Who would have ever guessed it would be decreed that on a certain day you could no longer go to the gym? Some people dream for such a day. If I ever wished for that I take it back.
I will be forever grateful that I have a place to exercise where everything imaginable is supplied. Lucky me.
I know I’m not the only one who has seen changes in my physical body as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns and/or lifestyle. While excess weight is not my personal concern, physical fitness certainly is. But then, so is safety.
With a smidge of fear I recently committed to returning to the gym. I needed to see for myself if I could feel safe there. You see, there’s also a risk to not going. My basement workouts aren’t enough. Cycling helps too. But my strength, muscle tone and cardio fitness are slipping.
I’m happy to say it feels great to be back. Though I’m lifting smaller weights I am committed to taking it slowly and am continually evaluating my environment and the Covid risk factor. That there is hardly anybody in the gym is what makes it most safe. I’ve also become the Queen of Clean, wiping, wiping, wiping.
Hopefully I don’t need to mention all the benefits of fitness. You know, physical, emotional and mental health, for starters. It’s one of the best pills you can take – if only it were a pill. (Oops. Forget I said that.)
At some point we get to trust, because we can never eliminate all the risks. Like many things, we also get to choose. We get to choose what risk is greater. What are we not willing to compromise? Personally, if it gets too crowded I’m outta there. The possibility of wearing a mask while lifting weights is something I might be willing to do, but I’m taking it one day at a time. Doing cardio with a mask is not an option, however.
There’s always a risk the gym could close. Because it’s a women’s gym I really don’t want that to happen. For now we’re supporting each other – gym and member. Now is all we have. Too much worrying or speculating about the future is also risky.