This is a three-part series on staying healthy and strong both physically and mentally during the time of mandatory “shut down”. I consulted with four area fitness center owners and coaches to get pointers on how to stay healthy during this challenging time.
Part One
If ever there was a time when we need to stay healthy, it is right now. As COVID 19 ravages not only our state and nation, but the entire globe now is the time that we all have a responsibility not only to ourselves but to everyone else. We all have to stay healthy for each other.
Going to the gym was never the only way to stay healthy, but this writer realizes how much he depends on a gym and community to stay fit. But the gyms are closed now and may remain closed for a while. So what can we do?
To answer that question, I reached out (from a healthy social distance) to Dale King of Portsmouth Spartan Kettle Bell Club (PSKC), Yvonne Hale of Iron Body Fitness, Michael Longmire of CrossFit Dreamland, and Jeremy Kitts, formerly of Scioto County and a former MMA fighter who now trains clients in Chillicothe. (Kitts will be featured in the next article and possibly other coaches that I am waiting to hear from).
Dale King founded PSKC in 2010 and it is among the oldest independently owned gyms in the area. King states that during this time, staying active is important. He wrote, “Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you do it outside, even better – no equipment – no issue. There are hundreds of bodyweight exercises that can be done in your living room.” King has a lot of other pointers for getting through this time which we look at in the next article.
Iron Body Fitness was established in 2013 by Yvonne Boyd Hale, a Scioto County native who has graced the covers of national magazines in her bodybuilding endeavors. Hale stressed the importance of having an accountability partner. We cannot encourage each other with pats on the back, but it is important to maintain relationships and have somebody that can keep you on your toes and get you to keep meeting your goals.
When I reached out to my personal coach, Michael Longmire, he basically wrote me a full dissertation on what to do during this time. (Self-promoting moment- I was his composition teacher at Shawnee State University.) Longmire established CrossFit Dreamland just over a year ago, but he has always coached with the mantra, “Just Keep Moving.” He wrote, “Give yourself a challenge- it could be something as simple as 100 pushups every day, 100 sit-ups every day, run a mile every day.” Of course, if you are just starting out, you can start with 10 of everything a day. If you can’t run, walk.
We are all seeing our core family a lot these days. To that end, Longmire also added, “Get the family involved – make it fun, you can always get your workout in. but what about the fam? Get the family outside and have some fun, when is the last time you played tag, kickball, whiffle ball? Unleash your inner kid.”
Next: Nutrition…and Outdoors.
