In late November Gov. Tim Walz announced the four-week pause of indoor restaurants, fitness centers, social gatherings and sports; there was a part of me that was devastated. I wouldn’t be doing my usual activities like watching sporting events or practicing with my soccer team. But Walz’s choice to put everything on pause was the best choice since cases were rising at the time. Before everything started to shut down again, I was attending strength classes four days a week and soccer practice on the weekends.    

Now that the gyms were closed and sports were put on hold, this affected my daily routine of exercise. Attempting to workout at home was tough for me because there was no format of exercises for me to follow. My classes started to assign more homework and I had college applications due. After Walz paused everything, it led me into the habit of being lazy with no motivation to exercise.

Even though the four-week pause put me out of my routine, Walz’s limitations for the activities in Minnesota was a smart choice. Walz tried to prioritize everyone’s safety by shutting down our regular activities. But as humans we can find creative ways to be motivated to stay active. 

After closing down most indoor activities Minnesota saw a significant decline of COVID-19 cases, however seeing we still have over 2,000 reported cases we’re still not.

In early December, Walz announced new restrictions for restaurants, fitness centers, sports and other outdoor activities. Gyms are now open and classes are able to start Jan. 10 –– I can start lifting in the school’s strength room! As for sports, we’re allowed to practice but no games until Jan. 4. I am happy that I can get back into the habit of being active and start preparing for a possible soccer season in the summer. 

Nevertheless, I feel Walz is rushing the reopening. As of Dec. 25 and 26 Minnesota still has 2,335 cases and 59 deaths, which is better than November, but still not good. Instead of opening places up again, I believe Walz should have waited a bit longer until our numbers were lower than the high risk line. 

Overall, the closure of exercising facilities was the best choice Walz made for public safety. Since most places were closed, my schedule shifted me into a slump, where I didn’t exercise at all during the four-week pause. After not having a constant routine of exercise in my schedule, it showed me that making workouts a daily habit had me in a better mood everyday.