Volunteer
I officially have no viable clients due to the pandemic, but there are still businesses out there that need help communicating through this uncertain time. To help them survive, and to keep my work brain from going to mush, I’m volunteering my time. Survival technique #1: Help out where you can, how you can.
I’ve always hated exercise. Better stated, I’ve always hated gyms, running and health clubs. I find it all boring and full of germs. (#GermPhobe) I loved aerobics in the '80s (thank you, Jane Fonda) and Zumba, but not enough to keep going regularly.
Dance it Up
So I took up walking for a while and then found Dance 101. As a former member of a dance team in high school, I thought dusting off the old dance shoes would be fun. It was and I was dancing again, getting toned, and mentally and emotionally happier.
Then I heard about a new class from a dance friend called Reb3l. It offered a Groove class, one hour of dance fitness, and a Strength class, one hour of toning with free weights. She raved about it so much I decided to try it. That was last February.
I walked in to a big room full of students. Lights off. Mirror ball and flashing colored lights on. Music loud. It took me straight back to my disco days. And what followed delighted me even more. All follow-along instruction to the best playlist ever, loud AF, to a teacher — Ashleigh — who looks like Barbie on steroids. Not bulked up, but so firm and toned. The energy in the room was electric and you could tell those who had been in the class for a while. Besides dancing up front with the instructor, they also had perpetual smiles on their faces, would sing along to the music and yell out certain lyrics on cue. I was struggling, but a fellow dancer assured me that by the third class I would have it down.
About eight or 10 classes later, I sort of did. And then, the instructor added brand new songs and routines. Keep it exciting. That was Reb3l Groove. Then I decided to take Reb3l Strength.
With three-pound free weights in hands and a red yoga mat from Target, I entered the same dark room with mirror ball, flashing lights and a killer playlist. After the first class, I realized why Ashleigh was so toned. Yowza. We worked every part of the human body except the face, which was dripping with sweat. I was hooked.
While I have to admit, a lot of the fun of the Reb3l classes is doing it with a room full of people who love it as much as you do. But enter COVID-19. Dance 101 made the decision to close pretty early in the social distancing game, as any responsible business would. But how would I survive without my Groove and Strength?
This! www.Reb3lFit.com All of the classes are online, on demand for $20/month. Seriously, they have been quarantine survival mechanism #2 and #3. My hubby and I moved the glass coffee table out of the family room, moved back the couch and he hooked my laptop up to the big screen TV. Enter weights (now up to four pounds) and mat, and go.
Founders of Reb3lFit, Ashleigh Hughes and Tricia Cremeans.
Getting in some Reb3l Strength on a rainy day.
Time with Pets
While on the mat doing my daily hour of Reb3l, (today was a Strength day) I noticed a very excited English bulldog joining me. What appeared to be twerking, and we do a lot of that in Groove classes, was not twerking. Survival bit #4 is my funny and very confused bully, Barnabus. Spending more time with him and being on his level, on the floor, has been spirit lifting. Dude makes me laugh.
Digital Friend Dates
Survival activity #5 is drinking with friends. Before you judge, it’s all on Zoom at 5 p.m. every other day. There are five main members and other friends join us from time to time. We discuss what’s in our glasses, what we did that day, the latest on the virus and how we are going to get through this. We are now coaching each other on possible new careers, things we can do now to get ready for when we can leave our homes and really just keep each other’s spirits up.
Barnabus in mid-twerk.
Find Your Happy Space
Our backyard looks like the Garden of Eden, or at least a Sandy Springs, GA version. My hubby loves to dig in the dirt and has transformed the dried up flora death that winter left behind, to a lush, colorful flowery oasis. Survival tip #6 is if possible; make your living spaces happy spaces. Flowers do it for me. I love to have fresh flowers inside, but can now just step out on the patio and breathe. Even with a pollen count in the “warning” level, just 10 minutes a day is enough.
Family
#7 is my favorite, as I am lucky enough to have not one, but two, adorable grandsons. My daughter, who is mother to both, sends me lots of photos and videos of them every day. The eldest is almost four and the baby is only 15 weeks. They are my happy place and I miss them terribly, but FaceTime with them makes my day.
Please tell me what you’re doing to get through the isolation. I’d love to hear from you.