My Quarantine Journal:  Pandemics, Procrastination and Pilates By Joanna Webb

So far this Pandemic my days are filled with Pilates and procrastination and a few other things I’ll leave out because they don’t start with the letter “P”.  Yes it’s true.   I’m a terrible procrastinator.  Pandemics don’t help this particular proclivity.

I haven’t mopped the floors.  I haven’t written my bestselling novel.  Or baked spelt sourdough.  The drawers remain a state of disarray.  The closet has not been colour coordinated and piles of paper on the dining room table are achieving great new heights.  Despite all the quarantine internet urging,  I confess, I’m having a hard time finding my inner Marie Kondo.

But yet…
I have done my hundreds. My unaided teaser attempts miss the spring of the springboard but are “teasing” towards balance. I have inhaled through my nose and exhaled making an “Ssss” sound and an “Shh” sound.  I managed to find, in all the above mentioned chaos of my home, my old Pilates gear,  a snapped, re-tied flex-band and my circa 1990’s hot pink (came with “the STEP”) hand weights.  Despite Netflix and Amazon Prime calling, I am NOT having a hard time finding my inner abs.

How is it that a procrastinator like me might this Pandemic achieve the perfect control balance on the mat (classic move #31) but not in my household?  A few mat motivators are my secret…

#1 My Retrofit Routine
Doing and teaching LIVE Pilates classes keeps me regular so to speak.  When life turns topsy turvy, routine is a blessing.  For me, the old adage holds true… 90% of success is showing up.  I am ALWAYs more productive post teaching or doing a Pilates class with other human beings present (ones that look like real humans).  LIVE is LIVE!

#2 The Retrofit Community
It can take a village to get me moving, and thanks to Retrofit that village is Bloor West.  Retrofit clients’ and instructors’ enthusiasm, energy and dedication is more infectious than any evil, never-ending virus. Thank you Retrofit clients for the views of your limbs lifting in living rooms, and for your heartfelt thank yous and smiling faces at the end of each class. It’s truly a joy to move with you, to hear from you and to see you all healthy, cheerful and coping with grace. And thanks to my amazing colleagues – love you and your zoom moves!

#3 Mr. Pilates.
Thank you Joseph Pilates you under-garmented, under-appreciated genius. You got many through a previous Pandemic and now your legacy of using movement to heal, soothe and stay healthy zooms on.  From my rickety left shoulder to my inwardly rotated bunions and externally rotated big toes you and your moves complete me. More importantly your moves keep me and my work-in-progress musculoskeletal system moving in the right direction…forwards, backwards, sideways and upside down!

So, if the floors do get mopped one of these quarantine days, it’s very likely that another Retrofit zoom class has allowed me to put procrastination aside, and motivated me to seek a little extra rotational work.  Vacuum or mop as a prop anyone???