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Category: Covid

We Travelled to a Foreign Country and Didn’t Die

It’s been about a year now since we were introduced to COVID. A very long year.

Unfortunately, people are still dying and masks are still necessary. But I feel like we know a lot more than we did in March 2020.

For one thing, the death rate is not as bad as we feared it could be. And so far, we haven’t seen a predominance of devastating long-term effects on those who got infected and lived.

Also, getting tested now (at least in big cities) could not be easier. You can plan social events and assure your hosts or guests that you are healthy with a simple 20 minute trip to a testing center.

So with this information in hand, we debated and finally decided we could escape the dreary Seattle rain and take a vacation. We immediately ruled out places like Arizona, Texas, and Florida. They are free to live how they want, but they aren’t getting our tourist dollar while mocking the existence of a pandemic. Plus, Kelli Ward, Paul Gosar, Ted Cruz, Dan Crenshaw, and Matt Gaetz are pretty strong reasons not to support a state.

Mexico was quickly ruled out because visitors don’t need to be Covid negative to enter. That left Hawaii and the Caribbean. And we chose Exuma in the Bahamas.

The reasons: 7,000 people on the island, 100 cases, zero deaths. Mandatory testing not just for people flying into the island, but arriving by boat as well. And despite the lack of positive cases, hotel employees still have to wear masks.

The result was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed stunning views, warm weather, lovely beaches, friendly and attentive hosts, and a feeling of safeness that we can’t get at a grocery store at home.

Our fellow guests were all respectful; wearing masks in enclosed areas, standing a few feet away while chatting at the pool, standing 6 feet apart when waiting in line for coffee, etc… The staff was perfect. Wearing a mask for 8 hours in 80 degree weather can’t be easy, but they did it with a smile.

So my personal point of view here as we enter Year 2 is as follows. 1) We need to still be careful. 2) We still need to avoid people, cities and states that ignore the severity of the issue. 3) We can travel to and reward the people in the states who still respect the disease and take the time and care to protect you from it.

I think we can accept the risk of COVID now without fearing it. We know what it does and how we can get it, but we also know that we can stay pretty safe by traveling with those who share a respect for each other.

Stay careful. Be cognizant. Avoid idiots. Live your life. That’s what we’ll be doing the next few months.

Two Minute Exercises To Keep You In Shape During COVID

The gym is closed, you don’t want to run at Greenlake, and your soccer season is canceled. How are we all going to stay in shape?

For some people, a routine and discipline are the keys to exercise. So when every day is Tuesday and every hour is 1:00pm, how do you accomplish that discipline? How do you make that routine happen?

I surveyed a few friends, and here are some ideas we’ve come up with. All of them take two minutes or less, and by the end of the day, you’ll have completed a decent amount of calorie burning.

  1. TV Pushups: We’re going to be streaming more shows, especially until the weather turns around. So before every show, throw down 10-20 pushups. The more TV you watch, the more pushups you do.
  2. Old school Jumping Jacks: Yeah, it’s cheesy. But two minutes of jumping jacks will make you feel like you earned that episode of Ozarks.
  3. The Jump Rope: It was your favorite exercise toy as an eight-year-old. 2:00 as an adult will have you breathing hard.
  4. Walking Stairs: We may not own Stairmasters, but we do have staircases in our house. Take two minutes a few times a day and walk up and down the stairs 10 times. See if you can get to 50 flights a day.
  5. Sprinting Streets: Greenlake and Burke-Gilman can get crowded. But we don’t need long trails for sprints. Measure out 100 yards in front of your house and do a few sprints a day. Sprint up, walk back. It’ll take mere minutes and get your heart rate up.
  6. Chin-up bars: Cheap, easy to set up, and super effective. Don’t be discouraged the first time you try it.
  7. YouTube Yoga: You can find a lot of exercise content online – even short stretching and yoga exercises. Stay flexible my friends.
  8. The Massage Gun: Not everyone agrees in their benefits, but for a relatively small price (especially considering we don’t have gym membership dues), we like Massage Guns for loosening up muscles. I don’t have an Amazon Affiliate account or anything, so you can read about them on CNN.

You probably have your own ideas. Send me an email and share them, or just ping me on Twitter. Stay healthy everyone.

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