up with modern life. Today, food is everywhere. We don’t have to fight to meet our basic needs. Technology does the heavy lifting, cars replace walking, entertainment is on-demand and calorie-dense foods are always within reach. Left unchecked, our instincts will always lean toward easy options like overeating unhealthy foods (that are so easily accessible) or driving to the store instead of walking. In other words, we’re still hardwired to take the path of least resistance. But here’s the catch: Choosing easy now often means a harder life later and choosing hard now often means an easier life later. Most modern humans are overweight, stressed, tired and dealing with chronic health problems because we’re following outdated survival programming that no longer serves us. It’s time to become aware of these defaults. To override them. To consciously choose the hard thing - because doing hard things is what actually makes life easier in the long run. Hard things like: Going to bed on time instead of watching another episode Preparing a healthy meal instead of grabbing fast food Moving your body instead of sitting all day Walking or biking to the store instead of driving Managing stress with deep breaths and fresh air instead of pouring a drink Looking at your habits instead of masking symptoms with medication It might feel uncomfortable because it goes against everything your biological programming is urging you to do. But that’s exactly why it matters. Don’t think of it as punishment or sacrifice. Think of it as an investment. Every time you take the stairs instead of the elevator, cook instead of order out, or put your phone down to truly rest, you’re building a life that’s easier, richer, and more fulfilling down the road. And remember: Do easy things, and you’ll have a hard life. Do hard things, and you’ll have an easy life. Most of the above information is probably not new to you. That’s because we live in the information age with the internet and now AI - we already know what it is we need to do. The problem however is implementation. This is where having a customized plan and accountability comes in. If you know the hard things you need to do more of but struggle with breaking past your ‘default mode’ then contact us for a complimentary consultation HERE .
Congratulations to Sonya Jeyaseelan, Our July 2025 SuperNova!
Congratulations to Liz Belford, Our June SuperNova!
We are back with our second series of 'Pod Calls' available exclusively to our Nova Health Club members. Don't miss these unique sessions to help you level up your health and wellness game! What is a Pod Call? A Pod Call is a live online (webinar like)_ session with a Nova coach, offering support and insights on key health topics like fitness, nutrition, recovery and overall wellness. Why did we create Pod Calls? Our goal is your success and your health goals can not be built on fitness alone. After delivering thousands of personal training sessions, we noticed a disconnect between fitness sessions we were delivering and the other pillars of health (and lifestyle habits that happen outside of the gym). To get the most out of your health and your fitness sessions at Nova we need to link other pillars such as mindset, nutrition, stress and recovery. Training coaches who care about your results will agree that a couple hours of personal training each week is not enough time to workout AND learn everything you need to know about maximizing those workouts... Things like how to eat before or after workouts, what recovery habits should be practiced or the link between stress and working out are all subjects that you need to know on your health and fitness journey. Pod Calls are dedicated sessions where we teach you essential health and fitness insights that we can't often cover during your gym workouts. We hope you take advantage of these expert-led sessions that will enhance your workouts, teach you new concepts about health and bridge the gap between fitness and overall wellness. Upcoming Pod Calls (all times in EST) Mon Jun 2, 2025 (6:00pm) Topic: How To Eat Carbs For Better Energy, Muscle & Fat Loss Coach: Josh Allen Wed Jun 4, 2025 (2:00pm) Topic: Hip Mobility Using the 'CARS' (active session) Coach: Kim Vo Sat Jun 7, 2025 (12:00pm) Topic: Benefits of Single Leg & Arm Training for Overall Strength Coach: Matthew Nadler Tues Jun 10, 2025 (6pm) Topic: Releasing Neck Tension Coach: Zack Fernandez Wed Jun 18, 2025 (1:00pm) Topic: Training The Backside of The Core Coach: Colin Soltesz Thu June 19, 2025 (7:00pm): Topic: Ayurveda for Healthy Ageing Coach: Kayla Hutchinson These calls are free for Nova members and Zoom links for each call can be found in the Nova Mighty Networks platform. If you are not a Nova member and would like to attend any of these please email Info@NovaHealthClub.com for a seat. We look forward to seeing you then!
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