An Ode To Fitness
I got home on Monday March 16th shortly after 10am. I had gone in to work, only to find out that 85% of the workforce at my hotel was being laid off due to the pandemic. I walk to and from work, so I thankfully had some time to process the shock of it all before I was confronted with my empty apartment.
I knew that I could not allow myself to wallow in unemployed despair. I made a list of things I had to do everyday in order to maintain my sanity and some semblance of a routine. My list included things like eat 3 meals a day, eat vegetables every day, go outside for a walk for one hour minimum, do a workout, no alcohol until after 5pm. I was quite committed to my list and rarely missed doing one of the items. Then, one day in April, I got an emergency alert on my phone that really scared me. For two days after that, I didn’t leave the house for fear that I was somehow harboring this terrible virus and I would infect everyone I walked past. Luckily, I have good friends and it was agreed upon that it was fine to go outside for a walk every day.
Since that moment, I have not missed my daily walk. Sometimes I will throw a bike ride in instead, or do both. Regardless, I get outside for at least an hour a day, sometimes more. I also do barre classes pretty regularly. I love barre because it promotes proper alignment, targets small, stabilizer muscles and incorporates mind/body movements (you have to focus on the exercises in order to do them correctly).
Moving your body feels good. When you move it more, and you build muscle, it’s amazing to feel the difference in your abilities. Maybe you can hold a pose for longer, or go up a hill without feeling out of breath, or can hold more grocery bags. During the pandemic I got better at push ups, planks (especially side planks) and moving plank positions like shoulder taps and plank jacks. It was exciting to feel the difference from one barre class to the next.
Exercising kept me sane during the height of the pandemic. It was incredibly stressful being removed from friends and family, not working, and not feeling like I had any purpose. One day I finished a book and read the acknowledgements page, and burst into tears. The writer had thanked their childhood dog, I think? And it moved me to tears. So, obviously, emotions were running high. But as soon as that happened, I got off the couch and went outside for a walk. Just being in nature, with the wind and (hopefully) sun on your face, is so therapeutic.
Around July/August, things started to open up in Toronto, where I live. So I found that more people wanted to do park hangs, or patio drinks, or bike rides. I found myself with less time to complete all the items on my to do list. I began to stress about it and I’d try to fit in a workout before doing other things. And then one day recently I realized that I don’t need this to be a crutch anymore. Exercise helped me maintain my sanity throughout the stress of the pandemic. But now, with life returning to almost normal, I can relax. I can go walk around Indigo for an hour and that can be my therapy. I can go get a massage. While exercising will always remain a priority in my life, it no longer holds the sense of urgency that it did a couple of months ago.
So, to exercise, I say thank you. Thank you for getting me through a really tough time. I’m sure I will return to you with the same vigor at another point in my life (maybe even this coming winter if we experience a resurgence in Covid cases). But for now, I’m happy that I have other priorities. I have a renewed sense of purpose. I’ll never not go for bike rides or do a barre class, but I will approach them with a sense of excitement, rather than out of fear.
How did you get through your pandemic blues? Feel free to share your comments, or follow me on Instagram, @_emartini_.
Originally published at https://www.contena.co on September 1, 2020.
