CLEAN
People have no endurance. Even when it comes to trivial things, non-athletic things. And once the "vigilance-fatigue" set in after endurance fell off, of course the number of COVID positive tests increased. People just don't care as much as they once might have, especially when the personal feedback and experience contradicts the mongering and rhetoric that held all of us so captive in March.
I wash my hands less than I did four months ago, I close on friends and hug them when I might not have earlier in the year, I allow concentration to lapse and probably trust others too easily, figuring they are taking the same precautions I am when that likely is not true. I think we all let it slide, let go, so casual took over where paranoid once held sway, and then the rent came due.
The average number of new positive tests in Utah was fairly stable at 400-500 per day during the summer, and I guess Utahns figured that we dodged a bullet. But then we relaxed, voluntarily or from just being worn out by it all and the numbers climbed. The current daily average for new positive tests is 2500 and it's hard not to be mad at people's lack of endurance, at the carelessness, and the circumstances that put folks in situations where they were more exposed than (perhaps) authorities would have had us believe.
I'm not OK with last-minute, "cover your ass" measures imposed by leaders who only care that they might be seen to have made a mistake. They crack down hard on the virus without understanding that their actions crack down even harder upon people themselves, and this never does any good. A little foresight would have gone a long way. An accurate understanding of, and respect for human nature could have influenced the gravity and restrictions of the measures used to guide and protect us as a society. But "No" and "don't know" were the order of the day and "No" has come back even harder because leaders see the expression of authority as being more valuable — and powerful — than any kind of dialogue with the citizens they have been elected or appointed to protect, and serve.
The shortsightedness of these measures is shocking, and understandable; none of these leaders will be in office and maybe not even alive when the problems incubating in mental health and education come to fruition, and trigger wholesale societal change.
Whatever ... we can complain and comment, and we have done plenty of that on the podcast but for now we must do something physical, something real and meaningful. Financial stress is real. Social stress is real. The uncertainty and the risks are real. Yet we must not shut down, retreat, hide, and blindly obey leaders who are clearly just as uncertain as we are but who posture and pretend to know better so they may express their power. Fuck them. And if we don't do something alternative and intelligent and considered, well, fuck us.
We won't shut down. And we won't necessarily disobey entirely because certain recommended measures actually make sense within the context of our business, how we operate it, who we invite to be part of it, and the actual transmissibility and mechanisms of transmission.
It is obvious that information regarding COVID-19 is muddled and politicized. It is our responsibility to act in the way we believe that actual leadership should. These are our recommendations for clients, and our best guess or estimate or response; we want to protect everyone who enters our space amidst this outbreak. These are not rules, however, our space is built on trust and clear communication and so far we have avoided spreading the virus because our clients have been very good about minding their own state. This is possibly the difference between a pandemic and not a pandemic: awareness.
Environment: control it to the best of your ability. Your personal home or work area become our personal home and work area, what happens there eventually gets carried here. Avoid nonessential interaction with people you don’t know. Talk to those with whom you do interact to understand their precautions or lack thereof. Seek out those with similar values.
Attention: create a consistent set of hygienic behaviors that can be replicated with little conscious thought. Vigilance wanes. We all get sloppy, which could lead to exposure. Our attention to detail is finite, the intensity at which we first fear something will fade as we create an illusion of safety. Being a moderately-to-lightly dangerous virus, it's going to be around for a while. Treating it with the intensity you would address Ebola is excessive and unsustainable — you will need endurance to see this pandemic through to its conclusion. Integrating sustainable practices is the only way. Our immune systems strengthen as a function of minute exposure to bacteria and other pathogens, too much and we get sick, just enough and we adapt. Becoming overly sanitary — over time — will reduce the efficacy of your immune response.
Accountability: be aware of the risk you take, and communicate to others about your potential exposure so they may make informed decisions about whether to include or exclude you from their environment. If you under-communicate because you are afraid of missing out on a possible near-term experience you might be sacrificing your access to long-term, future experiences because, if you knew you were exposed, and didn't tell us or your close group, well, we might just ban you from our environment. Think about it. In this context, missing a workout or two or five is nothing, compared to potentially making others miss those sessions, or be forced to change behavior in the real world due to your selfishness.
Your health is your responsibility. Being healthy means something different to each of us but we should agree that a strong immune system is one of the best ways to protect your health. Here are the proven ways to strengthen it:
Lose excess weight. This is not a judgement, this is about mitigating the consequences should you contract COVID-19 because the evidence shows excess weight increases the severity of the sickness. Make a plan to lose weight slowly so that it is sustainable and doesn’t actually increase stress (see below). If you need guidance, ask us, we would be more than happy to help.
Manage your stress. If you are not resting consistently and sufficiently please refrain from coming in to train — the effort only adds more stress. If you are healthy and training relax the intensity, which may mean purposefully losing top-end fitness in order to avoid taxing the respiratory system. In this era we should be training for health rather than performance. In this context, to mitigate that stress, we will be designing sessions that are a bit longer and less intense over the next month or so until cases drop. The focus will be on strength, endurance and skill development.
Eat a nutritionally-dense diet. Figure out what this means for you, in the context of your social circumstances (family, partner, etc.) but with certainty you should avoid fast food. The quality, therefore nutrient density, of any mass produced food is poor. The exposure to potential spreaders is high, and according to the statistics, many cases are being traced to bars and restaurants. There is client exposure, of course, but also let's just say that adding concerns for your health to the already underpaid, overworked, and under-appreciated employees handling your food is too much to ask. They just might not care about you.
Finally, when you are in our space, we will reduce class size and overlap to limit exposure to the degree possible. Clean up after yourself following each session. Wipe down the weights and machines and sitting area with the supplies we provide.
We didn't shut down or shut you out when the State "encouraged" us to do so before, instead we took measures to keep the space clean and safe, and to behave in a way that allowed you all to be here. A few of us have had the virus and all have survived with minimal symptoms and only minor follow-on effects which is a testament to the wisdom of appropriate exercise, recovery practices, nutrition and supplementation, and an attitude that refuses to be swept up in the fear.
Control your exposure outside of our space so that we may retain control within our space. When the "leaders" say that the restrictions aren't just to protect you but to protect others they are not wrong and you should treat your life in the same way: shield yourself so that you may keep your invitation to learn and play and grow in the space we are trying our hardest to protect and keep viable.
Onward!
