About the nuances that change outcomes. (written 01/06/2025)

Welcome to 2025! A New Year is often a time when people make plans and promise to make a change or develop a habit that will let them meet their goals or help them feel better. We know that Long COVID means any changes you are looking to make aren’t the typical resolutions that involve signing up to a gym membership to kick off 2025. 

Your goals for the year ahead are likely both more modest - and also much more ambitious. More modest because you are pragmatic and have adjusted your goals to reflect the impact your post-infection condition has had on your life, health, and abilities. They are also more ambitious because managing a condition like this means: 

• You face the future with bravery and strength and even optimism 

• You are dedicated, focusing on your health and performance as a core priority

• Finding the right interventions that are doable and have real impact

• Devoting precious energy to things that will help you gain back functionality, manage symptoms and feel better

This sounds a lot like being a professional athlete. Let’s say that again - and congratulate you; the attention and care needed to manage your body with a long term condition is not unlike what it takes to be a pro athlete. I’m honored to help translate learning over my career and beyond to provide practical support for people facing the challenge of post-infection conditions.  

As an athlete, my New Year always started with a World Cup event in my hometown. Competing at that level allowed me to have a realistic goal of ending up on the podium in front of my hometown fans. However, getting to this point didn’t happen overnight, and certainly was not going to happen based only on actions I took between New Year's Eve and the race in early January. It involved consistent pacing, proper nutrition, doing the right exercises, and all the other things that played a role in my health and performance.

In sports, nuances make a big impact. What’s the difference between having an Olympic medal or not? It can be as little as 0.1 seconds. Getting to a certain level can be done by determination and muscling through practices. Once you are operating at an international level, the difference between being in the pack and standing out often comes down to the small things;  finetuning technique, equipment, coordination, and strategic race planning all come together to give the small edge that is the difference between being on the podium or not. And those elements needed to be repeated in the next race. But you know what - it was fun. Seeing the benefits of those small actions also helped keep me motivated to continue doing them until they eventually became part of my routine - many have stuck with me to this day.   

We often don’t appreciate small things and the impact tiny changes can make. This is especially valuable when your condition means pacing and using every moment wisely is important. That’s why we want to encourage you to start this New Year by finding the tiniest shift that you may not think will have a big impact, and see what happens when you do it consistently every day for 2-3 weeks.  

If you are looking for an idea, pick one of the three tools we share regularly. They are simple, only take a few seconds, and can have a big impact. Simple steps and tiny improvements can result in drastically improved symptoms and quality of life.  

We know you are here because you are not in your best health, but we are here to support you on your journey, making improvements with simple tools. 

Warmly,  
Andrea

P.S. Are you looking for a New Year’s resolution that is aligned with your capabilities and goals to reduce the impact post-infection symptoms have on your life? Start with all, or just one, of the three tools.