If there is a silver lining to 2020, one may be that we have become fiercely and acutely aware of how much we need people in our lives. We don’t need social media, we need to be social. We don’t need workouts on a mirror, we need to see people face to face. We don’t need to stay inside alone, we need to be outside in fresh air and nature.

Even though, and maybe because, we are living in an age where information comes at us from every angle every minute of the day, we have realized that true interaction outside of electronics, is what living life is most about.

The conveniences of online connection only enhance real connection. It doesn’t replace it. It can’t. It’s not real. And maybe it took 2020 for us to realize that. When I was young, I used to exercise to Jane Fonda on our tv, then ESPN FitPros, Kari Anderson and then many workout videos. It was fun for a while and better than nothing, but it didn’t last. Eventually, I stopped enjoying, and therefore doing, the video workouts and moved into the group fitness setting. When I made exercise videos, the main target audience was an instructor who would learn our routines and then teach them to their students. None of these electronic means where ever meant to substitute for real group fitness. They only served a short term or learning purpose. Working out alone to your app or zoom screen will bridge that gap between last year and when you can get back to living life without fear of groups, but I cannot believe that it will ever replace face to face contact.

Many conversations have been spoken and essays written about how 2020 was a wake up. And no matter how you view the last year, I want to suggest that if we aren’t more aware of why we need our freedom to interact with other people in real ways, then there’s a disconnect.

Personally, I’ve detached from a few things since last March. I stopped teaching group fitness after more than 3 decades. I had only briefly thought of stopping earlier, since I was nearly 50, but after the gym shut down for 2 months, I was disenchanted with keeping up. I was tired of being tired and realized that the way I was exercising was draining me. I wasn’t taking the time I needed to repair, and when you’ve done that for 30 years, your body wants to fire you.😩

Since January, I’ve stopped posting on social media, and this one is tricky for me. During the many restrictions of 2020, we all turned online to stay connected (especially since it was only going to be 2 weeks). I did too, feeling like I wanted to keep the hope up for people who followed me. However, it was increasingly difficult to connect mostly about fitness when we were all told to be afraid, especially afraid of being together.

I’ve become increasing disillusioned with the liberty of social media as censorship, algorithms and trends keep most of us from seeing our social network. Facebook and twitter have become self appointed thought leaders instead of sharing platforms for us all to reach out in our own ways. Newt Gingrich said this well:

“Twitter and all the major social media platforms have become important places for Americans to communicate. They are currently protected by law as public forums. For public forums to serve the public good, they must be open and unbiased.”

I’ve been going through an interesting experiment of whether I miss social media or if it misses me. I’m leaning toward no on both counts.

These two changes have left me wanting. I miss routinely seeing groups of people and interacting around fitness. I also miss positive interaction on social media. In short, I feel more disconnected than I used to be. And maybe, some of this is positive even if there are some growing pains attached. For my contemporaries, this may seem like a very immature or elementary perspective since we all grew up without the internet (thankfully!). But I find most of us are similarly attached, at least to social media, as those younger than us. We joined the online world sort of as a way to stay current, yet fully aware of how life can (and should) be lived without our faces glued to a screen.

You may be wondering, if you’re still reading this, why a fitness person would be complaining about current events instead of staying in my lane of motivation and education. Mostly, I feel the need to express a small portion of how this year has affected my outlook and my attention. And partly because writing is one of the ways I clarify my position. And I know I’m not alone in my frustrations. This isn’t to equate this part of my experience with the swaths of people who have lost so much in 2020, but rather to explain that the shift in our realities last year will potentially render a better 2021. At least that is my hope.

I’m not sure if it’s possible to run a business without a social media presence. A popular interior designer, Jean Stoffer has said,

“Thru life experience, not paging thru social media, we find what resonates with us. We find ourselves. Learn what that is. Make it your own. The time it takes is worth it.” 

I suppose we never really know who we reach online, who we may help or inspire. That’s part of the pull we all feel to post something positive, especially when we’ve been mired in negative swamps for so long. Perhaps if social media ever becomes a space without agendas we will be able to connect again. In the meantime, I’ll be on this website, writing and creating and sharing. And in person, we’ll be working hard to stay healthy, strong and connected.❤️❤️❤️

I would love to hear any feedback and how you like to connect. Feel free to reply, comment or message me!