Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Fall 2020

Stay active while social distancing Think outside the gym Health experts recommend that we keep a distance of at least 6 feet from other people and avoid crowded places to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the 150 to 300 minutes a week of exercise recommended for most people. Why bother? There’s good reason to make a point of staying active. For one thing, exercise helps your immune system stay healthy. And that’s very important right now. It’s also a great way to cope with the stress and anxiety you may be feeling. Even cities and states that have asked residents to stay home still allow people to go outside for exercise as long as you practice social distancing. So there’s nothing stopping you from tried-and-true activities like taking a walk, run or bike ride nearby. early weeks of the pandemic that patients did better if you could avoid putting them on ventilators.” Charlie was administered nasal oxygen instead to help him breathe. Dr. Greer says Charlie’s coughing fits were some of the worst he’d witnessed in his long career. Wearing full personal protective equipment, including face shields, goggles, gloves, gowns and N-95 masks, nurses spent long hours with Charlie, helping him recover from hard bouts of coughing, feeding him meals and helping him to the bathroom. “They put on their battle gear and went to war,” Dr. Greer says. “They took care of this guy, and he got better.” Due to his contagious condition, Charlie was not allowed visitors. “It was lonely,” he says. He turned on the TV in his hospital room. “There was our President saying the virus was under control, and Dr. Fauci saying a vaccine was being worked on,” he says. Charlie didn’t want to hear it. “I caught it and was in here with it. It was on every channel.” So Charlie turned off the TV. Pulling through Charlie thought of his late grandfather and their last conversation. His grandfather was an ironworker who raised nine kids. “He was happy that I had become a father,” Charlie says. “He said I had a big responsibility, and that there was no excuse to not go to work, even being sick.” After five days of nasal oxygen administration, Charlie was able to breathe normally on his own again. A week after he was admitted to Bartlett, Charlie recovered from COVID-19. He was discharged and went back to work. For the first two weeks after his discharge, he could only watch his crew work. By late spring, Charlie felt like himself again and was back working long days, replacing roofs in Douglas and Juneau. Think outside the gym Tired of taking walks? Get creative with close-to-home activities like these: X Have a virtual dance party with friends over video chat. X If you have stairs, climb up and down for 10minutes at a time. Or work them into a strength routine withmoves like inclined pushups or tricep dips. X Make up your own jump rope and shadowboxing routine. No equipment required. X Streama free yoga video. Now’s an ideal time to perfect that warrior pose. X Get out into your garden and tackle some yardwork. Nature is a great stress- reliever too. X Play active games, like soccer, with your family (as long as everyone is healthy). X If you’re working from home, take some laps around the house on your breaks. Or have a walking phone conference. X Do some wall sits while you read a book. X Make up a circuit workout with different activities in each room, like jumping jacks, burpees and lunges. Staying active is one of the best moves you can make right now. Sources: American College of Sports Medicine; American Heart Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WELL- BEING www.bartletthospital.org 7