Sarah Warsi

It’s hard to believe that it’s been about a year now that we have been navigating this pandemic. Our lives are now essentially dictated by colour-based restriction ‘zones’, and at any given time it’s a matter of “Okay, what more is open now?” “How many people can I commiserate with in person? 

I’m sure I am not alone in this feeling, but I have had about enough of being in this predicament – especially when it comes to health and fitness. Now, I know in my previous posts I have talked about ways to mitigate the restrictions by being active outdoors and watching exercise videos – and at the time, I did feel a temporary sense of satisfaction. I also finally got a set of resistance bands recently, which are pretty good. They do work well enough as a sort of supplement to weights, but it’s just not cutting it for me, at this point. I miss the actual gym ‘vibe’. 

There is a special feeling when you’re in an actual gym environment – I need not say more. In normal circumstances, you’re surrounded by like-minded people focused on their own health and fitness goals and it adds to your own motivation. 

I also miss that ‘high’ that I would get after a high-intensity workout or cardio run on my favourite machine. The feelings of those endorphins coursing through you is unmatched, and it really helps with your mental health and overall sense of peace.

I just haven’t been able to replicate that feeling doing other activities while gyms have been inaccessible – and that’s the reality. Group exercise is also something I miss and its future still remains uncertain. Right now, I am so eager just to get back into that gym environment. I just really need to get my groove back to feel more ‘normal’ and more ‘myself’ again. This will also sound silly, but I also miss taking my satisfactory post-workout selfie. Here is one from the pre-covid days, of course. lol

It’s too bad that with the minimal reopening, only 10 people are permitted in the gym at any given time. I don’t know how this makes any sense – considering those 10 people probably include the gym staff. Limits should be determined based on the size of the establishment – this also goes for restaurants. For example, a larger gym, like Goodlife, or a larger restaurant, like the Keg, should be allowed to have a number of people synonymous with their size – whatever that number may be – because they can easily space those people out. Giving a ‘flat’ number as a blanket for every business is unreasonable, in my opinion. Also, because of this condition, good luck trying to get a time slot to get a workout in! I already contacted my local gym and they have nothing available and said I need to get on a waitlist. *sigh* But apparently, the waitlist option is new for this latest reopening, so it’s a step in the right direction.

Once again, it’s all the things that we’ve taken for granted; the mere afterthought that we would normally give to the idea of going to the gym in the morning or evening to get that much-needed workout in – or to attend that regular class every week. Now it’s like you’re having to play a game of chance just to get an hour of exercise in!

Anyways, I’m just grateful that there is even a small possibility of getting that feeling back – even if it means I still need to wait a bit – I’ll take what I can get at this point. 

To anyone striving to get their own groove back, you’re not alone.