I am a trainer who takesclasses at home and I am used to being home all day. But this pandemic has made it difficult, for all are at home and with no domestic help, my hands are full. Earlier, I used to enjoy my four-kilometre walk outside in my neighbourhood. The fresh air used to invigorate me to handle the hectic and fast paced day ahead.
After the announcement of the lockdown, I started taking walks on the terrace. It made me giddy to walk in small spaces and I started skipping this routine. I was feeling guilty for not doing any exercise and started feeling miserable. Like a Godsent message, I came to know from my trainee about Leslie Sansone and her ‘Walk at Home’ workouts. I was paranoid of rigorous workouts for the fear of hurting myself, but my student convinced me that these are simple steps but very effective. I tried out a thirty-minute video on my TV and did the steps along with her. With her charming smile, energetic talk, great music, time flew and I was sweating profusely at the end of the workout session. It exhausted me and every muscle in my body ached. It was a revelation that I was capable of few exertions than a brisk walk. I have started doing different workouts from her portal on a daily basis and feel really good aboutit.
This pandemic has made me come out of my comfort zone and has pushed me harder to stretch beyond my limits. Even when we resume normalcy, I will go out for my morning walks, but will also do a few rigorous stretches and exercises. I’ll keep this habit for a lifetime.
(The writer is an IELTS trainer in Chennai)
