It's Stressful Out There ... Keep Sweating

On Tuesday night, I texted my scheduling manager Laura with an idea to hold a Free, Live Zoom "Hometown HIIT" pop up class in response to what's happening right now with the pandemic. She quickly replied, "yes, do it," and so we scheduled it.

Less than 24 hours later, over 50 yogis logged on to sweat with one another.

Maybe the Zoom class was the right move for those taking some time away from public places.

Maybe it was ideal because someone had a close contact.

Maybe it came at the perfect time for those who didn't get off the waitlist for the in-studio Sculpt class!

And maybe Zoom was perfect for those who have Covid right now.

Whatever the reason, I was brought to tears by the grit and resilience that I saw on that Zoom class.

So many people proved once again that when things get dicey, you can still show up for the most important thing in your life ... YOU.

I won't pretend to know how you're feeling right now or what your risk tolerance is. People need to make the best decisions for their unique situations, and I hope that you come to your decision with peace of mind and compassion for yourself and others.

What I want to do, though, is remind you that in stressful times,

you can still take care of yourself

.

I'm coming at this from the exercise, yoga, and fitness perspective, and here's how I look at the current climate:

When the situation is less than ideal (Covid insanity, cancelled school, close contacts, illness), maybe you

don't

make big gains in your fitness goals. Maybe right now, you

don't

choose the heaviest weights, the hottest spot in the room. Maybe you

don't

get in for a studio double.

But that doesn't mean the pendulum needs to completely swing in the other direction, either. Health, fitness, and wellness are not all-or-nothing pieces of your life.

In fact, your small habits and decisions are what create your reality.

I want you to remember that the perfect scenario does not need to exist for you to take care of yourself.

Because let's face it: when people wait for perfection, they're going to be waiting forever.

Look, I'm in the throws of motherhood (3 kiddos, 8, 6, and 4 years old), so I relate a lot of life back to my experiences as a mom.

Before I got pregnant with my oldest, the whole "right time, wrong time" scenario would ping pong around in my mind until, well, it was just "the time."

In hindsight, I realize now that in the midst of figuring out how to run my business while breastfeeding 24/7 (truly) and enjoy a maternity leave (HA) and attempt to take a yoga class once in a blue moon, that season of my life was not the time to be locking out in standing bow or zipping up my skinny jeans.

I'm sure many of you can relate.

It was the time, however, for long walks and extra savasanas. It was an opportunity to fill up on nutritious food and accept help. I spent many a 6am class drifting off on my mat while the rest of the class sweat through the cobra series, because I knew that I needed to maintain the muscle memory of simply showing up at the studio, walking up the stairs, and rolling out my mat. Even if that was the extent of what happened when I arrived.

Sir Isaac Newton said that, "a body in motion stays in motion." Right now you might feel like you need to change your mode of motion.

Change.

Not stop.

Now is the time to stay in motion. Find a way to keep putting one foot in front of the other so that you keep taking care of you, even in small, microscopic ways.

So right now, if coming into your studio isn't in the cards for you...