It’s not hard to admit these are weird times we are living in. Theres not a lot of good news out there, and it can be overwhelming at times. That’s why it’s important to stay healthy, take care of yourself, and try as hard as you can to keep up a normal routine. Fitness instructor Jamie Benedik is doing her part to help those around her stay healthy, from the recommended social distance of 6 feet apart of course.
When business starting closing in her town of Long Island, she noticed that the community was upset that a lot of the gyms were closing and a lot of community members couldn’t ease their stress by working out anymore. Being a fitness instructor Jamie had an idea.
Knowing that social distancing was still very important and one of the biggest rules that should be followed, she opened her own gym- sort of. What she really did was open her driveway up to her neighbors.
Every morning, people flock to Jamie’s driveway, where they set up their yoga mats about 6 feet away from each other. They go for a brisk power walk around the neighborhood and circle back to Jamie’s driveway for some cardio. While most people would dread going to the gym, the people attending Jamie’s class can’t get enough of it. “Have no fear, your workout is here!” she chants as the fitness lovers in her driveway hoist dumbbells over their heads.
“The fresh air is perfect for this,” one attendee says. “It’s better than not doing anything,” says another. One of the main concerns from people staying at home is how easy it is to lose track of your daily routine, and fall into unhealthy habits. One of Jamie’s clients, Jenna expressed her worries about gaining more weight now that she spends so much time at home, a fear that a lot of people have. “I feel like I am anxiety eating, out of boredom,” she admits in an interview. But her, and her neighbors are thankful for the workout that Jamie is providing.
Not only is it keeping attendees bodies healthy, but also their minds. Multiple workout goers were grateful for the workout to relieve some stress and not think about the problems of the world for a little while. “It gets them through the day, because we don’t know where the day is going to take us and if we can keep normalcy and a routine and have our exercise, we’ll just be so much stronger mentally and physically.” Between creating a sense of community, the exercise, positivity, and mental break, Jamies driveway fitness class is doing a lot of good during these tough times.
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