Stuck with My Husband and What We Learned

Hi, I'm Natalie Jill, fat loss expert turned lifestyle and high performance coach. Welcome to Listen up the podcast. On this podcast I do what I do best. Taking complicated information that is relevant to us now and breaking it down simply with actionable steps you can implement to level up your life. I also regularly interview some of the most inspiring and courageous men and women on the planet who at their worst, learned how to achieve success greater than anything they ever, ever dreamed possible. Creating everything from nothing. If you are new here, I encourage you to go back and listen from episode one when this podcast was previously called Leveling up for the Full Transformative Experience. Doing a little something different on Listen up. Today I've got. I think he's my favorite person. Yeah, he's my favorite person. But when you hear this topic, you'll understand why I just said that. I've got my husband Brooks with me and we're going to be sharing a little bit about what we learned being stuck, quarantined, trapped, sick, together in the house for two weeks. For those of you that didn't don't know, you might want to listen to my last episode. I shared what we just went through with both of us getting the COVID at the same time and we both were pretty sick. We are recovered now, which is a really, really great thing. But I shared all about that in that last episode. But this episode I wanted to share what it was like being quarantined with my husband literally on the couch for two weeks with no visitors, nothing else. Some things that we learned about each other for sure. What do you have to say about that, Brooks?

You gave it to me.

I gave it to you. I did give it to him. It is true.

You were a couple days ahead.

I got it from my daughter and he then obviously my daughter, you know, she's 13, she's full on sneezed on me, so I know that's how that came to me. But sleeping in the same bed with your husband, it would be pretty hard not to have have given it to you. So I'm sorry about that, Bab.

It's quite all right. I've never had any fears or worries about it the whole time, but we.

Did learn a lot about each other and we wanted to share some of that here with you. First and foremost, this is my recommendation to anyone listening. If you're not married yet, make sure you actually like your spouse before you get married to them. Because in sickness and in health really means something. And yes, I do love my husband, but it's a Good thing. I really like him, too, because you learn a lot about a person being sick together and literally being on the couch where you. You feel like you can't move, you don't have any energy for two weeks together. So it's a good thing. I like you, babe.

Thank you.

But I wanted to share some things that we learned first. Gosh, I feel like I really learned the unconditional love of a dog. I mean, Flops was with us the whole time. We have a golden doodle. He was with us the entire time. We felt bad. We. There was no way we could even take him for a walk.

Yeah, it was a big. A lot of times, it was a big debate whether you actually wanted to go downstairs to the kitchen or something like that. So he definitely did not get any walks for.

Yeah.

Was that like 10 days, too, at least? Because you were a couple days ahead of me, so.

Yeah, almost two weeks.

I think you. It was. It was a good 10 days because then you took him for a walk. Because I still wasn't.

Yeah.

Moving.

We. It was one of those things with that virus. Like, we walking to the other room took a lot out of us. We were both. We would get winded so quick, and we'd be upstairs laying in bed watching tv, whatever, and just the thought of, like, okay, who's gonna go downstairs and feed him and let him out? It just was a lot of work. It's really crazy, that virus, How. What it did, how. It. For me, it kicked my butt. It definitely kicked my butt.

I mean, here's the thing. I said from the beginning, like, hey, who wants a sore throat? Who wants a head cold? Like, nobody's gonna raise their hand, you know, again, for 99.98 of people, you know, you're gonna be fine. Like, is it. I had a rolling fever for six or seven days. Definitely had a solid two weeks of being very, very lethargic. You know, I was lucky. I didn't lose my taste or smell. I didn't have a sore throat. I didn't use one tissue. It just. It just. I was just really, really fatigued and, you know, tired. And in the end, it's. It's, you know, what you're gonna make of it. And so it was just taking that time to enjoy the rest and. And all those things, which was. Which was actually a blessing.

Yeah. And we had very different symptoms. All the things he said he didn't have. I had. I lost taste and smell. I did have the sore throat. I did use 10 boxes of tissues.

It Was kind of funny because Natalie put her nose in a gallon of bleach and couldn't smell it.

Well, let's. Let's just back up on what that. Really what happened was the morning that I figured out I didn't have taste and smell, I went to have an egg and the egg tasted really funny. I was like, what is wrong with this egg? And then it hit me. I'm like, I wonder if I lost my taste and smell. So I started things and I couldn't smell them. So then I went and opened the bleach and I couldn't smell that. And that's how I knew.

So again, she smelled the bleach and that's how she knew. But she decided to come up to the bedroom and my wife has some spray that I don't even know what it is that she sprays. And she sprayed it like 15 times. She's like, I can't smell it. I'm like, I got it. I can. And enough.

Anyways, that's not what this episode's about. This episode was about some things that we learn and being sick together. I want to say that one of the biggest things that came up for me and we had a little different experience with this, is I'm very much in tune with what I try to take into my days when I'm healthy. Like, I'm. I'm very aware of it. I'm going to work out, I'm going to listen to podcasts, I'm going to focus on the books that I picked out. I'm going to be very aware of who I'm talking to. I'm very much a believer of what we take in affects our whole mood. And especially working with so many women in the fat loss space, I know how important this is because a lot of times, especially when they're always scrolling social media or watching tv, they go down this negative, you know, path where they don't feel good about themselves and they. They feel like they. There's not a positive outlook on things. And for me, this was the first time in years where I was watching so much TV or just scrolling social media just because that's all I could do, really. And the mood that it put me in, just this doomsday mood, like with no creativity and yes, we were sick. That's a big reason why. But just this, like, this overall depression of what's wrong with our world and just all these things, I really saw how much firsthand that really affects us 100%.

And I was, you know, that's a big thing with me. I have a big awareness around that. So I cap myself to 37 minutes a day on Facebook and Instagram.

Why 37 minutes? Where did you get that number from?

It's. It's a long story, but I just.

Well, I think we all want to know what's the 37 minutes?

Well, I just liked. I just wanted to end it in a seven.

Okay.

So that's the right.

So it's not a long story.

That's just, you know, keep it in, you know, it ends in a seven. And for me, I used most of my 37 minutes on Instagram to look at paragliding videos and stuff like that. So I spent most of my time. A lot of my time was reading. And yeah, there's just. Whether it's Netflix or Prime or whatever it is, you know, we. We haven't had cable. Cable in four or five years. So I don't really watch a ton of tv but just having to be very aware because you can get scrolling in the news and. And again, just so much of the content that's created out there, it's not. It's not very serving.

I didn't watch any news per se, but I did watch a lot of junk tv. Like a lot of junk. Like a whole series of things. And. And what's interesting about it, for me, it's a rabbit hole because it feels like, okay, this is good. It's distracting me from feeling sick. I can just tune out and watch this. But it really does poison your brain in some weird ways.

Yeah, it really depends. I mean, I watched. I mean I watched the Chosen, which was awesome.

Well, I watched that too with you.

I love that you watched that with me. And then. But there was. But a lot of times, like you definitely were at least this couple days. Like you definitely watched more than I did. I mean, I didn't watch any of the series is. I guess the only thing that I did watch that one day was Cobra Kai.

Yeah, I did not watch that.

That was little. That was like the only series or anything that I watched. Most of mine was, I mean, again, paragliding. I mean I was even watching paragliding stuff in other languages and then so it was just informational and just things to help because I couldn't fly right now. Just things that I enjoy.

A big thing that I also learned was I have always historically been really committed to work. Like, you know that. I mean, I've been had years of being a workaholic. I've year. Even though I Would not consider myself a workaholic. Now there's not a day that really goes by that I don't pay attention to work. And this was the first two weeks in forever in my whole life that I can remember that I literally did not work.

And. And you're still alive.

I am still alive. And it was a good. It was good for me because it really made me realize how strong of sports system I have around me. I've got amazing people that work with me. I've got a great team. I've set things up right. It felt really good to know that things weren't going to fall apart doing that. And it just made me even more committed to the importance of that, about. About having the right people team, to helping people get their business functioning right. Because, yeah, I was okay.

Totally.

And that felt good. I also, for me, really learned the importance of staying committed to routine as much as you can. Like listening to the positive stuff that I do or podcast or versus just scrolling. Because it was interesting to see how quickly that turned my brain. Just in two weeks of not doing that.

Oh, it's huge. And that's a big thing, is just having awareness around social media, the news feed. Because even if you don't watch the news, if you have a Facebook news feed, there's people that are. And they're sharing clips of this and that. And you know, even all of a sudden you have friends that are posting from a gas station that, oh, they're, we're waiting in line because they're running out of gas. And it's like you start. These things start finding their way to, to you. And it's just, it's really about having the awareness of not going down that rabbit hole. We see it like having the thing to go, okay, this isn't serving me. I need to go to a place where it does. Where there is something I can do about it. Because again, we were never designed as human beings. You know, now we have the Internet to take on the world's problems. Like right now, something can happen and literally halfway around the world, everybody knows about it. I mean, we have. I mean, it used to take a semi truck full of equipment to get video from one place to another. Now every single one of us with a phone can send 4K video around the world instantly.

Yeah, that's true.

It's like, you know, back in the day, you had to deal with the things in your world and you're like, there was no. I mean, it took days for a courier to arrive with a paper you weren't inundated with the world's problems or, you know, at your fingertips. And that's what we have now with phones. Like, you can go to the news and see everything that's bad in the world happening. And I think this is the biggest thing people need to realize. The news is not there to inform you. The news's number one goal is to sell advertising. They're a business. Like, everybody thinks, oh, they're like, they're trying. No, they're not. They're there. They're a business. They're all for profit. They are there to sell advertising. And what keeps people coming back is fear. The news is much like, they love it when things are going bad. It was a ratings boom. Like, even when things are good, they try to find the bad and the good because that's what keeps people coming back for more. And so it's just having the awareness that their goal is to sell advertising. And just think about how you feel, because it's like, oh, you hear something bad, what do you want to do? You want to keep tuning in to see if it's going to turn good.

Yeah. And we got. I definitely got sucked into this whole world of stuff I don't typically take in. You know, it's interesting because we were talking about this today, about having your head in the sand versus not having your head in the sand, and we were having a talk because it's. I. Do. We. I think we both agree it's important not to have your head in the sand and to be aware of things, but it's also really important to monitor because if you are in a constant state of worry, and I know we went through this, if I'm in a constant state of worry and fear and scarcity and all the things, then I'm not able to contribute or add any value to anybody else. So I have to be really aware of that. I know I'm super sensitive to taking stuff in like that.

Yeah. And I'm not saying, like you, but it's just. It's. It's having the awareness. Okay, this is there. Okay. There's something that. All right, I got it. It doesn't. In this moment, there's nothing I can do about it. It doesn't serve me. It's not impacting me, my family, or anything direct around me. Noted. But I'm not just going to go down that rabbit hole.

What did you learn about me during this? I learned a few interesting things about you being. Being quarantined with you for two weeks.

What did you learn about me?

Well, I learned that my. This is, by the way, this is PG 13. I'm sorry. This is rated R, right now. I think my husband has the world's largest sex drive. I'm gonna really be sure to say that. And there's only one thing in the world that makes him not have a sex drive, and that's having Covid. I've just figured that out.

I was tired.

It was fine.

It was like one morning. She's like, I mean, yeah. And I was just like, no, go eat, go feed flops, go do whatever.

And I thought, he must really be sick.

I just, I'm really good laying here. I don't even want to move.

And I learned that about you. I also learned that you're more reasonable than me because the second I was feeling better, I'm like, let's go work out. He's like, no, you shut me down on that one.

I don't, I didn't really shut you down, but yeah, you have a, you have a history of doing that. And I used to have that history too, because you go, oh, I'm feeling better. I'm just gonna pick back up where I left off. And it doesn't work like that.

And I, I, that does not work. I'm very clear now because I, after the two weeks, then a whole nother week went by and I did try to go and do kind of a low key training session and it didn't go so well. I got, I had to end it early. I was tired, I came home and I ended up having to take a nap. It was, it's this, it legit makes you worn out and it's in us for a while.

Just have to be patient and just accept it.

Yes. I also learned this isn't about you, but I learned that Baskin Robbins delivers on doordash, which I did not need to know. As a little kid, my favorite treat ever was rocky road ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It's not healthy. I'm not recommending it. But when we were had our appetites back, we. One night or I decided one night to order Baskin Robbins on doordash. And Brooks discovered that they had quarts of it.

Or pints. No, it was a quart. But here's the deal, because you have to. Who was, was it doordash or whatever?

Doordash.

But like, if you spent, you had to spend over $12. And so, and plus, just economically, like you can get a court for like $2 more than like two scoops.

So that was the reason for the extra calories. But here's the problem.

Wait, but. But it's not. But it's the extra. It's the other two times you.

Yes, that was what I was about to say. It became a pattern really quickly. So, like. So my whole rule, and I've always been this way. If I want something like ice cream, my thing is I go and drive to the store and get a scoop and eat it. That's just what. I don't keep it in the house. I don't want it around me. So this was a bat that spiraled really quick. Like. Yes. One night we get a pint.

I was surprised that one night it showed up at the door. I didn't even know you ordered it. Just started laughing.

Yep. And then I ordered it a second night, and then I ordered a third night, and then I put a stop to it, and I said, this is not gonna work for my girl.

This also kind of illustrates a difference between Natalie and I, because one of those times when she had ordered it and it came was like, huh? Like, I still had three quarters of my last court. Like, I. I'm perfectly capable of spreading it out over multiple days. And my wife just, like, I'm a skimmer. Like, I eat it nice and neat, and I, like, slowly work down my court. She's no.

I had to dig for the marshmallows.

Is that what it is?

Yes, I would. Digging for the rocky road has marshmallows. And again, I'm not recommending this. It's not healthy. But I did it three. Yeah, I did. And it's done.

I'm over it sense. Just like we. We get this trail mix that has pineapple in it, and my wife will go in there and dig out all the pineapples.

Of course. That's the best part.

But it's supposed to be like, I'm the type of person, like, I love the pineapples, too, but it's like, I like to have the trail mix with the pineapple. So at the beginning and the end. But my wife will get the bag and just cherry pick all the pineapples out.

That's how it works best for me.

Exactly.

So what did you learn about me being quarantined with me for two weeks on the couch? I think we only had one argument. I don't remember what we argued about, but I remember we argued about something on the couch one day. I don't remember, but it was. That's the only argument we had.

I don't even remember us arguing, But I just remember, I mean, you know, my things with you. So I just did my best to.

What are your things? What do you mean? I know. I know my things with me.

Just some stuff you already touched on. Like, I know, like, you like comfort, and instant sometimes isn't fast enough. So I just try to, you know, you're like, I want food. And it's like I, like, walked to the closet to get something so I could put my slippers on to go downstairs. You're like, is it here yet? I'm like, it's been three seconds.

Well, time escalates when you don't feel well.

I understand.

I will say my husband took before he got sick. I was sick first, and we didn't know yet that it was Covid. And he was very great at taking. He was great at taking care of me.

Yes.

Getting me this soup and all the things.

I'm just very patient and try my best to take care of you. And I just realized that I will never meet the instant requirement, but I just keep showing up in love.

What are you grateful for? For that whole experience.

I mean, really, just the whole thing. I mean, I'm. I'm grateful that we're both healthy so that. I mean, I get it. There is a small percentage of people, like, it's not fun. And I could see, you know, if someone is carrying a lot of extra weight or you have some of these comorbidities with your. With your lungs, like, yeah, like, I get it. And along those lines, it was just great to be healthy and also be in a place where we could just rest and. And let it run its course.

I feel very grateful for a lot of things. Like, one that we were. Not that we do have a house at the backyard so we could still get outside in the sun a little bit every day if we could get the energy to get outside. I feel grateful that we actually had each other to the comfort in that. I feel grateful that we had a stronger immune system and we were relatively healthy because I realized how much harder this could have hit us.

But we all. But that's also. But we've also. I mean, that's just been. Our lifestyle, though, was to, like, your first line of defense is your own health. I know. It's true. You know, but your health is your wealth.

Yeah.

I mean, you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have your health, it doesn't do you any good.

Yes, I. I fully feel that. Yeah. But I. I'M I am grateful, too, that we both got through it, that we have the antibodies now. And I'm. It was just a. It was a whole. I feel like every setback in our lives always teaches us so much. And I feel like I had a whole bunch of downloads and stuff come through to me around this. Just. Just the importance of getting the message out about health. So much more. The importance of really being mindful of what I'm taking in, because I really saw what that did to me. Watching just like endless TV or Social for two weeks. It just. Nothing good comes from that for me.

Well, and it's. Here's the thing. I don't think it's just you. I think it's everybody. I mean, that's why we're seeing so many problems with, you know, younger kids. I mean, they're. They're dealing with things that we didn't have to deal with as kids. I mean, people are just inundated. And it really comes down to this comparison. You know, like, my newsfeed can be great, or it can be demoralizing, depending on what frame of mind you're in. There's always somebody's vacationing, buying something new car. Like, there's always. There's always something that looks amazing and exciting that's going on. And again, it's that just like earlier, we're just inundated with all this stuff. We know that every single day can't be, you know, private jets and parties all day long, but with social media, you can. It can start to seem that way if you don't have awareness around it.

Totally. So if you didn't listen to my last episode, I did share the whole experience with COVID what I learned, what I took during it, all the things there I also do want to share. This is the first episode we've actually done together like this. We did one where I interviewed Brooks about his story. But let us know if you want more of our Our Life updates. Talk to us. If you don't, you can tell us that, too. That way we know. Is this something you want to hear? Are we interesting? Are we not interesting? I don't know, Brooks, are we interesting or not? We will find out from you. I also do want to let you guys know if you are any women, men, women, all of you, we. If you do want some help up leveling your health and your fitness and all the stuff which is what I believe truly was in place for us on why we. Why we did get through the other side pretty quickly, I am doing a totally free virtual training at the end of this month in time of this release. This podcast. If you just go to Natalie jillclass.com you can jump in on that. I'm going to be talking through how to get and stay motivated, basic nutrition 101. Also exercise, movement and the pain cycle. So I'd love to have you in that. It's totally free. Just go to NatalieJo Class.com and I hope to see you in there. Thanks.

Thank you.

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