If you have read my column before, you know that I am dogmatically firm on the one single best sort of exercise, diet, and wellness practice that each and every human ought to be pursuing. There is no room for equivocation in my philosophy. The best exercise, diet, and wellness practice is — the one that you will do. It’s the kind that supports your lifestyle, your goals and makes your body feel good. And more importantly, it includes things that you enjoy having on your to do list.
As I’m watching my calendar go from zero (no in-person events in 14 months) to breathtakingly full — it’s May and I have a high school senior– I thought maybe it was an appropriate time to remind us all that much like our wellness practice, there is also ONE single best way to head into the opening up of the world we all left behind over a year ago and fill up our to do list. And that way is – – the way that works for you!
You may have friends and family who are diving into the “opening up” with wholehearted abandon, enthusiastically scheduling big birthday lunches and group exercise time at the gym while booking reservations for overseas trips. You may know folks who are planning to keep exercising at home, and attending events by video chat, and having their groceries delivered. I’ve seen mask burning parties on the news and know folks who plan to continue wearing masks anytime they leave the house for the foreseeable future.
I personally fall somewhere in the middle of this return road.
I’m completely open to small outdoor gatherings where there is room to spread out, and I’ve stopped wearing a mask when I take a walk in the park. At the same time, I’m not at all ready to eat indoors in close quarters in restaurants, and I continue to wear a mask downtown during the walking rush hour on the mall.
What a strange thing to be thinking about! And that’s the whole point. It’s profoundly strange! There is no set of rules that will work for everyone in every situation. Maybe you are more closely guarding the space on your calendar now. Or maybe you realized you crave having your days filled with appointments. And guess what! Both are right. It may be that both are even right for one and the same person on a given day or in a given moment. Activities that felt okay and safe and worth the time one day may not feel that way the next. So don’t let anyone give you the “but you went to Zumba with Frank yesterday, why won’t you go to Aquacise with ME today?” treatment. In case you missed it, you are surviving a pandemic. And there is only one right way to do that. Your way.
You are doing it right.
Erika Taylor is a community wellness instigator at Taylored Fitness, the original online wellness mentoring system. Taylored Fitness believes that everyone can discover small changes in order to make themselves and their communities more vibrant, and that it is only possible to do our best work in the world if we make a daily commitment to our health. Visit facebook.com/erika.taylor.303 or email erika@tayloredfitness.com.
Amazing! Thank you so much for this! It was much needed and greatly appreciated!
I had no idea people were commenting on my article. i’m so glad to have found this. Thank you a billion times over for the note!
Right on, this makes me feel normal for admiring my friends who are booking trips left and right while I still want to lie in hubs’ lap and watch tv for the foreseeable future.
Holy moly. I had no idea these comments were here! I am os sorry to have missed you. Thank you so much for taking time to ring in. YES! Still… It’s still not one size fits all and it’s still okay!
Thank you for your always positive comments.