Unless you were living on the moon in 2020 you may not have been affected but chances are you were here on earth and know that this past year was a year to remember and at the same time one we all want to forget.
Ring in 2020
The year started off with a lot of promise. We ran our first These Ladies Lift event in hopes of many more to follow. I was finally getting off my butt and starting this venture. We were excited to start setting up seminars and wellness programs and working with fitness/wellness partners in creating a community where we can help educate and motivate the masses. But sadly within a matter of weeks, everything changed. The world shut down.
In turn, we did a whole lot of staying in place. Our volunteer programs came to a halt, at least in person and we quickly learned to put online programs together to provide training to those who participated. We adjusted to the limitations and adapted the workouts so that everyone could still join in and stay motivated, positive and healthy.
Pay It Forward
At times I felt guilty that I couldn’t be there in person to run the weekly programs but we all needed to stay safe. So every week my training partner and I put out recordings and connected communities together in hopes that the digital reach could provide some additional comfort, knowing that we are all going through this, and how we can best help one another through it. At the time I was volunteering with a local PAL program and reached out to the Keala Foundation so the children here could take part in their virtual program. It was kind of cool to connect kids from NH to those in HI.
Me Whining
I’m not going to lie - I was struggling with this as I lived alone, well, my dog lived there too but he was getting tired of my antics. Where I lived, they shut down the beaches. I couldn’t even go for a walk on the sand with my dog or park in the roadside coves that you could typically park in along route one from Hampton to Portsmouth, NH. It was depressing, and at times it got the better of me. However, even though I felt trapped and alone I still pushed myself every day to program a workout that included strength training and a spicy high-intensity metcon.
I did this to try and keep some sense of a normal routine. Before the pandemic, I worked out 6 days a week in multiple gyms and outdoors. I wanted to create a home gym, albeit it ended up being in my living room/office. I could work, watch TV, and work out in the same space … let me tell you that got old fast. So every night I would pack up the pooch and jump in my car and just drive - with no particular destination. Just to see the sky and hear the ocean and smell the salt air. My workouts and evening drives along the coast kept me sane.
What’s to come
Now that 2020 has passed I know I took a few risks so that I could keep moving forward to learn how to be a better coach, friend, professional, and helper. I went in on a venture that proved not to be in my best interest but I at least gave it a shot.
Ya, I never got Covid-19 but I had family and friends who did. And while not being able to see my mother, siblings, and son was extremely difficult I knew that it was best. This year we certainly saw a lot of tragedy (not just with Covid but political, ethical, diminishing individual rights, and brutality) but we also saw the world connect. Maybe not always face-to-face. We needed each other and at times our hands and hearts extended to help those who didn’t know how to cope with what was unfolding. We donated time, blood, money, skills, and so much more. We tried our best to keep each other safe and at times tried to understand opposing views.
So my thought for 2021? Don’t give up on your dreams. If you felt frustrated and paralyzed from all the uncertainty in 2020. It’s time to let that go. Focus on the things that you can do to make yourself or your situation better, and if you need help simply ask for it. Recognize your feelings. Don’t ignore them, how your feeling is valid. Don’t overwhelm yourself, give yourself attainable goals. Just don’t stop moving forward.