Sure there are news clippings that will record things happening, and hopefully they will record this moment as we remember it. But we need to remember it in our own way. The news doesn’t live in your hometown. There is an editorialism of our view, and one day we will be told the way it was. Think of September 11th. What do you remember if you were alive then. What was it like in the first day, the first week, the first year?
We need to be part of recording our own memories so we can tell this story. I have done in some ways a bad way, and in some ways a good way of recording some of the things. Facebook has been a place where people have complained and put memes up that have been entertaining. There is a lot of political controversy going on. I will stay away from that for the moment. But here in the city of Cocoa Beach, here are some photos.
Beaches were closed, we did takeout food, and parking beach side was closed as well. We social distance keeping 6FT part from each other as much as possible, and we have worn face masks and some have worn gloves if they’ve had them. But we stay home and self quarantine.
In many ways, memes have told the best stories, so here are a few that you may find funny, that we laughed about now, but may take an explanation 10 years from now. Who would believe these things.
We have had St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day all during this time period. We in Florida get ready to go into hurricane season, and if this continues, we may be in it during the 4th of July.
Right now, we are starting to reopen the state, little by little. Many think this is a bad idea, as people just won’t be careful and they will spread the virus. So there will be two groups of people. Some that stay home, and some who will be out there.
I’ll keep updating this as time goes on, at least once a week, to keep us mindful of things going on.
How are you keeping your fitness in check during the home quarantine? Are you getting out for a walk or a run? Are you doing activities with your TV, such as Yoga, Crossfit, or maybe using something like a WiiFit? Whatever you do, I hope that you are motivated to keep moving.
Social Running in Port Canaveral
Social Running
I think that one thing that has motivated me as a runner is social running. Before we were lockdown in our homes, I was out one to two nights a week, running with friends. There are social groups for running. We joke, they are drinking clubs with running problems. Socialized fitness activities can bring a person a lot more than just a good workout. These types of groups create an atmosphere that allows us to develop healthy exercise habits depending on how you leverage it.
Not Just for the Social
One thing that I experience in the beginning of being part of a running club was that these folks were actually training. They weren’t just getting out for a quick 5K, drinking a beer and going home. Many of these people are serious about doing more. As you talk to people, they are concerned about their performance, their health, injuries, and they are COMPETITIVE.
It is pretty typical to hear someone during the cooler race season months to say, what race are you running this weekend? Are you doing that 5K or 1/2 Marathon? What was your time? Did you get a PR (Personal Record)? What do you eat before you run? What kind of shoes do you like? The questions go on and on, and before you know it, you are part of a community.
Over the last decade, the idea of an individual getting personal electronic metrics has taken off. The first device I had was an iPod with a pedometer in my shoe that counted steps that connected with a system that Apple and Nike developed known as Nike+. I’ve been doing that system for a long time and found that there were a lot of other people using the system as well. It’s come a long way, and is now software based using GPS and gyros built into phones and watches, particularly the Apple Watch.
This all brings me back to my friends in my running group.
A Little Friendly Competition
Since we are all “Social Distancing” or really physical distancing and not meeting up like we used to until this virus threat passes, I decided to employ a feature on the Apple Watch that allows for a 7-Day competition with friends that have Apple Watches.
Apple Watch Activity
You can see this week I have three competitions going with various days left of the competitions. You score up to 600 points per day. Both people can get the 600 points. There are three rings of activities that you try to close and exceed as you can see.
Move Goal
You set your move goal, and each person can have their own personal move goal. This determines your active caloric burn beyond your resting calorie burn. So as you are more active throughout your day you can get Move Calories. As of right now I’ve gotten 82% of my goal. When I reach my goal, I will get 100 points. Double that goal and get 200 points.
Exercise Goal
Here is where everyone is equalized. 30 minutes is the goal for 100% exercise for the day. That will get you 100 points. You can exercise however works best for you. Do Yoga, Walk, Run, Bike, Swim, Kayak, you name it. Every 30 minutes of exercise will get you 100 points. Exercise for 1 hour, get 200 points and so on. Technically you could max out every day with 600 points on exercise alone, but you will mostly get 200 points just on your Move and Stand Goals. so if you exercise for an 1-1/2 hours a day, you should get close to getting all your points.
Stand Goal
The dreaded stand goal. There is this concept of move throughout your day. We tend to do our exercises and then be sedentary throughout the rest of our day. The stand goal gets you up once and hour and moving about. Step away from the computer and get that goal. Get 12 stands (once per hour), and you complete the circle. Also you get 100 points. If you do the math, you can get more than 100 points for stands, maxing out at 200 points for stands if you are up for 24 hours. Not likely for most people, but 18 hours isn’t unreasonable for many.
Competition Keeps Us Moving
So it’s this competitive nature that keeps us moving, keeps us stronger and healthier. It keeps us connected to remind us that we’ll all be running again soon, racing, training. No one hates to lose, but it’s all friendly. And that’s the spirit of this type of event. Get out there each day, do your best, and have fun.
I hope that no matter what people are doing, they are moving around and staying active, even as people feel isolated in their homes. The opportunity to feel more connected is there for those who enjoy that. But no matter what, take some time out of each day to maintain your physical fitness.
