Rituals To The Rescue
by Susanne Alberto, NSCA-CPT, TPI-CGFI/FP3
One of the definitions of a ritual, according to Merriam-Webster, is an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set, precise manner. Many of us might not be aware of our rituals. But, they are there, so that we can complete an overall routine.
In many ways, a fitness program design is a ritual. You perform some dynamic joint mobility warm-ups, movements to stimulate the central nervous system, strength or cardio training movements in a particular order, and then a cool-down. All of these are performed with some intent or purpose.
During a crisis, such as the current one – which we have never experienced before – rituals can come to the rescue! They provide us with structure, familiarity, comfort and control when everything seems like it is completely out of control. When fear of the unknown is the reigning emotion, what do we do? We trust in what we DO know and focus on the positives, no matter where we find them and no matter how big or small they are.
The following is a list of my daily rituals. While some have been modified to reflect the current crisis, I focus on the rituals themselves and their purposes:
- I wake up and go to sleep at the same times each day and night. This is extremely important to maintain the natural, 24-hr sleep-wake circadian rhythm. This internal cycle reflects many important physiological changes, such as heart rate and organ function, oxidative stress, cell metabolism (and metabolic disorders), immune responses and hormone production, among others.
- I perform my usual workday rituals, even though my commute has been reduced from 3 hours round trip to a few minutes into the basement of my house. My husband & I already have training equipment there, as well as his home office.
So, it was easy to set up my home “office” for virtual one-on-one personal training sessions. While I’m only doing half the amount of what I was before, I focus on how grateful I am that I can still earn money and deliver a valuable service to my clients at this critical time. 
My previous commute time is now devoted to all the educational reading and video viewing, and online marketing that I want/need to do.- The rest of my workdays are the same as before – work out, spend time with my husband & fur babies, eat dinner, turn off all blue light devices and avoid any stimulation, watch 1-2 hours of relaxing TV, and then off to sleep.
- My days off are a little different than before. Since we can’t go out for Sunday brunch for a few hours, we are tackling many Spring cleaning projects. And instead of driving 80 minutes round trip to my martial arts school for 2 hour-long classes on Mondays, I practice in the basement or yard at the same time class is usually held. The commute time is now used for leisure reading, which I haven’t done in years!
- Nutrition – I am not going off the deep end and eating out of boredom or frustration. If anything, I’m eating less calories than before, because I’m not dining out and eating desserts. And, I have more time to maintain regular workouts.
While my daily rituals might look different than yours, what we will have in common is that we all have them. Trust them – and you – to get yourself through!
Susanne is ready to give you a hand. Contact Susanne today!
