Lockdown Lessons 2: Your Skin is Waterproof

"Almost anything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…. including you.”

By Anne Lamott

This quote perfectly sums up the recommendations I gave in my time as a Health Adviser. However, I would be the first to admit I did not always practice what I preach. Especially the minute the weather reared its ugly head.

In this metaphor, if your desk, the office, or your home is your source of stress then unplugging yourself means removing yourself completely from that environment.

Now, fully removing yourself from that environment would mean leaving that space and potentially that building. I’d therefore advise that clients utilise their lunch to get outdoors as studies show this even improves your productivity so the time you think you are saving having lunch whilst you work is actually more than recouped by the benefits of the break.

You could even cheat the system and hole up in a different location. Grab a coffee or your lunch down the street on your lunch break to avoid what the Great British weather throws at you.

Lockdown has taken this option away from us, limiting our options which we could choose to view as a negative. However, a limitation of options can sometimes be of benefit. Like ordering food off a menu so extensive that you are left wondering where to even start?

The simplified option lockdown provides is that if you want to socialise, you go outdoors. The choice, during certain restrictions, is literally limited to staying at home, staying plugged in, or entirely escape your indoor socket to socialise outdoors.

This simplified option made the choice to get outdoors a lot easier. Even if it wasn’t a lunch break. Getting outdoors no matter what the weather is to socialise with people who make this difficult situation bearable is a no-brainer.

That is why every lunch I escape my apparent work, gym, and relaxation space to go for a walk with my mate. This time the weather would not stop us. Whereas in the past we could rearrange for an all-weathers trip to the pub. It was either get outdoors or don't see each other. Period. Actually, when I put it like that it almost sounds romantic. A bit of Romeo and Juliette.

Probably best I stop talking about my mate like that and get back to my point that the situation led to us quickly realising that your skin is f****** waterproof! And the benefits are unbelievably worthwhile. I’m not just talking about the increased step count and beneficial effects of fresh air.

It is amazing how one positive action results in 2, or perhaps even a chain reaction of positive actions, and how something as simple as an indoor location to meet can result in a more negative outcome.

Having to socialise outside leads to you heading outdoors. The fresh air and good company improves your mood. Due to being in a better space mentally the rest of your day improves. Potentially better nutritional decisions are made. Retail therapy reduced. Productivity at work increases.

On the other hand, you meet inside for coffee. Sure, you have beneficial social interaction but your activity levels are reduced. A cake would also go nicely with that coffee, so you lose the activity and potentially gain the cake. Maybe the lack of activity still leaves you feeling sluggish, and you take that back to your desk reducing your productivity.

This is of use to note and I think it will resonate with those who try to exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet. Ask yourself, how often is it that when your exercise is going well you naturally seem to make better choices with regards to your diet and when your training goes poorly or falls out of your routine your diet also falls out of routine.

I think we have all recognised this but the importance of it only really hit me as I read Atomic Habits by James Clear where the author discusses “Habit stacking”. The plan here (spoiler alert) is to stack a new habit after a pre-existing habit making the new habit more likely to occur.

It really resonated with my own nutrition where my routine was to go for a walk with my mate on my lunch and then eat my lunch. He has since abandoned me to move in with his girlfriend of 6 years. I agree, it is a bit rushed, and it is extremely selfish, but love does funny things. Guess I will have to accept defeat on that one.

My point is that in the time that has followed, the walks have stopped and I have noticed my mood has been worse due to reduced social interaction and also the fresh air. This has had a knock-on negative impact on my nutrition.

However, it is for this reason that it has ended up as a lockdown lesson and has not gradually slipped off my radar without acknowledgment. It highlighted that due to the restrictions limiting our means of hanging out, our regular catch-ups at the pub over far too many pints had been replaced by a lunchtime walk. It left us with a simple decision. Go out in that rain or don’t see each other.

Before where even the threat of rain would have resulted in…. well, a rain check. We got the old waterproofs out and went ahead anyway and you know what, it was never unpleasant.

It is easy to forget that our skin is waterproof and that regardless of that we can get cheap bloody waterproofs online. So, there is no excuse, and the impact is profound.

Therefore, a lesson I think we should all take coming out of lockdown is to remember the positive chain events that can start with getting outdoors more.

Thanks again for reading,

Lee

PS. I am looking for a new afternoon walking partner. Apply in the comments.