Well, what a 8 weeks it has been for our little business, and it's not over yet. We are a true mom & pop facility, just the hubby & I and one other trainer to help us out. As I sit back now and look at the past 8 weeks that we were shut down, I can't help but think that in all of this there were lessons to be learned and changes to be made. First and foremost, I am so thankful for the business that we created 16 years ago and the amazing clients and members that we have. One day we were open and the next we received a notice stating all gyms and fitness centers are closed. My first thought was what the hell do we do now? After about an hour of panic and not gonna lie, some tears, I gathered myself together, and my husband and I got to work on formulating a plan to not only keep our members going but to keep ourselves going as well. We are firm believers that mental health and physical well being are tied together. We understood the mandate to close and protect ourselves & our members, but we also felt that now, when times are most stressful we all need an outlet. What better outlet is there than physical exercise? As I reflect back now, I realize several things:
1) I am not made for social distancing. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, I can stay 6 feet away from someone and wear a mask if need be so please understand. What I mean is that seeing someone on a computer screen is just not the same. I am a social person. I am in this business because I genuinely like people and love what I do. My gym members are truly a second family to me and I thrive on taking time to talk to them and see how they are doing. I love that I know their children and have trained several of them or that they trust me enough to confide in me and I can often check in on them and see how they are doing- whether it is good times or bad. When we left the big gyms we were working at and decided we wanted our own place, it was based on helping people and not allowing them to slip through the cracks because they are just another number. We have achieved that and then some.
2) I forgot how much I love teaching. Let me explain: when I teach classes at Elite, I often write it on the board or call it out as we go and I instruct as I walk around and encourage my class and correct form and take the occasional dance break. Over the last 8 weeks I have had to teach and workout along with my classes on a video platform. I have had to be creative so we did not get stuck in a rut with the same exercises or the same routines and I had to get out of my comfort zone, which I often tell them to do. I have LOVED every minute of it. We changed the format of our Tuesday & Thursday night classes to a family class and geared it toward the kids for agility, speed and body weight strength. As adults, we had fun and got challenged along the way as well. We experimented with kick boxing, yoga, tabata and other fun work outs and the whole time we encouraged one another as only family can do. I think we all got out of comfort zone and found that change is good. All of our workouts involved cardio to help burn off the stress of the world and what was happening (and probably some of those extra calories we ate) and core work to help us stand tall and feel strong.
3) Change is good. I did a video blog a while back about consistency and whether we are consistently content or consistently committed. When all the Corona virus talk started, like most here in the US, I watched and never thought it would become what we have all been facing over the last few months. While I thought I was committed to growth and change. However, when I had no choice but to make changes or shut down, I realized maybe I had become a little content and comfortable, and I didn't like that. When faced with making sudden changes, I realized that there was a whole world of virtual training and platforms out there. These were things we have discussed, but that always got put on the to do list for another time, because we were comfortable with where we were. Looking back, I realize that had I been actively moving forward my stress and worry could have been lessened but instead, I had to hustle to catch up. Now, our amazing little business is going to be adding on and growing in a new direction.
I want to finish up by saying that I am a believer that God does not give us more than we can handle and that he challenges us to grow to potential that maybe we don't see in ourselves. At 50 years old, I find myself still growing and learning and accepting challenges that require not only physical growth, but spiritual and mental growth, as well. I pray we all can find strength and growth in this time of pandemic and crisis and that we all come out on the other side stronger, wiser and better. Remember, be healthy, be happy, and most of all please be kind.