The great mask debate………..
Who would have ever seen this one coming? Not me that is for sure.
But here we are in the middle of 2020, a year that has rocked every single one of our worlds inside out and upside down.
As places begin opening back up, we have entered a big debate over who should wear masks, when it’s safe/not safe, and it’s become a point of much contention. In many areas it is mandated to wear a mask in public places.
The reality is that this topic isn’t going away any time soon. I think we’re going to see mask requirements for a long time to come.
Which almost had me ignoring the topic all together. I hate seeing people fight and lash out at each other over difference of opinions.
As a leader in health/fitness, I have been asked a lot lately on my thoughts over wearing a mask while working out. At first I was going to dodge this question, since at VFit wearing a mask will never be an issue (nothing I ever planned when building this platform, but something I know I am thankful for more than ever.).
I will state for the record that this is my personal opinion and I am not a medical professional.
Should having to wear a mask be your excuse NOT to workout? HECK NO!
If you have a gym/studio that you so deeply love and they are doing a diligent job to keep the facility safe, clean, and with your best interest in mind, then by all means get yourself back to your beloved gym.
Here’s where I may rattle some feathers though.
Chances are that most people are not going to stick to working out in a mask long term. They just aren’t.
And that is FAR more detrimental than working out in a mask can be.
Is wearing a mask comfortable? No!
Is it hard to breath in, especially during a workout? Yes!
So when something becomes more of a burden and gives us an unpleasant experience, we’ll find more and more excuses not to do it.
Exercise should be one of the biggest rewards you treat yourself to daily.
There’ll be some who are fine working out in a mask and are just happy to be back at the gym – you know I support that 100%! Your gym needs you and you need them – rock on my friends!
Right now we NEED our health and well being to be at all time highs. That’s going to take putting in the physical and mental time and effort of working out.
Your health cannot afford to take this season off! It just can’t! Especially when we don’t even know how long ‘this season’ is going to be. It could be more than a year. You simply cannot stop working out waiting for things to go back to your previous normal.
“Because the next few months are going to go by no matter if you workout or not – make them count!”
So this may be the time in your life that you need to pivot your approach to what you think a workout should look like.
You didn’t ask to make the pivot, but life has thrown us some major curve balls. Sometimes pivots will change your life in amazing ways you never saw coming.
You may need to take your workouts outside in the fresh air. Connect with nature, use some rocks, benches, and dirt roads as your training ground.
Maybe you start an at home workout program, or you spend a lot of money on a new piece of equipment in hopes that a big investment will motivate you to workout from home.
But if I can give everyone ONE piece of advice as to how to be successful in staying fit and healthy during this season of life, masks or no masks, home gym or the great outdoors – FIND A COMMUNITY to be a part of.
That’s always going to be the key to success is in any area of life. We are human beings. We NEED each other.
We need connection. We need accountability. We need someone to assure us that we can do this and this is going to be ok.
I’ve had a lot of emotions over the last few months when it comes to running VFit.
VFit is my passion, my joy, and one of my babies.
Yes, we have grown a lot over the last few months, but that wasn’t out of chance or circumstance. We’ve also invested a ton over the last few months to increase our infrastructure and have nearly doubled our class offerings to make fitness attainable at all hours of the day and to all levels and abilities.
Our growth has come on the hands of many YEARS of hard work developing our community of trainers and members. Of mastering the art of online, LIVE fitness training,
Our passion stems from setting the foundation that no matter the season of life you are in – work overload, kids being sick, kids in sports, no child care, living far from a gym, feeling intimidated by a gym, and the one we never saw coming – COVID – YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING ALWAYS MATTER.
This moment to open our doors to anyone who has the will to be part of a positive community, a community who lifts each other up and cheers each other on. A safe space to connect, sweat, smile, and laugh, without even having to think about if you need to wear a mask or not.
So coming back full circle, to wear a mask or not to wear a mask? That is going to be up to you!
What we believe is the more important question right now is “have you armed YOURSELF with a community and platform that will get you to show up and put in the work to better your health and well-being in this unprecedented season of life?”
Or will you look back in 3, 6, 12 months and say “I regret not taking that precious time to take care of me?”
No matter how tough some days are, no matter how much fear or anger is out there right now, one thing you do have the opportunity to control is taking care of YOU! And there’s nothing selfish about that my friends.
In health,
Rachele Jaegers, VFit Owner
P.S. – If you have yet to find the community and tribe you know you need, we always have a spot on the VFit team. We are built on the morals of lifting each other up, cheering each other on, and taking the time to make the world a better place, by bettering our mind, body and spirit together.
We have an awesome membership special going on right now and one membership is good for the whole household. Click here to learn more. Whether you join us for a month, 6 months, a year, or forever, we’d be honored to be part of your journey to the best YOU possible.
I am grateful to have Vfit as my choice of workout. I am a mask wearer but it’s nice to not have to go to a gym and wonder if it is safe. I felt that way before the pandemic hit because I am a bit of a germaphobe. To have the safety of my own home to workout literally whenever I want is fantastic!