Change is Challenging

So here we are at yet another junction of change.

After everything shut down at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis in the States, we had to alter our work environment, our hobbies, our errands. Everything changed. Within a matter of days, the fitness industry and the dance industry were successfully set up online with classes every single day, reaching people around the country. It was novel, it was fun, it was unbelievably stressful for everyone. I changed my entire business that had been completely comprised of in-studio sessions, to be 100% virtual. I began teaching online immediately the first Monday we were mandated to close, and have been going strong ever since. The last day in my studio was March 13, and I opened my virtual studio on March 16.

But now, after 3 months, here we are back to some uncertainty in front of another cycle of change as most businesses begin their re-opening procedures. Now, we have to juggle how to reopen, when to do so, safety measures, cleaning protocols, as well as how to keep the new ideas we've incorporated. As we adapted our business models over these past few months, there are some changes our clients have enjoyed, such as getting to work out at home with no commute. The tools we've created are still useful and give us more opportunity moving forward. I believe many studios will maintain some level of virtual offerings as another source of financial revenue. With online offerings, we can also reach a greater audience. Personally, I've greatly enjoyed taking Gaga classes again from the New York teachers I love, when normally I can’t attend these classes in California.

So we should continue to incorporate these new offerings as we return back to our studios.

How do we re-transition to the "new" normal?

I feel like I've been saying every day that it is so hard to know what's right to do. We can't assume everything is back to normal because it simply isn't. We still have clients who are at-risk and clients who have family in the high-risk category, and we still need to make sure they are protected. We as practitioners also need to make sure that we are protected and feel safe as well. Everyone has a different level of comfort, and especially since the virus has become politicized in the States, there are even more confounding factors to obfuscate expert recommendations and pressures to move too quickly.

Simply put, most medical and public health professionals are recommending to remain vigilant in our safety measures as we continue to see spikes in cases around the world. The only true protective measures we currently have include physical distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands. According to the US head physician: being outside around people is safer than inside, small crowds are better than large crowds, and no crowds are better than any crowds.

So this seems to put fitness centers into a higher-risk category since there will always be some crowding of people, inside, breathing heavily. Also, even within the cleanest private gyms, gyms are not a clean environment in general, let alone during a viral outbreak. We have to continue juggling the expert advice, with business, and financial pressures to re-open studios while communicating with our clients to keep them connected, engaged, and in compliance with new safety protocol.

How can we get some control over the situation?

There is so much happening in the world right now. When things are uncertain and anxiety is spiking, we can often feel like we're grasping for something to try to control, to attempt to stabilize our environment. On the news and on social media, we see the big picture of everything happening, and while we need to be aware, and consciously involved, we can't fix everything. We can however make some impact in our local community, whether that is within the neighborhood, our local branch of a hobby we follow, or within our professional bubbles.

We can only control what we can. Start in our personal spheres of influence. For me, my personal spheres include my studio, my clients, my local Pilates community, the health and wellness industry, and the dance community. Those are the spheres I work within, where I can reach out to people to lend my support, my ideas, my influence, and try to feel a level of control in order to stabilize the rocky reality around me.

Cyclical Changes

The changes of seasons are a great time within the year to make some positive changes, and even though we're currently within such strange political, health, and economic upheaval, we can still find the space to center ourselves. Summer is usually an energetic and happy change of season, with warmer weather, longer hours of sunlight, fresh fruits, social gatherings, and more time to relax.

As summer heats up, we usually see many clients cancel their sessions as they begin their season of travel or as their schedules change when kids return home from school or start summer camps. This year it will be different with significantly less travel, and different schedules for the kids. However, we are likely to see fewer cancellations since this year we are not bound to our studios. If clients do travel, they can now take us with them!

Clients can bring their phone, tablet or computer, and can still have a session wherever they go! Of course, there will still be some cancellations, and changes in schedules, especially as more businesses open up for in-person services. However, the virtual studio is an offering that we haven’t all been taking advantage of previously.

Now, we as practitioners, and our clients, can all benefit from the convenience of virtual sessions to maintain the stability of having weekly sessions, no matter what change is next.