It’s been said we are living in unprecedented times. It’s been said that our lives will be changed forever when this is all said and done. We are living under quarantine. Our lives have been massively disrupted. But if there is anything that can be said when this is all said and done, I like to think we will all come out of this stronger and better people.

I still remember when I first heard about the coronavirus. I would listen to the news on my way into the gym. I always saw it as a “China problem”. Well fast forward several weeks, here we are. Many are fighting for supplies. Many are complaining about it on social media. I like to look at the positive of the situation. This weekend I went on three walks with my dogs. Every time I saw more and more people walking around with their families. I saw kids out playing in their yards. And I saw a father teaching his daughter how to play the piano in their garage. People are learning how to slow down and appreciate the small things in life. People are enjoying more time with their loved ones. In the fitness world, people are challenging each other to random challenges. Everyone is getting tagged in different posts and challenging 10 more people. We are learning how to live life outside the gym. A gym is an amazing place but it such a small piece of what fitness really is. There is a huge world outside and without equipment, we have to be creative. As a programmer, it forces me to look outside the box. As an athlete, I get to find new ways to find fitness with the equipment I have on hand. You start to realize that any place can become a workout with the correct prescription of burpees. Fitness during a time of quarantine forces us to be creative and to find new ways to challenge ourselves. You start to see the beauty of strongman and endurance movements. Look for heavy rock and carry it for 400m had a set of burpees for several rounds and you have a killer workout. Filling a backpack that you have in the closet with some rock pebbles and you have a sandbag to do some ground to shoulders. You have a driveway and you have a handstand walk route. The human body is only limited by your creativity.

This COVID-19 virus is a serious virus. Unfortunately, many people will die because of it and that is a horrible thing. But that doesn’t mean we have to let it control our perceptions. Our rational mind is the only true thing in our control these days. We have to find sanity in these days of staying home, there is only so much Netflix to watch. When this is over we will realize how much we took for granted. How much of a blessing it was to go to Starbucks, out to restaurants, and how nice having a gym to go to is. In the meantime, we have to make do with what we have. We will get through these days and we will be stronger when this is all over. Stay strong, stay healthy, and always continue to do great things for your country.

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