If only politeness went viral...

The news is full of corona virus, so I’m going to talk about… gym etiquette.  We go to the gym to improve our fitness, not to get sick.

First things first:  if you are sick, stay home.  No one wants your germs.  You don’t even want your germs, so why would anyone else?

Next, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not your hands.  This helps contain the spread of all our little microbes.  It’s also less gross.

Use the provided cleaners to clean the equipment you use.  (My kid recently sent me a photo from his gym that encouraged folks to clean up after themselves.  It included the sentence, “Your mom is not a member here.”  He said I am now not allowed to join his gym, but I don’t think that was the point.)  We all should do this anyway because no one wants to feel our sweat even when the issue isn’t germs.  (While we are wiping down the weights and other equipment, we can make sure to put everything back in the appropriate location—this is good manners and it helps keep everyone safe when the floor is not cluttered with random stuff to trip on.)

We all need to be diligent about washing our hands.

Now:  go get a polite workout in.  It’s good for you.

Monday Workout: Round lunges!

This week we keep jumping (when appropriate for our bodies!) and I have thrown in round lunges to work on core strength and balance.  I haven’t explained those in a while, so here is how they work.  We lunge forward on the right leg and then come back to our starting position.  Then we lunge to the side with the right leg and return to start.  Then we lunge to the back with the right leg and return to start.  That is one.  When we have ten of them, do five with the right leg and five with the left.  The change of direction means that we have to pay attention to core stability.  Three rounds.

(jump) squats	30
bench press	20
round lunges	10
plyo/reg/mod jacks	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
Xiser	30
deadlifts	20
brains	10

Moody? Me?

Exercise helps mood.  We all need help with mood sometimes, so here are five ways that exercise makes it better.

1.     It makes us breathe.  Cardio, by definition, targets our heart and lungs.  When we do it, we get more oxygen into our bodies and more carbon dioxide out.  It’s one version of body house-cleaning.

2.     It improves our sleep.  No, don’t sleep while exercising.  Except maybe that last five minutes of yoga during savasana, when there is an unwritten rule that someone in the class has to fall asleep.  We do sleep better at night if we move during the day.  Well-rested people are happier people.

3.     We get a sense of efficacy.  Maybe everything else in our lives is totally out of control.  Maybe our dog died and we’re not sure how to pay the bills and we ate a healthy dinner of Cheetos and beer last night, but we can show up for one workout.  We can’t possibly be totally hopeless if we can do this one thing.  And if we do it over and over, we even get stronger!  We might be able to tackle other things, too!

4.     We can do it with friends.  One of the biggest contributing factors to the general malaise many of us feel is our sense of isolation.  Walking with a friend or catching up after an aerobics class or spotting a workout buddy can renew our sense of connection.

5.     Our bodies feel better when they move.  That mind-body connection thing is real.  If we improve one, we improve the other.  Things that make the body feel good help our minds and healthy minds help us have healthy bodies.

Go play.