August 2020: Be ready to row when the wind fails

A 3-step plan for activists

1) Accept this or catch COVID Crazies: it may take years--not weeks or months--for some things to get back to normal. That is, if they ever can. Our once-favorite haunts, whether gyms or cafes, may not seem worth the risk. Or they may no longer please us with all the new restrictions. Meantime, we must survive. To do that, we need some essential supplies: gloves, masks, sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and/or antibacterial wipes. 

                                                       Shopping savvy

 A few things, such as hand sanitizer, have gotten easier to find. But at one time or another, nearly everywhere seems out of something and, when they are back in stock, they're gone before you know it. Furthermore, there may be restrictions: 1 per customer, for example. Some stores sell masks in boxes of 50 for close to 50 bucks. But many convenience stores sell cheap cloth, reusable masks. For gloves and wipes, try to find a wholesale restaurant supply store that also sells to the public. Since all food service workers need gloves, you'll do well if you show up on delivery days.

2) Decide to row and not to drift. We need to forge new habits and to develop new strengths. Some of us will need new ways to go about our business. And doing so at home, alone, may require more discipline and focus than we could have guessed. The choice is ours: to decide, then dare and do, rowing whenever the winds fail our sails...or to drift from one do-nothing day to the next. And the surest way to row may be with a steely routine.

3) Reward yourself daily in two necessary ways.

a) Perfect and then indulge yourself in your private cave. A perfect man cave may look like this:

And a perfect woman cave may look like this:

Make your own cave yours, all yours, down to the tiniest details. It's not enough to have a cave--you have to truly own it. Whether it's a studio or a room in a large home, the cave should be a place of comfort as well as a place to charge. In April, I moved from a small top-floor studio in a building without an elevator to a rockin' ground floor apartment: more room, better layout, and lots of windows to let in more light. Better in all ways, it continues to call for small tweaks: a Happy Heat device for my feet on cooler evenings...a cat tree and bed for the cat I hope to rescue soon...odds and ends for the kitchen, office, and...

b) Home gym. You need one unless you plan to eat, drink, or smoke your way through a nightmare with no sure end in sight. You don't need to spend a fortune. Start with whatever your budget allows: from stretch bands to a chin-up bar to a pair of Perfect Pushups. You can still find those on Amazon, all reasonably priced. Or: you can invest in weights: barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells.

The challenge there is finding them since so many people are quitting the gym. Place after place that you contact may tell you they're sold out. This is especially true with kettlebells. But if you're savvy and persistent, you can build a good collection that takes up little space--and will add up to real killer workouts. Here's a shadow selfie of my ten 'cannonballs' with weights in five-pound increments, from five to fifty pounds.

Next month, I'll tell you more about why I swear by kettlebells. I'll tell you where I got these when no one else had them in stock. I'll recommend a progressive plan to keep purchasing within your budget. And I'll offer a handful of links to sample kettlebell workouts, etc.

Check out the websites of three premier kettlebell providers:

Rogue Fitness

Kettlebell Kings

Rep Fitness

I'll give you the winner in my book next month.

Till then, this is my report.