After being put through the ringer by COVID-19 and its global impact, it is important to take a step back. Call it self-care or a vain pause, whatever it is, many of us are confronting months of being shut in and not taking care of our bodies. And if only for levity’s sake, someone needs to say whether Summer is still on, or whether it has been cancelled. All of which begs the question, do we still need to go after our Summer bodies?
An important takeaway at this time has been mental and emotional health, both of which go hand-in-hand with our physical well-being. Self-quarantine shouldn’t be a reason to stop maintaining our physical health, and it hasn’t for these Beijing moms and professionals who have found the perfect way to turn their homes into their offices and gyms.
As social distancing appears to have no real end in sight, Beijing moms are taking to the Internet for fitness. Some opt for free workout tutorials available on various social media platforms, while others have taken their favorite workout class virtual. Enter the ladies of Jindafit Beijing, a dance fitness program.
D’Jack Tchinda
Before COVID-19, Jindafit participants would meet in studios across Beijing to work out, but times have changed and so has the workout strategy. Now, rather than meet in person, they all log on and dance their way to fitness. You would think that this would be a perfect time to slack off, but as one mom puts it, “the body never lies”, adding that dance is and continues to be a passion.
Alessia Scorza, a doula and mom of three in Beijing is a self-confessed dance junkie, enjoying anything with an Afro-beat to it. Despite her passion for fitness, she has had to make the conscious effort to make room in her life and her house to make it happen, saying, “I have to arrange a room as our gym, and workout at unusual times of the day.” Sacrifices have to be made, but the rewards are worth it explains Scorza. “It makes me feel good, physically and mentally.”
These online workout sessions have also allowed the participants to maintain a sense of community at a time when social meet-ups are not encouraged. The women get to not only work out, but get to encourage one another and share words of hope for a return to normality.
It is an important reminder for the Jindafit participants as well as the rest of us, to remember to make time and put our health first. “There should always be time for YOU and taking care of YOU, even as a busy parent, it will make you a better mom/parent and a healthier, happier human,” offers another mom.
We can only hope that Jindafit will continue to live on, helping the moms of Beijing achieve their health and physical goals one Afro-beat song at a time. If you would like to join Jindafit, then scan the QR code in the information poster below, or contact Alessia Scorza by scanning the QR code below.
Photos: Courtesy of Alessia Scorza
