When the global pandemic popped off around 2019 I had several revelations about what it means to live in A Society. I devoted some thought towards my health habits and also how I work, which are closely related.

Getting sick

Ironically enough, I only managed to get one of the worst covid symptoms (losing my sense of smell) this year. It was terrifying because I truly love cooking, but I resolved myself to a life without taste. Luckily it returned after about a week or two, but to add insult to grievous injury, at the same time something started causing me the most excruciating back pain ever. Like a knife jabbed into my spine. I started doing research and thinking about what I did in the past month:

• I flew to Bucharest then took a minibus into Bulgaria to see my parents. The airport, Otopeni, was dense with people so thats probably where I got covid.
• The ryanair flight was uncomfortable, and I did do some serious deadlifts the next day, but my understanding is the symptoms of a slipped or herniated disc would present themselves almost immediately. Looking back, I’ve experienced lower back pain on and off pretty consistently, but nothing at this level. I tried to put a positive spin on it by adopting the Worm Life - my friends really got a kick out of that.

Even before the plague, I noticed I would get sick far less often in general if I just…worked from home. Not sucking down germs on crowded public transit or in stifling offices is actually good for your health. Shocking right?

The Worm Life

I sit a lot when working, but I’m also pretty active in general. These past couple of years I started playing basketball and resumed muay thai, and I’m honestly pretty damn good at balling. It’s probably because of my slavic heritage. I used to run, boulder, and I still do cycle everywhere, but thats way more boring than shooting hoop or sparring.

Anyway, I started thinking about what could cause such exquisite lower back pain. I had a hunch (ha ha) it might be my sciatic nerve because I recall sometimes getting numbness in my right leg. But now what? I swapped out my mattress for one even firmer, but that didn’t seem to help, so I had to take drastic measures. I started sleeping on the floor with with just a foam topper, as well as rolling around on the yoga mat doing every kind of stretch imaginable, in addition to pilates (which is fundamentally just leg raises). In a day or two my symptoms disappeared, and now I have a really strong core, but sleeping on the floor is still a little unusual. My next task is to replace my Lattenrost with just a flat wooden plank. I always suspected it was way too soft, and I’m confident that sleeping on hard surfaces is best for your back. Knock on wood (ha ha ha) I continue to be pain free.

The psychological aspects of getting sick cannot be understated. Mustering motivation to do anything while healthy is already hard enough, but nigh impossible with chronic pain, stress or illness. Concentration and focus? Forget about it. Being unable to smell was incredibly distressing, and the pain was just the cherry on top. However, coming out on the other side even healthier and stronger has hugely improved my outlook on life. In a way I was purified through suffering. All my other problems became inconsequential; I experienced the same kind of zen after getting punched in the face repeatedly. Once you get hit, all your other worries fall away.

The homegym

So in 2019 I was stuck inside and couldn’t go to the gym. Why not just bring the gym home? One of my core values has always been to be self-sufficient, in whatever way is reasonable. Perhaps its a consequence of being an immigrant in multiple countries and having to constantly adapt, but it’s a good quality overall. I cook my own food, host my own tech, and work out at home with a bench press, pull-up bar and boxing bag. Going to the actual gym nowadays is more for socializing with friends or chilling in the sauna.

The bench is usually inside but its currently quite nice out so I’m doing it prison-style on the patio.