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For many today is the day when life returns to as near normal as possible. Restaurants can think about how they can recoup a year of loss and theatres can open to full capacity. Some will cast their facemarks to one side, others will remain more vigilant. For more information on how we will work in class please pop along to 'The New Normal'. It is up to each of us to play our part in helping keep the nation fit and well, and that means doing all we can to help others feel and stay safe while we are out and about, home, away and in class. This beings me very nicely to summer classes. There will be classes through the summer as below. If you want to attend please let me know via the usual methods! Stay safe- and remember to keep hydrated. 
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Saw this...and thought it would be useful. The one single thing people are anxious about is their balance and leg strength. These few exercises, repeated a couple of times a day, should be enough to get you back on the road to strong kegs and good balance, and it is never too late to start. Please be sure to make sure you adequate space, the chair is sturdy and pushed against the wall so it can't slip away. Try to do these exercises when and someone is nearly or pop your phone in your pocket just in case anything happens...and make sure the cat or dog will not run under your feet and make you to wobble! A very dear friend and colleague gave me a piece of advice: she told me to sit on the floor at least once a day. So, I do, which is good because, after a long day, I like to sit on the floor with my legs out in front of me. I have experimented with different ways of getting up - including crawling to the stairs. When we don’t need to crawl...we don’t. As a result, we lose the ability to be skilful and efficient in this natural movement, and the ground environment becomes challenging and unfamiliar. Only attempt crawling if you are 100% confident that you can get up from the floor and your knees, hands and wrists are strong enough and please take time to consider how (and where) you will get up and if your knees need any padding.
But if you decide you need to practice getting down and up from the floor, then Later Life Training has a really useful booklet, please read the disclaimer on the back page, and like standing on one leg, you do this at your own risk.  We all have May 17th in our diaries - the date indoor classes can resume and we can have up to 30 people in our gardens.
BUT, while I am thinking about music, apparatus and hand wipes and I am being a tiny bit cautious as the Government has said that the unlocking of the next stage is dependent upon certain conditions being met. In the meanwhile, we can all enjoy the sunshine (don't forget your sun screen) and as the flowers in our gardens are awakening after a long winter slumber- so we must re-awaken our bodies, minds and listen to our emotions as we get back to being face - to - face with friends again. If you need to see a friendly face then don't wait for invitations- be the one to make it happen and invite someone for a walk or tea (or wine) in your garden. How often, in the past have we wished for lazy mornings and time to sit and listen to the birds, to watch the flowers grow? Lockdown has taken so much away from us, but it has also given us time to appreciate the simple joys of a cup of tea in the garden, a walk by a stream or a long chat on the phone with friends. As May 17th draws ever nearer and we all celebrate having our hair cut (and coloured) , enjoy walking around 'non essential shops' looking for essentials and as more people have their vaccinations it really does seem as of 'normality' is on the horizon. Be safe, stay well and we will dance (and sing) together again - very soon! The lack of information is frustrating. It is our understanding that further guidance released the week commencing 22 March. However, this will focussed on activities that can resume from 29 March, e.g. organised outdoor sport and physical activity. Any information as to how we progress to Step 2 and then Step 3 of the road map - and the opening of indoor adult classes - may not be made nearer the time. So please pop May 17th, 18th and 19th in your diaries and keep your eyes on the news!  You have everything you need for the first the get together post Lockdown - tea, cakes, wine or something fizzy. But, how will you rejuvenate your own physical, emotional, social and cognitive wellbeing? This brilliant poster from the Association for Physical Education (afPE) stopped me in my tracks. I can see everyone here- yes everyone. We have the Governments Road Map- but what about your own map? Can you rely on someone else's Sat Nav- or do you need to plan your own route? What detours do you need to take? The direct or scenic route? What do you need- for yourself and others- how can you help- and ask for help?   We have a road map- we have dates we can put in our diaries and make plans for but will we be ready?
Some people will just leapfrog into getting out and about; those who have been 'occupied' by work or anything else that keeps the grey cells ticking over may leap into newfound freedom of face to face meetings (albeit outside) where screens do not turn black at the end of the conversation. But what about those who have been confined to their homes? Getting back to life outside the walls of our homes will be challenging for those who have done what was asked of them- stayed at home to keep the infection rate down. They have sacrificed a whole year of living with little or no contact with the outside world to keep people – total strangers- safe. I suppose if we think of Lockdown as 'treatment' COVID- then we are all in need of rehab. You don't just jump up out of your sickbed and run a marathon…you take your time and plan ahead—a short distance today- and a longer one the day after. You might visit the corner shop at the top of the road this week- and the supermarket the week after. It is like hospitals allowing 2 visitors per patient at any one time- too many, and the ward is overcrowded, and the patient can't think. One friend in the garden on Monday and then another on Wednesday- take time to give one person time and really 'be' with them and not just a crowd where conversations overlap and no one gets to talk with anyone- properly. Families and friends will be able to sit and relax into a proper conversation without worrying about getting too close, and you can chat about anything other than supermarket deliveries. And going out means getting dressed- in real clothes! Forget the smart/casual top for Zoom or the stretchy leggings for the daily walk - there are new shoes to buy – and bras – and a haircut! However you plan to unlock your Lockdown, have fun- be safe- but most of all, plan some time to look after yourself. It will be overwhelming; we will all need a good cry and talk about how we have coped and then do something new. We can't flip the switch and turn back life to 2020; we will have to think of new ways of living- but that need not be all doom and gloom – it is a time for change- make the new normal positive and one you are happy in. TIER TWO
Yes- exercise classes can still take place so long as they follow the relevant social contact rules at the various tiers. So at Tiers 2/3 classes can continue provided that there is no mixing between the individual participants. This means we have to maintain social distancing and COVID-19 compliancy measures are being met. Classes continue for as long as the venue is open. GROUPS OF 6 This does not mean we can only have six in your class – it means classes must be appropriately socially distanced with each person having their own space and people must not come as a group or commune in spaces.  September 1st has always been a busy day for me, as a primary school teacher I was preparing for a new school year and as a mum I was making sure the children were as ready as they could be with new uniform, shoes that fitted as well as pens, pencils and a geometry set. But getting 'back to class' this term has been a bit of an emotional and logistical maze. I have read so many bits of paper that I am ‘papered out’. From Government Guidance to draft Risk Assessments and final documents I have seen almost every possible variation and combination of words and formats – but it is my job- as a teacher to make sure that YOUR class is a Coronavirus free experience and we all enjoy ourselves without feeling as if we are in a hospital waiting room. I will be following the guidelines, which are common sense and simple; it is the application that adds the stress.
What to bring with you:
See you all on Monday 7th or Wednesday 9th September   Today is a sad day...a happy ending (scroll down) Today I made the decision not to return to Highlands Village Hall, closing the EXTEND class that I started.Phoning class participants- friends- with whom we shared our ups and downs, as well as jokes, plans and so many songs, was very difficult. All other classes will resume the week of September 7th. Be safe, stay well, raise a glass to absent friends, and one day we will all exercise together again.   After some hunting- the class has a new home- at the Orchard Hall, Grange Park Methodist Church.
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Exercise With TracyEXTEND Exercise and Medau Movement teacher. Keeping the muscles working, the joints mobile and having fun! Archives
July 2021
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If you fancy trying a class then please get in touch. The first class is free!
EXTEND: Southgate Methodist Church, Monday 1.30-2.30
EXTEND: Grange Park Methodist Church Tuesday 10-11 Medau: Cockfosters, Wednesday 10-11 Medau: Potters Bar, Wednesday 2.15-3.45 |
Email: exercisewithtracy@gmail.comTELEPHONE 07949 055958
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