Gyms in England reopen on 12th April (hopefully), classes can start back from 17th May (hopefully). There is hope restrictions will be largely lifted around 21st June. The rest of the UK is likely to be around about the same I’d guess. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard I need to lose my Lockdown weight before June or I need to get my fitness back ready for when gyms reopen.
To be fair many people have covered the first of those statements. Very quickly, you don’t need to be any size or shape come June. Come June you can enjoy seeing people and going places and generally not being stuck indoors whether you have stayed the same weight, put on half a stone or five stone during Lockdown. If you want to lose weight go for it, but it doesn’t need to be by the specified time.
Getting fit to return to a place where you go to get fit baffles me. Will you need to build back up to pre Lockdown weights or endurance levels if the access to equipment you have had has been limited these last few months? Of course. Does that matter? Not really, you’ll still be allowed in the gym, there are no pre requisites before you’re allowed access. Of course what we are really worried about is being judged. Turning up and being the only one feeling less fit or more out of shape than this time last year. It won’t be the case, I can almost guarantee 90% of people feel the same as you.
When I think back to last summer when I went back to teaching after several months in Lockdown. Was it tough? Hell yes. Weights felt heavy, sitting on a spin bike was less comfortable than it was, I was beetroot red at the end of classes. So was everyone else. As the instructor I had to ease back into it, all my regular class members did too. There was no judgement, either of each other or of me as an instructor. We all laughed about it, shared tips and compared progress as the weeks went on and we got into our routine again.
I’m all for building yourself back up now, I kind of don’t want to feel completely dead after my first class back when I need to teach a few hours later, so I want to start to increase my activity levels now. It’s still going to be a shock when I get back to the gym though and that is fine.
We haven’t had a choice about this enforced absence from the gym so we don’t need to make ourselves feel bad about it or put so much pressure on ourselves. Instead I’m looking forward to seeing people again, and being with them in finding it a bit tough to start with but getting through it together with my classes.
Heather Sherwood Fitness 