How I got my health back after COVID.
“ Studio ME changed my life!” Says Jessica. She had quite the year of which was out of her control.
“I am a long hauler—all of my current health issues are because I had COVID last year. I was hospitalized and later diagnosed with POTS. (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome—my heart beats really fast and goes up over 40 BPM upon standing—it’s a disorder of the autonomic nervous system.) At the end of the year, I was practically bed ridden—I was unable to stand or walk for any long periods, and I had no energy. The doctors told me that exercise would be key to recovery—but I would only be able to do things on a recumbent bike/rower for the next 6-12 months. I wanted so badly to be myself—only weeks before getting COVID in Oct., I had spent the entire weekend camping and hiking up and down hills for 6-8 miles a day—I really wanted my outdoor lifestyle back. My doctor said that I could try physical therapy if I wanted—I immediately signed up and started. I also purchased a rowing machine. Fast forward to April—I had done so well at physical therapy, my therapist “graduated” me and said I was free to do my regular exercises. I went from 5 minutes of rowing in January to 3 miles on my treadmill and 30 minutes on my rower at the end of March. I was so proud of my hard work, but I knew that without the constant support of a fitness professional, I would not continue the progress I had made.”
“I was a member of StudioME from 2014-2016 and decided that I would contact Megan and ask for her help.” Said Jess.
I remember this call. When Jess told me everything she had been dealing with and how drastic her life had changed, I cried. My heart broke when she told me she had to withdraw her application to nursing school because she couldn’t stand for more than four hours. I’ve always said that we should never be held back by aging or injury and while this was a bit different, I knew we could help.
At the time Coach Chelsea started training Jess, COVID restrictions were still in place, and let’s face it, being a long hauler, you aren’t exactly eager to get back in person so we started with virtual training. The main goal was to get her back to what she did pre-COVID; being active in the outdoors hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, camping, and also be able to work in her garden without symptoms.
So, Coach Chelsea got to work and created a program to help her obtain these goal. They meet meet one time per month to go over exercises in person, with weekly check-in for with questions and comments about the programming for that week.
“I really love how she listens to my needs and incorporates exercises to help that seem small and trivial, but I have certainly felt their impact,” said Jess.
1st MILESTONE
“In May, my husband and I went camping at Whitewater State Park. I was nervous that I would not be able to do it—after-all, I was told that I probably wouldn’t be able to hike/walk long distances until Dec. of this year. I took a deep breath and headed out on the trails, well hydrated. I was able to hike over 15 miles that weekend and we ascended over 400 steps on the trails. In May, I also power walked my first 5K since getting sick. I would not have been able to do either of these without the help of Studio ME.”
2nd MILESTONE and only 1 month later…
“In June, I had my physical check-in, and I after stepping on the scale, I weighed the same. I was a bit disappointed but was still proud of the gains I had made in my abilities. After my training session, my body POD results returned—I weighed the same, yet lost 6.5% body fat, lost 16 pounds of fat and gained 16 pounds of muscle. I also had my PR of 1:46 with my 500m rowing sprint. I was shocked. I never expected this amount of progress in only 2 months. I have learned that the key to making such progress is showing up for yourself EVERY SINGLE DAY. No one else is going to help me the way I will—the trainers at StudioME are amazing, but they can only advise you on what’s best—you need to show up and do the work. I’ve never really been a fitness lover—I enjoy the outdoors but get easily bored with indoor workouts. I have learned to love indoor workouts this year as my health and quality of life DEPEND ON THEM. They really do. If I skip a day of exercise, my body feels it and my POTS symptoms flare.”
NEXT GOAL
“Moving forward, I am looking to finally be able to paddle board (I tried last week but I couldn’t stand, only kneeled) and increase my hiking distances/inclines. I have learned this year that I need to try things in small increments—5 minutes of success is better than none and there’s no need to go all out when starting something new or getting back into it! My improvement in my health due to training at StudioME has given me the confidence and gains in my health that I felt ready to apply for jobs and work full-time. I start my new, full-time job on Thursday, and it’s only 2 miles from my house so I am hoping to bike or walk to work everyday.”
“I have nothing but positive things to say about Megan, Chelsea, and the StudioME crew. They have given me back my quality of life and I’m forever grateful. The process has been hard and at times frustrating (any fitness journey is), but it is so worth it. You are worth it. Invest in your health and everything in your life will start to improve and shine.”
I couldn’t have said it better, Jess! You have shown what showing up for yourself and having the right support system in place, can do you for you, even when it seems impossible. We are so proud of you!!! You are just getting started.
