I’ve considered myself an athlete for almost as long as I can remember, but
somewhere along the way in 2019 and 2020 I lost that feeling and sense of identity. In the
summer of 2020 I signed up for nutrition coaching with Coach Aaron, to go along with
my pre-existing gym membership, as a way to challenge myself and get some guidance
into changing or enhancing some habits. I’ll never forget our first meeting in which
Aaron referred to me as an athlete – it had been so long since I’d thought of myself in this
way, but it was so good to be reminded of this, and of my desire to be an athlete for as
long as I can. He also encouraged me to carve out a few minutes a day for intentional
movement, as a way to build it as a habit. It took a while to catch on, as habits sometimes
do, but remembering this bit of advice, as well as my desire to be a lifelong athelete, are
what got me to where I am now.
When the gym had to close again last fall, Stone Brook Strength offered daily
zoom workouts for their members, as they had in the spring. This time around I knew that
carving out that little bit of time for myself each day would be an important bit of self
care. One month in, I decided to set some goals for myself, and rekindled Aaron’s goal of
daily intentional movement, as well as some dietary changes to better fuel and facilitate
this endeavour. I kept a habit tracker, and between Zoom class workouts, snowshoeing,
or bundling up for walks around my neighbourhood, I moved intentionally every single
day of the winter lockdown – I even did the home workout that Aaron and Robin
programmed for Christmas Day.
I saw my stamina during workouts improve, which was exciting. During the
closure in the spring, I was able to rent and bring home a barbell and weights to
incorporate into my SBS-programmed home workouts, and my fitness continued to
improve all-around.
Daily movement is now a given in my life. I’m always excited to head to the gym,
work out at home, go for a run, or for a nice walk or bike ride with my family. Having a
different workout or activity to look forward to each day has been a godsend during these
otherwise rather mundane pandemic days.
I am so thankful for the Zoom classes and equipment rentals (and at-home
modifications) that we had access to during the gym closures, the wisdom and
encouragement of my coaches, and the camaraderie of my fellow gym members. I’m in
some of the best shape of my life, and I’m excited to build on new goals for myself as I
continue to progress as the athlete I know that I am.