ZTA stays FIT

Written By: Lily Hunt

April 2020

Quarantine and the coronavirus is all over the news, social media, and being talked about nonstop. It is so important that, throughout these chaotic and foreign times, we appreciate the people we have next to us and make sure not to take them for granted. I know that during this time it is especially hard to remain active and healthy, since we are forced to remain inside the house all day. Unfortunately, because of this, a lot of people may have gotten stuck in a treacherous loop of monotony. Although being in quarantine is hard and a lot of people are struggling, Zeta girls have been doing whatever they can to keep themselves active and occupied. 

Freshman Abigail McCammon recently created an Instagram account, @lifeofacyster, dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle over the quarantine. She started this Instagram account in response to a disease, PCOS, which affects every 1 in 10 women. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. Some of the symptoms include menstrual irregularity, excess hair growth, acne, obesity, and many other issues. Abigail has been overcoming PCOS since she was 8 years old.

Abigail explained, “After finding a PCOS health Instagram account, I discovered that in order to stay in good shape with PCOS, you have to be gluten and dairy free. So, for the past two weeks this is what I’ve been doing, and it’s already helped so much. I’ve felt less bloated and I have had more energy. It’s important to know what is best for your body even if it means no more ice cream!!”  Her Instagram account includes meal ideas that are gluten and dairy free, PCOS friendly-workouts, and recipes for anyone looking to better themselves in their eating habits. Instead of looking at quarantine as a punishment and a misfortune, Abigail has decided to look at it as an opportunity to spread awareness about her PCOS and inspire others to eat healthy and work out so that they can genuinely feel better about themselves. 

Keeping in trend with health and fitness inspired instagrams, junior Abby Williams is the longtime owner of her Instagram account, @celiac_queen. She began her gluten-free fitness journey a few years ago. She lifts weights and has found her time in quarantine to be quite productive. She shares her progress, honest updates, and insanely yummy looking vegan recipes. One of her recent posts is captioned: “Choose to be confident BEFORE you achieve your goals, not after. We can be confident and proud of our bodies before we've hit our goal weight/shape and we SHOULD be. My workouts and efforts are so much better spent when I’m putting in work because I love

myself and want to prove to myself that I can do anything rather than doing it as punishment for not liking how I look. I’m searching for a deeper motivation with my fitness goals for the next 12 weeks: wanting to put in the hard work & stop searching for shortcuts, wanting to be mentally and physically stronger and more resilient, and wanting to keep my word to myself so I can  trust myself in the future when I commit to something.” Abby is a great embodiment of treating your mind and body kindly, and being a strong woman. During quarantine she has been focused on loving her body and working towards her goals. She even went on a stadium bleachers run with quarantine buddy and sister Inez Cabrel. Keep challenging yourself to stay busy and energized, and check out Abby’s Instagram for some inspo! 

Lastly, I reached out to my big, Neal Fleming, to ask about her fitness experience during quarantine. She told me: “During quarantine I have been working out almost everyday of the week. Since I have extra time on my hands and I don’t have to walk to class, I want to stay active. I love working out and since I can’t lift because gyms are closed. I’ve been doing online workouts (like Chloe Ting’s) and running a lot. A lot of my friends have been trying to stay active too so that helps hold me accountable and keeps all of us motivated together! I’ve also become a master chef during this time at home, if I do say so myself! I love cooking and now have plenty of time to experiment and make my own healthy options. Doing all these things has brought me so much happiness and keeps me entertained during this time.”

Remaining active during this pandemic is a small yet effective strategy that will hopefully get people’s minds off what has been happening in the world the last couple of months. It can be beneficial to try new things and new challenges, or treat working out as a relaxing time by doing yoga or taking walks. We hope that everyone is healthy, and that we’ll be able to see our sisters this upcoming fall!