Date: 25 June 2020 Author: Energise Me
Everyone's routines are up in the air right now. With children off school and many parents working from home, everyone is tackling new hurdles. Emma shares how her family are finding their way through and learning to Stay In Work Out.
As an inconsistently active introvert, the order to stay at home was not as distressing to me as I’m sure it is to many others. I know that there are many people who are scared, and many who are worried for their livelihoods. I recognise how lucky I am to be able to work from home. That said, our new way of life is not without its challenges. I am worried for some of my older, more technophobic family members. My daughter is having to adapt to her new teacher (spoiler alert: it’s me) and come to terms with the idea of having her tenth birthday with no party, no friends round, and – potentially – no cake. And my husband is facing the challenge of teaching a disparate group of primary-aged children, both in person and online.
Our initial concern was how best to structure our week to look after our physical and mental health. Facebook is full of conflicting advice (some things haven’t changed, then!) to either stick to a strict timetable, or to throw all ideas of a schedule out of the window, let your children eat cheerios in their pyjamas, and watch YouTube all day long. As a family, we’ve opted for something of a middle ground.
08:00 Breakfast together
08:30 Mummy starts work
09:00 P.E.
09:30 Maths
10:30 Morning break (for mummy, too)
10:45 English
11:30 Kids choice (reading, arts, crafts, coding, more maths…)
12:15 LUNCH!
13:00 Project work (science, geography, computing…)
14:00 Spellings
14:15 Home time!
(14:30-17:00 more work for mummy)
And with this, we’ve found some unexpected silver linings.
There’s no-one to see me red-faced and sweaty except the almost-ten-year-old (and once the postman, sorry Dave).
The nation has embraced Joe Wicks’ daily P.E. lessons. I don’t know about you, but my social media feed is full of kids, adults, whole families putting on their trackies and getting stuck in. I love having this active start to the day. But I also love being able to flop on the couch and rest for a few minutes when it gets too hard! There’s no-one to see me red-faced and sweaty except the almost-ten-year-old (and once the postman, sorry Dave). And our work WhatsApp group is full of supportive thumbs-up – and advice on how to soothe my aching muscles.
Another silver lining is the number of online exercise classes popping up. Just last night I joined a Bedtime Yoga class with Shine Yoga in Bristol – it was affordable, intimate, and I was able to do it in my PJs!
My daughter’s dance school, Integr8, have also done a brilliant job of moving to online classes and support. The ever-encouraging almost-ten-year-old is trying to convince me to join her in the living room tomorrow evening for her weekly Street Dance class. I’d be too nervous in ‘real life’ to join a street dance class, but with things the way they are right now, and from the safety of my living room, it feels like the perfect time to try something new.
People all over the world are worried – and understandably so. But the sprouting of support groups, mutual aid teams, and other online communities has brought me great comfort this week. Our physical activity routines might have shifted to in or near our homes, but our social networks are growing. We’re able to keep in touch with phone calls, video chats, and even a good old-fashioned postcard. And as long as we #StayInWorkOut we can still try new things, keep active, and meet new people.
We want to hear from you! What virtual work outs are getting you moving? How are you staying in and working out?
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