When it comes to exercise, I am not a natural. Style and coordination don’t come easily either. I’ve never been a runner, I hated having to run when I was at school and I’m hardly going to start doing it now I’m in my 50’s.
But I do like to keep fit and healthy and the main way I do it is through swimming and walking. The worst thing for me about the lockdown that started here on 23rd March, is that the pool is closed. I don’t know when I can next walk the 20 minutes or so to the pool, swim for 40 and then come home. I miss it more than most other concessions we have had to make in our life.
The weather here is at last improving and we are allowed to go out to walk. So, this will be my way of getting exercise from now on. A wet winter has made woody and grassy areas muddy, so until yesterday I had been keeping to pathways. But yesterday we walked around and then through the park. I was pleased to see that even though there were people around, it wasn’t crowded.
It was good to feel the sun on my body and the wind in my hair. What’s more, the air seems fresher and clearer than usual. Most people at the park had walked there, the car park was in the main empty. But sadly there was more traffic on the road than I’d have expected. Since we are only meant to go out on essential journeys. But once in the park itself we had the peace of our surroundings.
I know I need to do more exercise. I have an app on my phone, but haven’t used it in a while. I’m wondering if yoga would be a good thing for me to do from the comfort of home. Probably time to search out some videos and see what is out there.
Meanwhile I’ll continue to exercise by walking daily, or whenever I can.
I’ve seen more people in my neighborhood in the past two weeks than I ever have before. Lots of people are out walking where I live. They all have concentrated expressions of desperation; I think the stay-home orders are starting to wear on people’s nerves. My husband laughs at one lady that we see multiple times a day — she has a little dog that she “walks” and it’s a bit like watching a high-anxiety hurricane drag a helpless ball of fluff in its wake.
As to the cars on the road: I’m an essential services worker, and I still have to GO to work; many of us do. People in my position still have to arrange for things like food, medical appointments, and childcare. So while it may seems like folks are just out for no reason, I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt. There’s a lot more to (still) working than just *going* to work. There are a lot of logistics involved that take people out of their homes.
All the people who took the car to go to the gym are walking places. I absolutely understand people are driving to get places and that’s how it is every day. Sunday was different and sadly we have a boy racer issue that’s got worse. The police are looking at who is in the park rather than kids driving at speed. It won’t end well. Otherwise it’s fun to observe the human species going about it’s business xx
With all this talk about exercise I am really ‘confronted’ again that I should do something to exercise. I have also been thinking of finding something I can do at home, but then again I have to make the time for it…
Rebel xox