By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
As we deal with the summer of COVID-19 – finding ways to stay safe, socialize at a distance and stay sane – keeping fit can be a challenge.
Throughout the spring, avid workout warriors and wishy-washy ones alike found ways to break a sweat through exercise classes on online platforms such as Zoom, with indoor exercise equipment like Peloton Bikes and home gyms. But nearly four months into our sheltered world, many need some fresh air and something more.
Cindy Carroll of Middletown was looking forward to her first Boston marathon in April when the pandemic started. The race was postponed to September and then canceled. With a several marathons under her belt, Carroll, the president of the New Jersey Roadrunners Club, and other members continue to run every Sunday morning, meeting in the parking lot at their clubhouse – wearing masks when needed – located in the Port Monmouth First Aid building.
The group had not entered the building during the pandemic, except to use the bathrooms and nowadays grab refreshments safely. “There’s no sharing water or high-fiving,” Carroll said. “We meet in the parking lot,” wearing masks when standing around.
“We never stopped running,” she pointed out. “We just stopped training.”
And that has been a big disappointment surrounding the pandemic restrictions. “It’s a bit demotivating,” she said. “There’s nothing to train for so it’s changed our perspective.”
However, for Carroll, one of the perks of the pandemic is that working from home eliminates her commute to Manhattan for her job in pharmaceutical advertising, allowing her more time for weekday runs. “I have the ability to go out for a 30-minute run between meetings,” she said. “I run for sanity.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity is one of the best things people can do to improve their health. It is vital for healthy aging and can reduce the burden of chronic diseases and prevent early death.
“Physical activity helps you feel better, function better, and sleep better. It also reduces anxiety,” according to the CDC website, which also offers ideas to remain physically active while social distancing.
When the warm weather came around, Megan Morelli was tired of the Zoom exercise classes she was taking and longing for some fresh air and people to see.
Her gym, Orange Theory, offers high intensity interval training, and holds exercise classes, sans equipment, in the parking lot behind its Middletown location. “You bring your mat and a towel and work out on the concrete,” Morelli said. “We did squats, pushups, everything.”
“I was happy to have the motivation of a coach,” said Morelli, a seventh-grade teacher in Queens, New York, who returned to her parents’ house to work from home. “Having someone in front of you keeps you accountable,” she said. She found that being motivated by a socially distant exercise neighbor made her keep up the pace when running. “If I feel like I’m being lazy, I can’t just turn the camera off.”
When indoor pickleball clubs closed in early March, Cathy DaPrato of Middletown was so anxious to keep up with the game, she played by herself, hitting the ball against her garage wall. So when the governor gave the go-ahead to open parks, DaPrato and other women in her group and headed to Normandy Park in Middletown.
“The first day I played with gloves,” she laughed. She wears her mask for socializing before and after games but keeps it around her neck when she plays. “You can’t exercise wearing a mask,” she said. “It’s too difficult to breathe.”
But she feels she’s doing everything as safely as possible. “When we play doubles, we’re all keeping our distance. And I carry my hand sanitizer,” she said. “I play with people who take the same precautions I take.”
Now DaPrato is back to playing pickleball three times a week. “I missed it. When you’re exercising at home, it’s not the same as being competitive and getting your good shots in. Then you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” she said. “I like to be competitive but I like to have fun, too.”
When the pandemic started and Clementine Cycling Studio in Fair Haven was forced to close, owner Effie Drossman said they rented out their bikes. “Then we pivoted to online classes.”
As the warmer weather arrived, she created an outside space, adding a trailer that holds exercise bikes. “We call it the Wheelhouse and we haul the bikes in and out for the classes.” With a maximum of 10 bikes, classes are offered three times a week. Bikes are sanitized before and after each rider and positioned 6 feet apart.
“There are a lot of people who are not there yet and for them we’re doing our online classes,” Drossman said. “And for those people who have been home who have been motivating themselves, maybe they need more. They’ve been cooped up for so long, they’re just craving the interaction. And there’s nothing like working out with your community.”
The article originally appeared in the July 2 – 8, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
