As much as I wanted this past week of workouts to be as good as the week before, it just didn’t happen for me. It wasn’t that I was dealing with physical issues (except that I might have tennis elbow again, but that wasn’t really hurting my workouts). I just wasn’t feeling the workouts. This feeling is something that I have struggled with the entire time I’ve been working out at home.
So much of what I love about going to Orangetheory is being with others. I’ve said this so many times in the past few months, but I crave having my friends and coach cheering me on and encouraging me to keep going or to do more. And it’s not just having the environment of a group workout because I’ve done other workout classes and never felt the same way I feel at OTF. There is something special there and you just can’t replicate it at home.
And I have to repeat again that I know that OTF is doing everything they can to help us with the home workouts. They have created challenges, made sure we had a variety of workouts posted online, and those videos have also been pretty funny with what they use instead of weights (like backpacks filled with things or oversized household objects). OTF was not designed to be done as a video workout, and they have done amazingly well with adapting things and taking suggestions from members and changing the videos based on what we were asking for.
I try to use the idea of going back to the studio as part of my motivation. I don’t want to be starting at square one when I get back there. I don’t think I will be as weak as I was when I started, but I know I won’t be anywhere near as strong as I was when the studios closed. I know my cardio ability is down too, and that’s going to be hard to get used to. So I keep reminding myself about those things to try to push myself harder.
But there is a chance that I won’t be doing all my workouts at home for much longer. I still am undecided about going back right when the studios open, but they do have a reopening date. It’s still 2 weeks away and other gyms are opening sooner, so I should be able to see if there are a lot of outbreaks at gyms. I need to make the choice that will make the most sense for me. For my physical health, I think it’s a coin toss between putting myself at risk and being able to work out better. For my mental health, no question going back to class is better for me.
I know that the studio owners aren’t taking the situation lightly. They have opened studios that they own in other parts of the country so they already had a plan about how to try to make things as safe as possible. I know that there will be empty workout stations so you are never next to someone else. Also, you will be the only person using the equipment at your station. Normally, for example, there is someone on treadmill 1, rower 1, and floor station 1. And when we switch you stay with your number, so 3 people use each thing per class. But when things open, if you are on treadmill 1, there won’t be anyone on rower 1 or floor station 1. They also are adding time between classes so they can do 30 minutes of disinfecting after each class. Originally they said that masks would only be required when you are coming into or leaving class. Now, since masks are required more in CA, I know they are working on changing that policy to be the best policy it can be. But for me, if I return I think I will wear a mask for the entire class. I don’t love the idea of having something on my face getting sweaty while I work out, but if that is what I need to do to feel comfortable working out I will do it. I’m not worried about breathing through the mask, it’s really just the idea of being sweaty that I don’t like.
When the studios open, hopefully I will know more about things so I can decide if I will go or not. I go back and forth on how I feel about it. But I need some actual numbers and evidence from other gyms being open for me to know which way is best for me. I also know that if I decide to go when they open that I don’t have to go for all 4 workouts a week. I will still have the option to work out at home. So maybe I’ll do 2 workouts there and 2 at home. I really don’t know. This is what I have been wanting but at the same time, I’m unprepared for it and don’t know what to do.
Now that there is a real date for when the studios will open, I hope that I feel a bit more motivated at home this week. I know when I could get back into class, and I want to be ready for that. I know that this might not be enough motivation for me to do exactly what I want to do, but I’m going to use it if I feel low at all this week. And hopefully, in a few weeks, I’ll be able to write about having a mix of studio and home workouts. And one day in the future, I know I’ll be back to writing my normal workout recaps and they will be all studio workouts!
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Mixed Up Workouts (or Not Knowing What To Expect)
