Here’s the truth…I used the pandemic as a time to indulge in some unhealthy habits I thought I’d previously broken. If you’ve followed my journey, then you know I work out with an amazing group of women, I like my healthy smoothies, and on occasion I may post a healthy meal recipe (if you follow me you know I don’t really like to cook.) To cope with all the things going on in my life for the last nine months I used food as a bandage and crutch to help get me through some difficult moments. Initially I thought I could control my weight because I was able to work out virtually with my queendom beauties. After a while though, virtual workouts became a chore I didn’t want to be bothered with. I stopped working out, made excuses for my poor eating habits and began to embrace this pandemic weight. I felt like I was gaining the freshman 15 all over again, but let’s face it I’m no freshmen and it was more that 15 I gained. But hey we’re in a pandemic so it’s cool right?!

Minding my own business as I sit and wait for the nurse to draw blood, weigh me, and take my blood pressure. I step on the scale, a little surprise there, I’d maintained what I gained in the last 3 months, still more than I was pre-pandemic, but no more gains. I then sit and relax my mind, as she places the blood pressure cuff on I feel a little anxious, I laugh it off, I mean my blood pressure has always been great and I can’t understand why I’m worried today. The machine starts and ends, the nurse has a perplexed look on her face and asks if I mind if she runs the machine again. I wave it off and she starts the process again. Again she looks perplexed and excuses herself from the room. She comes back in with another nurse and they begin to ask how I’m feeling, can I move, do I feel dizzy?! I’m fine, I say to which she says no you are not. She reveals my results and I begin to panic. “Do you want us to call someone?” I get a migraine instantly and my family flashes before my eyes. I can’t breathe and I’m trying to figure out how I go from being okay to now feeling like crap. I know I’ve gained weight, but honestly I thought I was all around healthy. I was wrong.

The doctor enters the room and we begin the tough, but needed conversation about getting my health back on track. There is definitely a need for a change in diet, I need to get moving, and I need to learn to relax, relate, and release. I went home and began to do my research and put a few things in perspective. High blood pressure is known as a silent killer among African American women. We usually wait to go to the doctor, take care of everyone else, we don’t prioritize our health. As I come to the realization that I need to take my own advice and make some major changes. I can’t afford to not take this scare seriously. I need to either get serious about my health or become a statistic and lose this beautiful life I have with my family. 

So here we are restarting the journey on a new path, ready to defeat bad habits and get right! Join me! What bad habits have you noticed during the pandemic? Is it time for a change?