It’s been four years, four years since the pandemic, lockdown, and wearing masks whenever we went outside. It was the first time for most experiencing something like that and it definitely changed us one form or another.
Rough patches became the new normal and the overall wellbeing of everyone declined. But among everyone lies outliers, those who actually benefited from this significant event and changed for the better. I was one of them.
It all began halfway through my freshman year of high school, being given the news of two weeks off sounded great until we went on lockdown. Both of my parents had jobs at specific locations, but had to stay home which limited the amount of income we had. This exact factor had forced us to be completely reliant on cheap food which leaned towards an unhealthy lifestyle.
Having to stay at home and having little to no physical activity led to boredom which led to compulsive eating; compulsive eating does not go well with junk food. There were days where a normal person would eat three meals, I’d eat six. And just as the amount of days on lockdown increased, so did the numbers on the weight scale.
When we began to switch back to normal with a few exceptions that is when I realized that a change needed to happen. I began to do the only thing that I needed to make this change, exercise. It started off with cardio for a while, I would use about an hour of the day to just do jumping jacks with little resting time. Then it transitioned to calisthenics and weightlifting. I began from block one with the lightest weights and low number of repetitions using my own body weight, but in no time as my strength increased, so did the weights and repetitions.
Looking back onto this small journey, I realized that I had made one mistake, not being patient. I was so concerned with the way I looked that I took the fast route, doing more cardio than muscle training which in the long run was not as beneficial as it would have been to balance cardio and muscle training since the beginning. On top of that I looked at others my age who have had more time training than me and looked better, this sparked a feeling of jealousy and desperation needing to be like one of them as quickly as I could.
It’s been like this up until now, having slightly more experience and looking differently. There are times where comparisons take place between others and me, but patience has saved me from those kinds of thoughts.
Today many factors have influenced my ability to train such as college, taking care of my sibling, and helping my mother cook everyday. Despite these challenges, I try to remain as consistent as I can. Of course there are times where training just isn’t possible with the little time I had, but I know that if I continue even if it’s just a little less and slower eventually it will compound and work out in the long run. Being patient has helped me realize this and that I shouldn’t compare myself to others since everyone has different circumstances in which they live. There isn’t an end goal for me since it’s more of a lifestyle now, it’s about how I go about each day and how I can do better than yesterday. As the saying goes, the man who enjoys walking will go farther than the man who likes the destination.
4 replies on “Assignment 1 Draft”
Hi Edgar,
I enjoyed your story.
My feedback revolves around making your story more specific on certain moments:
You go more in-depth about the type of junk food you eat. You could talk about the motivation you gained to start working out. What exercises you did do, and where and when you did do them too. Adding some personal experience with more detail would help.
A few minor points:
I liked how you used a situation we all went through.
I also liked how you included how training changed you for the better.
Overall, you essay looks good just need to add more details.
Hey Edgar,
I enjoyed reading your narrative because it felt open and very personal. My feedback for revision revolves around different points in your essay.
You mentioned the hardship you faced during the pandemic, however I think you could mention it impacted you and made you feel. For example, towards the end of the fourth paragraph you can in depth with that. You do mention your goal in trying to overcome but I think these ideas are being intertwined with your hardships so it could be a pit confusing getting the main point across. Towards the end you could make it more cleared for the reader.
A few minor points:
I liked how the choice of wording for the sentences that talked about your hardships. Made me sympathize with your writing.
Overall your essay was good. I would be okay with clarifying any questions if you have.
From, Lisbeth
Hi Edgar,
I enjoyed reading your narrative because you were very transparent in your writing. You spoke about your personal covid pandemic experience, and the struggles you faced. This teachable moment that you have shared is relatable and valuable to all.
My feedback revolves around making your story more specific on certain moments in different points in your essay. In your writing I would like for you to share a bit more about your family life, daily routine, the kinds of junk food you ate, and the specific exercises you did. By doing this you will be able to acuminate important details that will stick with the reader.
A few minor points:
I enjoyed this teachable moment; I like how you were vulnerable in your writing and because you were vulnerable, you were more receptive to change.
Overall, your essay was good.
Sincerely,
Zalayah
Hey Edgar,
I think your peice of writing was super relatable. We all went through the same pandemic yet all of our stories are so different. It was interesting reading your writing.
Maybe you could start off your writing as how life was for you before the pandemic and what a normal day for you looked like. To expand your writing you can go into depth and into more details of how online school was, the transition of going back to school after the pandemic and then talk about your appearance. Overall it was interesting reading someone else’s point of view of the pandemic.
-Aida