A routine makes the difference

Like most who worked out in gyms before COVID-19 struck, Caitlin O’Rourke, 33, of Lansing, has had to alter her routine to stay active.

“I started working out regularly with group fitness classes at the YMCA,” she said. “I prefer group fitness classes because the instructors and the other people in the classes motivate and support each other. Because the gyms have been closed, I’ve been continuing group fitness with online classes and I’ve also been doing a workout routine on top of that. I regularly walk three miles a day with my dogs, at least 1 one-mile run a day, do a strength workout with resistance bands/weights, or a bodyweight workout.”

O’Rourke, a non-profit fundraising consultant, says the workouts have been keeping her stress levels in check.

“Staying active and keeping a regular workout helps reduce daily stresses and anxieties,” she said. “I feel better and I’m in a better mood the days I work out. I have more energy and I’m happier because of it. The combination of a healthier diet and staying active improves my overall mood.”

In addition to a regular workout routine, O’Rourke has fine-tuned her diet. She’s eliminated fast food and is always striving to eat healthy foods.

“When I first started sticking to a regular workout routine, I didn’t change my diet too much and I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted,” she said. “I was invited to join a challenge with two friends for one month of clean eating, and I did it. I stuck to my goals and saw the results I wanted. From there, my diet changed a lot. I wasn’t eating takeout food as much, I kept bringing my lunch to work, and a lot of the junk food I was craving before I no longer did. So my diet is still mostly healthy, and I work to alter my favorite foods to make them healthier.”

When she feels the urge to cheat on her diet, she reminds herself that moderation is the key.

“It’s harder to stick to an overall healthy diet without letting yourself have some of the things that might be less healthy,” she said. “Starting with the strict clean eating plan helped me have fewer urges for sweets and junk food, but it’s easier to completely fall off a healthy routine if you’re not allowing yourself some things here and there.”

She said, through trial and error, she’s figured out a good path. If she can do it, she said, anyone can.

“There will be days that you don’t want to work out, or that you’re just not feeling it, but don’t let that spiral your overall routine,” she said. “Set regular goals for yourself and remember that you’re doing it for yourself. And, find someone who will help support you and your goals, who will help push you to stay on track and listen to your progress, just so you can bounce it off someone.”