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I'm not a doctor, healthcare worker, professional health-related anything. I'm just a typical midlife woman, trying to be as healthy as I can and to have a high quality life.
Covid is endemic. I assume I will get it at some point, if I haven't already. My reason for living a healthy life is not to avoid the possibility of contracting a coronavirus. It's simply to build my immune system and to create a body that is best suited to fight infections and pathogens that come along while living a full life without undue fear.
To be clear, we all know so many who test positive with the irrationally used PCR test are completely asymptomatic. So, who knows if I've “contracted” Covid asymptomatically? But wait, there's more! In late January, 2020, my husband, daughter, and I attended a special session of the Sundance Film Festival (held in Park City, Utah), covering artificial intelligence in film. (My husband was a panelist.) That session had a number of attendees from China. A number of days later, we started getting an influenza-like illness that worked through everyone living in my home (five people, at that time). High fever, body aches, cold symptoms, and all that jazz.
Covid wasn't much on the radar, so we treated it like rational human beings. We stayed home, drank lot of fluids, ate chicken noodle soup, slept a lot. And we recovered, like healthy humans tend to do.
Without further ado, I will share what I do personally. Consider what will work best for you and your unique body.
Supplements
Respiratory Illness Protection
- Dr. Mercola Lipsomal Vitamin C – 1000 mg
- Nature's Bounty Vitamin D3 – 50 mcg
- NatureBell Quercetin – 1000 mg
- Now Foods Zinc Gluconate – 50 mg
- Nature Made Super B Complex – 1 tablet
- Nature's Way Sambucus Elderberry – 100 mg
Midlife Boosters
- VH Nutrition Rhodiala Rosea – 1400 mg
- Vitanica Woman's Passage – 1 capsule
Daily Regimen
Morning
Afternoon
Night
Occasionally
- Surge – 1
Exercise
Cardio
Six days per week I do some kind of cardio, burning between 150 and 500 calories. This varies, depending on mood and availability. Some options are:
- Stair climber
- Elliptical trainer
- Treadmill
- Recumbent bike
- Cardio dance class
- HIIT class
In addition, I walk for 20–30 minutes outside, almost every day. No matter the weather, I try to get this in.
Weight Lifting Routine
Monday/Thursday Legs
- A1 Deadlift 12/12/12 (barbell)
- A2 squat 12/12/12 (dumbbells)
- B1 leg extension 12/12/12 (machine)
- B2 hamstring curl 12/12/12 (machine)
- C1 adductor 12/12/12 (machine)
- C2 abductor 12/12/12 (machine)
Tuesday/Friday Arms
- A1 skull crusher 12/12/12 (dumbbell)
- A2 bicep rotation curl 12/12/12 (dumbbells)
- B1 tricep dip 12/12/12 (machine)
- B2 preacher curl 12/12/12 (machine)
Wednesday/Saturday Chest/Shoulder/Back
- A1 pec fly 12/12/12 (machine)
- A2 lateral raise 12/12/12 (machine)
- B1 lat pulldown 12/12/12 (machine)
- B2 seated back row 12/12/12 (machine)
Every Day Abs
- 3×15 (various machines)
Fresh Air and Sunshine
Advice from your grandma. Get outside. Breathe. Move. It's good for you and it's free. Even in the rain; even in the winter. Just dress appropriately and get yourself out there in the world!
Sleep
This has been my Achilles' heel my entire life. Being a night owl in a family of morning larks was always a problem—and then I married a morning lover, too. When you can't fall asleep at a normal time, the world doesn't wait for your internal body clock. That has forced me to be accustomed and functional in spite of sleep deprivation.
After I read Why We Sleep last year, I was determined (again) to try to get more regular sleep. I've been shooting for six to seven hours per night. To be honest, it's been kind of a kludge, since doing it naturally has never worked.
To my nighttime vitamin regimen (which includes a great melatonin supplement), I have added the following. I'm sincerely hopeful that at some point I can regulate my sleep enough to get rid of the sleeping aid. For now, however, it's the only combination I've found that works at all. (And I still have a nearly sleepless night about once per week.)