Going into ExtraTime

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An email arrived recently advising that the gym will hopefully be re-opening on 12th April. Further investigation suggests that it is on the basis that you exercise or swim alone, wear a mask as appropriate, follow strict sanitising procedures etc.. Most importantly not only is there to be no household mixing but there are no gym classes to participate in either.

I wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved. Clearly one of the big attractions of being a member is the social interaction with others and frankly on those terms I might as well stick to YouTube channels and Pilates in the living room.

Come June, and based on the Government's roadmap out of lockdown, however, it expects to be open in full.

Plan made. I shall defer my return until then. Hopefully with a little more time to step up the exercise regime at home and watch the calorie intake, I might actually be able to go back the same  fitness level and weight as when I left.

It really has shocked me how easy it has been over the past few months to pile on the pounds and then how long it takes to lose them. Contemporaneously my increasing age seems to enthusiastically greet strained muscles and sore joints with a masochistic vigour totally out of proportion to the time it takes them to repair.

Retirement has taught me the delight and need to stay fit and healthy. Lockdown has reminded me how precarious that fitness and health can be and that sadly it takes dedicated effort to maintain it. At least I knew the day of reckoning would come round at some point and have been doing my best to prepare; an extra 2 months to do so is, however, much appreciated.


Comments

Treaders said…
I had only joined the gym a few months before the pandemic and I was really starting to enjoy it (I like the machines). I'm really looking forward to getting back to it. It's hard because with the walking and other activities I felt I was starting to get somewhere then boom - everything closed down and I've not idea when they will open up again. My son just announced he intends to lose some weight so hopefully that will inspire me to stick to it also but it ain't easy is it!
11 March 2021 at 17:48
Caree Risover said…
Definitely not easy even at the best of times but I guess if it wasn't lockdown undoing all the good work, I'd find something else to blame like a meal out or holiday treats. Digging and bending over in the garden season starts soon, so I'm banking on that to restore muscle tone!
11 March 2021 at 20:33
Bethany @ Happily Loco said…
I can definitely relate. I had just made it to my weight goal in January 2020, and I still have 13 pounds to lose to make it back there. I am lucky that I have been able to attend yoga classes in person through most of the pandemic, but the interruptions in my attendance due to having to quarantine, etc. made it very difficult. Hopefully we will all be able to safely work out--consistently--soon!
14 March 2021 at 15:38
Caree Risover said…
I think commitment as well as consistency has been missing on my part of late. I know that gym classes aren't supposed to be competitive but it is certainly easier to stretch your limitations when you are in a group and everyone else is trying hard. Exercising to YouTube nobody can see you miss out a round or go down a weight.
14 March 2021 at 22:23
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