So I'm now 2 weeks symptom free of covid (for me chills and mild headache) and slowly restarting exercise. I just spoke with one of my coaches at The Endorphine Effect and mentioned how recovering from "The Vid" has given me a youthful taste different than before. (Note this IS NOT due to the privilege of getting Regenerons polyclonal antibody cocktail + remdesivir + dexamethasone....in fact I'm still searching for an affordable medical insurance so thank GOD I didn't need hospitalization!) My timing of recovery finishing off with Thanks Giving has pushed me into the taste of meat again! Since 2018 I went vegan to support my patient Bob who suffered an evolving heart attack in the fall of 18 and essentially remained plant based till my covid 19 infection. Thursday my gustatory drive culminated in a Roast Beef dinner prepared at home with my wife conjuring up the chef skills Mama. With every taste of fat/meat/gravy it brought me back to Mt Laurel new jersey for childhood (like the food critic in Rataouille taking a bite and zooming back to his childhood when mom fed him the delicacy after suffering an injury)
But the rejoicing ends there as my digestive system let me know all the microbiotia ALSO appreciated the onslaught of animal product with bloat burp fart to a degree of a 20 year old fraternity boy day after a keg party! Suffice it to say...the household olfactory nerves are appreciative of me staying plant based. But to circle back to the title...I also developed a desire to go run!? Most of my subscribers on youtube know I like HIIT training 3 days a week to the point of zone 2 heart rate and vo2 max so running can get me a decent heart rate but I haven't run since my drop in attempt at a 2nd marathon back in 2010. (I just did it to get a shirt saying 10-10-10 marathon). I knew the intrinsic muscles of the foot, the soleus and gastroc would probably hurt after so I just kept my endeavor to 1 mile at decent pace and finished. If my mitochondria and actin myosin muscle fibers had any memory from pre covid, I figured 1-2 days of muscle soreness was ok to expect. WAS I WRONG!!!
So with the 3rd post run day I started hobbling like John Wayne (am I dating myself?) and saying ouch oooch with every step down the stairs. But soon the kinetic chain began to compensate for the altered gait and I developed an impact tremor of pain that rippled from calves then hit the glutes till finally by this am my traps even screamed - "your a fibromyalgia patient dummy!". So today I broke tradition and started taking tylenol. (I don't like medicine but acknowledge these are desperate times). And in the midst of trying to find a comfy position in bed with a heating blanket and topical CBD (seehttps://youtu.be/LKLTp3V9Wj4) I wanted to go microscopic and visualize why certain muscle groups distant to my feet were hurting so much. Theories in the past videos were eccentric muscle contraction, poor warm up (treppe effect) decreased clearance/utilization of lactic acid, muscle fiber shearing, myofascial inflammation or dehydration. When I started "talking to my muscles" to ask "what are you telling me" and how can I help...one answer came up:
I should have continued exercise and stretching during my covid 2 week isolation. I essentially did no weight training fearful that I may trigger a cytokine storm. I did no THC at night (lungs!) I hardly ate-low appetite and probably added to mild dehydration...and for sure 1 week OFF activity and exercise can translate to whole body muscle atrophy (the amount is estimated but just look at a relative who may have gone through 1-2 weeks of an arm cast or bed rest and you'll see significant shrinkage. Just like pregnancy, during the time of metabolic change, it is suggested you MAINTAIN your previous exercise as abandoning it will only bring back risk factors you previously kept at bay AND the restart of exercise "when your ego is tired of seeing belly girth increase" will inevitably cause an equal degree of post work out pain equivalent to the time spent rationalizing the idea to just watch netflix. So already at the time of this journaling, I am feeling more mobile with "tolerable" muscle stiffness.
ALL MY FREAKS that love exercise know the achey feeling post work out is usually associated with being "swollen" as one of my patients commented. (My claim to fame- Chris Angel during a vegas show got me to stand up in the audience and the comic relief guy started making asian gestures to get a laugh but the Chris said pointing to me... "he's pretty fit, he might kick your ass!" Of course that prompted comic relief guy to start doing karate chops in air...all for good fun! Bottom line is those who dial in exercise to cause just the right amount of muscle damage usually prompt inflammation at the price of looking buff / swollen / pumped...to the learned behavior is well accepted as most body builders know your look good for a day or two, walk with confidence and look forward to moving more weight, shattering personal records or going a little faster farther with the NEXT time you dive into the pain.
I honestly have to say, I've crushed my covid infection, I can put away my covid supplements as the more my antibodies swarm my blood stream, the more def-con 4 my immune system stays to chew up any hint of viral contagion. I love muscle pump, I love not looking 58, I love not having the typical diagnosis my colleagues walk around with and I love knowing my investment in essentially a Blue Zones lifestyle has paid off (usually no one will notice if investment has paid off until all their friends have succumbed to age related diseases ...then its too late to brag as everyone is gone. Its ok...someone will benefit from my documenting this journey and I hopefully will get to walk down the aisle with my grand kids!!!
This blog is for my warriors and I promise the stories are coming up but I thought it fitting to give you a biography of your "Chief Warrior" (thanks Deb)
-Stay Safe / Stay Healthy / Have Hope
-DrRic
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