If, as the evidence suggests, the Chinese virus is enormously dangerous to people with certain medical conditions and those over 70 years old, but a much smaller danger to those under 70, then shutting down the entire country indefinitely is probably a bad idea.

But even when the time is right -- by Easter, June or the fall -- there will be no one to stop the quarantine because the media will continue to hype every coronavirus death, as if these are the only deaths that count and the only deaths that were preventable.

What mayor, governor or president will be willing to take the blame for causing a coronavirus death?

Well get no BREAKING NEWS alerts for the regular flu deaths (so far this season, more than 23,000, compared to 533 from the coronavirus).

Nor for the more than 3,000 people who die every day of heart disease or cancer. No alerts for the hundreds who die each day from car accidents, illegal aliens and suicide.

Only coronavirus deaths are considered newsworthy.

Were told by the Quarantine Everybody crowd: Listen to the scientists! Unfortunately, most of the scientists they present to us are lawyers. (How did Robert Reich, Donna Shalala and Ron Klain become medical professionals?)

Also, the scientists disagree.

Just as, I assume, they did in 1976, when epidemiologists warned of another 1918 Spanish flu pandemic after a few young Army recruits died of swine flu at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Eight months later, the federal government launched a mandatory swine flu vaccination program.

About a quarter of the country was vaccinated before the program was abruptly shut down. No pandemic had materialized. The virus infected a few people, then vanished. But directly as a result of receiving the vaccine, dozens of Americans died and several hundred acquired Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The scientists also disagreed in the 1980s, when the media and government went into overdrive to scare us all about AIDS. (1985 Life magazine cover: NOW, NO ONE IS SAFE FROM AIDS.)

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop -- as revered by the media then as Anthony Fauci is today -- lied about the disease, insisting that [h]eterosexual persons are increasingly at risk.

Speaking of which, heres liberal sex symbol Fauci on AIDS back in 1983, when he was with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, but not yet its director: As the months go by, we see more and more groups. AIDS is creeping out of well-defined epidemiological confines. (It didnt.)

In 1987, Fauci warned that French kissing might transmit the AIDS virus, saying, Health officials have to presume that it is possible to transmit the virus by exchange of saliva in deep kissing. That presumption is made to be extra safe.

By 1992, after a decade-long epidemic with more than a million infections, the Centers for Disease Control could find only 2,391 cases of AIDS transmission by white heterosexuals -- and that included hemophiliacs and blood transfusion patients. (White because AIDS cases among Haitian and African immigrants had a variety of causes.)

But teenagers and sorority girls had to spend years being frightened of kissing lest they catch the AIDS virus, just as today theyre afraid of leaving their homes to avoid a virus that, in Italy, has killed no one under 30 years old and precious few under 50.

We have to be extra safe.

Both the No French Kissing rule and Quarantine Everybody rule are perfectly rational positions for an epidemiologist to take. Thats why we need to listen to people other than epidemiologists.

How about the doctors who keep pointing out that the coronavirus is mainly a problem for people over 70 and those with specific health problems?

See here: slate.com/technology/2020/03/coronavirus-mortality-rate-lower-than-we-think.html

Here: haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-israeli-expert-trump-is-right-about-covid-19-who-is-wrong-1.8691031? v=CDBFACA5662E8174BA824BAD929EA12B

And here: wsj.com/amp/articles/is-the-coronavirus-as-deadly-as-they-say-11585088464

The president should listen to experts in other fields, too. A country is more than an economy, but its also more than a virus.

If we listened only to emergency room doctors, we might come away convinced that we have to completely ban cars, alcohol and gummy bears. (Dont ask.) While taking a torts class in law school, I was afraid to sit under a chandelier, order a flaming dessert or stand at a train stop.

Playwright Arthur Miller once told a story about a geologist who remarked that life was possible even in the vast American desert. All you needed was water, he said, and the largest reservoir on the globe was located right under the Rockies.

But how would he get it?

Simple -- drop a couple of atomic bombs.

But what about the fallout?

Oh, said the geologist, thats not my field.

Today, the epidemiologists are prepared to nuke the entire American economy to kill a virus. What about the jobs, the suicides, the heart attacks, the lost careers, the destruction of Americas wealth?

Oh, thats not my field.

Originally posted here:

Ann Coulter: How do we flatten the curve on panic? - Today's News-Herald

On Tuesday, the 24th, I find the world changed by an overnight snowfall. Theres a good six inches surrounding us, and the world is mysterious and still. Later, I take a walk alone through my neighborhood. I hear the sound of water rushing over rocks beneath the snow. It is a clear, hopeful sound.

That day, there are 42,164 confirmed cases in the United States; 471 Americans have died.

The president says its almost time to phase out the period of isolation. I give it two weeks, he says. By Easter, he says, we will be just raring to go.

If we do this, one scientist says, Covid would spread widely, rapidly, terribly, and could kill potentially millions in the year ahead. So theres that.

That evening, my daughter shaves the sides of her head. An undercut, she calls it. She doesnt ask me what I think about this, which is just as well. I remember how much my own mother hated my hair, which is fairly long. It makes you look like Ann Coulter, she told me, knowing how this would get under my skin. Are you happy with it? I ask my daughter. She says she is.

Several days later, she dyes the rest of it pink. She does not look like Ann Coulter.

I wake in the middle of the night, worried and neurotic. I have asthma, which gets triggered by stress. Now, lying there in the dark, I convince myself I am symptomatic and reach for my inhaler, gasping for breath. The puffer makes a soft hiss in the black room.

I do not have the coronavirus. But worrying about it is making me crazy.

In Little Dorrit, Mr. Meagles laments: I am like a sane man shut up in a mad house. I cant stand the suspicion of the thing. I came here as well as ever I was in my life; but to suspect me of the plague is to give me the plague. And I have had itand I have got it.

With a smile, his friend replies, You bear it very well, Mr. Meagles.

At weeks end, the Trump campaign is reported to be trying to stop airing of a video of the president calling the virus a hoax, saying its misleading.

The rest is here:

The Quarantinis Are Flowing and the Store Is Out of Milk Bones - The New York Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has celebrities, world leaders, and everyday people on indefinite lockdown. For the uber-wealthy, its an extended staycation in a mansion, luxury bunker or superyacht. But, whats a chateau got to do with the rest of us? For those in domiciles with fewer than 17 bathrooms, its been a somewhat more trying apocalypse. Fears of the disease, global economic depression, and food shortages haunt many nightmares.

Many celebs are handling the crisis about as well as a 2-year-old throwing a temper tantrum after missing a nap. Others exposed how little compassion they have for the less-well-off. A few tried their best to share uplifting messages in the form of tweets, but only exposed how out of touch they are. For every lovable John Krasinski, there is a heel like Elon Musk. While the rich and powerful may be relatively safe from the coronavirus, even 20-foot walls cant save them from their own worst enemies: themselves. From stupid politicians to misguided celebrities, this list is all Twitter donts and no dos.

Help Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus

Visit the Centers for Disease Control at CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at Who.int for the latest information on the coronavirus and learn what you can do to stop the spread.

Follow Mandatory on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Here is the original post:

The 20 Worst Tweets From Stupid Politicians and Misguided Celebrities on Coronavirus - Mandatory

Elaina Plott is a young reporter from Alabama with skills beyond her years.

She now covers politics for The New York Times, after working for The Atlantic and other magazines. Often her work brings her back to the South, where she has written about everything from how our gun culture affected her in a personal way to how a Louisiana community was surprised to find out the reality of the coronavirus.

Plott threads the needle of writing about hard truths with compassion for everyone trying to sort them out.

Let's keep the conversation going. Who do you want to hear from next on the SouthBound podcast?

Submit your idea in the box below. You can also send a tweet to@tommytomlinsonor@wfae, and email me atttomlinson@wfae.org.

Show notes:

New episodes ofSouthBound come out every other Wednesday. Subscribe:

Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher NPR One

SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our audience engagement manager is Joni Deutsch, and our main theme comes from Josh Turner.

Read this article:

SouthBound: Elaina Plott On Covering Politics, Writing With Compassion, And The Bullet In Her Arm - WFAE

|

Posted: Mar 25, 2020 7:35 PM

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

If, as the evidence suggests, the Chinese virus is enormously dangerous to people with certain medical conditions and those over 70 years old, but a much smaller danger to those under 70, then shutting down the entire country indefinitely is probably a bad idea.

But even when the time is right -- by Easter, June or the fall -- there will be no one to stop the quarantine because the media will continue to hype every coronavirus death, as if these are the only deaths that count and the only deaths that were preventable.

What mayor, governor or president will be willing to take the blame for causing a coronavirus death?

Well get no BREAKING NEWS alerts for the regular flu deaths (so far this season, more than 23,000, compared to 533 from the coronavirus).

Nor for the more than 3,000 people who die every day of heart disease or cancer. No alerts for the hundreds who die each day from car accidents, illegal aliens and suicide.

Only coronavirus deaths are considered newsworthy.

Were told by the Quarantine Everybody crowd: Listen to the scientists! Unfortunately, most of the scientists they present to us are lawyers. (How did Robert Reich, Donna Shalala and Ron Klain become medical professionals?)

Also, the scientists disagree.

Just as, I assume, they did in 1976, when epidemiologists warned of another 1918 Spanish flu pandemic after a few young Army recruits died of swine flu at Fort Dix in New Jersey. Eight months later, the federal government launched a mandatory swine flu vaccination program.

About a quarter of the country was vaccinated before the program was abruptly shut down. No pandemic had materialized. The virus infected a few people, then vanished. But directly as a result of receiving the vaccine, dozens of Americans died and several hundred acquired Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The scientists also disagreed in the 1980s, when the media and government went into overdrive to scare us all about AIDS. (1985 Life magazine cover: "NOW, NO ONE IS SAFE FROM AIDS.)

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop -- as revered by the media then as Anthony Fauci is today -- lied about the disease, insisting that [h]eterosexual persons are increasingly at risk.

Speaking of which, heres liberal Fauci on AIDS back in 1983, when he was with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, but not yet its director: "As the months go by, we see more and more groups. AIDS is creeping out of well-defined epidemiological confines. (It didnt.)

In 1987, Fauci warned that French kissing might transmit the AIDS virus, saying, Health officials have to presume that it is possible to transmit the virus by exchange of saliva in deep kissing. That presumption is made to be extra safe."

By 1992, after a decade-long epidemic with more than a million infections, the Centers for Disease Control could find only 2,391 cases of AIDS transmission by white heterosexuals -- and that included hemophiliacs and blood transfusion patients. (White because AIDS cases among Haitian and African immigrants had a variety of causes.)

But teenagers and sorority girls had to spend years being frightened of kissing lest they catch the AIDS virus, just as today theyre afraid of leaving their homes to avoid a virus that, in Italy, has killed no one under 30 years old and precious few under 50.

We have to be extra safe.

Both the No French Kissing rule and Quarantine Everybody rule are perfectly rational positions for an epidemiologist to take. Thats why we need to listen to people other than epidemiologists.

How about the doctors who keep pointing out that the coronavirus is mainly a problem for people over 70 and those with specific health problems? (See here, here, and here.)

The president should listen to experts in other fields, too. A country is more than an economy, but its also more than a virus.

If we listened only to emergency room doctors, we might come away convinced that we have to completely ban cars, alcohol and gummy bears. (Dont ask.) While taking a torts class in law school, I was afraid to sit under a chandelier, order a flaming dessert or stand at a train stop.

Playwright Arthur Miller once told a story about a geologist who remarked that life was possible even in the vast American desert. All you needed was water, he said, and the largest reservoir on the globe was located right under the Rockies.

But how would he get it?

Simple -- drop a couple of atomic bombs.

But what about the fallout?

"Oh," said the geologist, "that's not my field."

Today, the epidemiologists are prepared to nuke the entire American economy to kill a virus.

What about the jobs, the suicides, the heart attacks, the lost careers, the destruction of Americas wealth?

Oh, that's not my field.

Get The Hell Off The Beaches: Florida Governor Issues Statewide Stay-at-Home Order

Matt Vespa

Read more:

How Do We Flatten the Curve on Panic? - Townhall

Youve decided to finally start doing yogabut after Googling classes in your area, your head is spinning. Should you try Ashtanga or Iyengar? And whats the difference between hot yoga and Vinyasa? The array of options can be enough to scare newbies off the mat for good.

But heres why you shouldnt be scared: Like cross training, incorporating a variety of types of yoga into your regular practice can help keep you balanced, says Nikki Vilella, senior teacher at Kula Yoga Project and co-owner of Kula Williamsburg. Try a few different studios, teachers and styles. Then, stick with the one that resonates with you for a good amount of time and be dedicated to the practice, says Vilella. The first day you dont like a class shouldnt be a reason to bolt and try something new.

RELATED: The 11 Best Yoga Apps to Get Fit on the Cheap

Yoga isnt necessarily a one-size-fits-all practice, either. Different types of yoga might be best for different people. A 20-year-old and a 70-year-old probably dont need the same things, Vilella says. Someone who is hyper-mobile and flexible doesnt need the same thing as someone whos muscular and stiff.

So with all the choices out there, where do you start? Dont lose your ujjayi breath (thats yogi speak for calming inhales and exhales). Weve got your definitive list of classes that specialize in yoga for beginners plus tips for identifying the style you might like best.

Its all about the basics in these slower moving classes that require you to hold each pose for a few breaths. In many studios, hatha classes are considered a gentler form of yoga. However, the Sanskrit term hatha actually refers to any yoga that teaches physical postures. Its a practice of the body, a physical practice that balances these two energies. So, in reality, it is all hatha yoga, Vilella says.

Best for: Beginners. Because of its slower pace, hatha is a great class if youre just starting your yoga practice.

RELATED: Hatha Yoga: The Best Workout for Your Brain?

Photo: Asi Zeevi /The Woom Center Immersive Yoga

Get your flow on in this dynamic practice that links movement and breath together in a dance-like way. In most classes, you wont linger long in each pose and the pace can be quick, so be prepared for your heart rate to rise. Teachers will often pump music, matching the beats to the sequences of the poses.

Best for: HIIT lovers. Intense exercisers might enjoy Vinyasa because of its faster pace. Runners and endurance athletes are also drawn to Vinyasa class because of the continuous movement.

Photo courtesy of Emily Adams / Bend & Bloom Yoga

Here youll get nit-picky about precision and detail, as well as your bodys alignment in each pose. Props, from yoga blocks and blankets to straps or a ropes wall, will become your new best friend, helping you to work within a range of motion that is safe and effective. Unlike in Vinyasa, each posture is held for a period of time. If youre new to Iyengar, even if youve practiced other types of yoga, its good to start with a level one class to familiarize yourself with the technique.

Best for: Detail-oriented yogis. If you like to geek out about anatomy, movement and form, youll love Iyengar teachers share a wealth of information during class. Iyengar can also be practiced at any age and is great for those with injuries (though you should consult with a doctor first), Vilella notes.

RELATED: 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga

If youre looking for a challenging yet orderly approach to yoga, try Ashtanga. Consisting of six series of specifically sequenced yoga poses, youll flow and breathe through each pose to build internal heat. The catch is that youll perform the same poses in the exact same order in each class. Some studios will have a teacher calling out the poses, while Mysore style classes (a subset of Ashtanga) require you to perform the series on your own. (But dont worry there will always be a teacher in the room to offer assistance if you need it.)

Best for: Type-A folks. If youre a perfectionist, youll like Ashtangas routine and strict guidelines.

START YOUR FREE TRIAL: Try Daily Burns Yoga Made Simple

All Bikram studios practice the same 90-minute sequence so youll know exactly what to do.

Prepare to sweat: Bikram consists of a specific series of 26 poses and two breathing exercises practiced in a room heated to approximately 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity. All Bikram studios practice the same 90-minute sequence so youll know exactly what to do once you unroll your mat. Remember, the vigorous practice combined with the heat can make the class feel strenuous. If youre new to Bikram, take it easy: Rest when you need to and be sure to hydrate beforehand.

Best for: People who gravitate toward a set routine. Those who are newer to yoga might like Bikram because of its predictable sequence.

RELATED: How to Get the Benefits of Hot Yoga Without Passing Out

Hot yoga is similar to Bikram in that its practiced in a heated room. But teachers arent constrained by the 26-pose Bikram sequence. While the heat will make you feel like you can move deeper into some poses compared to a non-heated class, it can be easy to overstretch, so dont push beyond your capacity.

Best for: Hardcore sweat lovers. If you love a tough workout that will leave you drenched, sign up for a beginner-friendly heated class.

Celebrity devotees including actor Russell Brand and author Gabrielle Bernstein have given Kundalini a cult-like following. Yet, this physically and mentally challenging practice looks very different from your typical yoga class. Youll perform kriyas repetitive physical exercises coupled with intense breath work while also chanting, singing and meditating. The goal? To break through your internal barriers, releasing the untapped energy residing within you and bringing you a higher level of self-awareness.

Best for: People looking for a spiritual practice. Those who are seeking something more than a workout may enjoy Kundalini due to its emphasis on the internal aspects of yoga, including breath work, meditation and spiritual energy.

RELATED: 7 Ways to Carve Out Time to Meditate

If you want to calm and balance your body and mind, this is where youll find your zen. The opposite of a faster moving practice like Ashtanga, Yin yoga poses are held for several minutes at a time. This meditative practice is designed to target your deeper connective tissues and fascia, restoring length and elasticity. Youll use props so your body can release into the posture instead of actively flexing or engaging the muscles. Like meditation, it may make you feel antsy at first, but stick with it for a few classes and its restorative powers might have you hooked.

Best for: People who need to stretch and unwind. Keep in mind, Yin yoga is not recommended for people who are super flexible (you might overdo it in some poses) or anyone who has a connective tissue disorder, Vilella says.

RELATED: 5 Yin Yoga Poses Every Runner Should Do

While it may feel like youre not doing much in a restorative yoga classthats the point. The mellow, slow-moving practice with longer holds gives your body a chance tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to experience deeper relaxation. Youll also use a variety of props including blankets, bolsters and yoga blocks to fully support your body in each pose.

Best for: Everyone. In particular, Vilella says its a good yoga practice for anyone who has a hard time slowing down, who has experienced insomnia or who struggles with anxiety. Its also great for athletes on recovery days.

Ready to try yoga? Head to DailyBurn.com/YogaMadeSimple for a free 30-day trial.

Originally published August 2015. Updated September 2017.

Read More50 Resourcesto Step Up Your Yoga Game 8 Yoga Poses to Help Ease Lower Back PainAre You Doing These Yoga Poses All Wrong?

The rest is here:
Yoga for Beginners: Your Guide to 9 Most Popular Types of Yoga

Hot Yoga Body Focus

MONDAYS 7PM Bloomfield Jackie will guide you through a variety of body specific classes, allowing you to dive deep and explore yourSelf. Move through the body, bringing in strength and openness as we focus on specific areas. These playful, yet rewarding classes will also include; centering, pranayama, alignment and body awareness, as well as a dash of philosophy, and just the right amount of relaxation, to leave you feeling calm yet rejuvenated. Come warm up with us start your week the right way!

Due to our hectic, stress-driven lives, we tend to close up our hearts, both on a physical and emotional level. In this class we will work with the strength and flexibility of our shoulders, and open up our hearts through various postures, using props and our own bodies!

Allow yourself to let go and surrender in this class. We will create some sweet space in our spines and work with lengthening our tight hamstrings.

Connecting breath and movement, we will spend this class coming in and out of postures, bringing in spinal twists to ease discomfort in the back, help improve digestion, and keep us alert for the duration of our practice!

While focusing on the side body, we will lengthen and strengthen the muscles between the ribs and the pelvis, while opening our lungs to improve breathing capacity.

Bringing in breath and focus, we will work with balance in various postures to cultivate the stillness that sits within us.

By opening our hips, we allow ourselves to feel lighter and more open. They can help us get in and out of other postures that we may be struggling with as well. In this class we will be working with the flexibility and strength of our hips, with nice long, deep holds!

By using our Bandhas, we are incorporating our core muscles throughout every Yoga class. In this class, our primary focus will be on the Bandhas. Our secondary focus will be using our breath of course, to hold specific core strengthening postures, then work with lengthening and opening the abdominal and lower back muscles.

This class will be a surprise combination of what we have worked with thus far! However, this is will be Yang/Yin class. An active first half of the class, involving standing postures and movement, and a relaxing second half; coming into long, deep holds in seated and reclined postures

Continued here:
Yoga Teacher Training & Studios - Finger Lakes Yoga School

West End Healthline

by Conor Richardson, MD The practice of Yoga is more than 5,000 years old from ancient Yogis, to people in the 21st century, Yoga continues to be a part of dailyroutines, with an estimated 300 million people practice Yoga across the globe. Why are so many people unrolling their mats and flocking to Yogaclasses? To experience the many physical and mental benefits that come with a consistent Yoga practice. One of the most obvious benefits is an increase in flexibility. Many Yoga poses help to loosen tight muscle groups and increase the range ofmotion in joints. Sitting at a desk all day shortens your muscles attending a Yoga class or practicing poses at home is a great way to stretchout the body, lengthen your muscles, and release tension. In addition to lengthening muscles, Yoga is a wonderful way to build strength. Fromimproving athletic performance, to preventing injuries, or protecting against conditions like arthritis, our bodies depend on strong muscles to liveactive and healthy lives. Yoga poses work many different muscle groups, including stabilizing muscles that are key to coordination and helpingus balance. Muscles arent the only part of the body to benefit from Yoga. Your bone and joint health improve with consistent practice. Yoga poses thatrequire you to lift your own weight, such as downward-facing dog, help to strengthen bones and ward off the thinning of bones as we age. ManyYoga sequences take your joints through a full range of motion, which help to prevent bone and joint breakdown. While Yoga is a great way to exercise your body, its also a way to find relaxation. Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body,which starts a chain reaction of positive effects. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol,which can result in lower heart rates and blood pressures. Making it to your mat can have a profound impact on your mental health. Yogaencourages us to let go of thinking about the past or the future and focus on the current moment. In the day and age of constant multitaskingand ever-present devices and social media, the reminder to slow down the mind and focus on ones breath is important. In addition to helping usunplug and focus on whats happening in the current moment, this element of mindfulness is associated with increased brain activity, as well asreduced anxiety and depression. If youre looking to improve your health and make a positive change in your life, chances are, Yoga can help. From flexibility, to increasedstrength, to heart health, Yoga is an approachable way for people of all ages and athletic abilities to experience great health benefits. Frombeginners to seasoned Yogis, the benefits of Yoga are many and dont end when you leave class. So, next time youre looking to release stress,feel better in your body, and calm you mind, unroll your Yoga mat and get your ommm on.

Link:
The Benefits of Yoga More Than Just Stretching - Community Reporter

Typically, Beyond the Badge focuses on the mental health of law enforcement officers. Now, Michelle Panetta says she and husband Chris, the charity's co-founders, see the bigger picture and a dire need to help a wider array of responders and not just mentally.

A lot of first responders rely on fitness. If we have a bad day, we can get a hard workout in at the gym to get stress out, Michelle said. Once the gyms closed, I asked, what ways can we still destress?

Panetta, a probation officer, mentioned that her office does not have a gym. She said many precincts, firehouses and law enforcement offices do, but she is not sure whether they are open. She also thinks that many are hesitant to use public, shared equipment. So, Panetta wanted to create an opportunity for first responders to destress while keeping their bodies healthy.

We wound up posting something about fitness, and then the Yoga Shack wrote to me saying theyd like to work with me, Panetta said. She connected with the Yoga Shack, in Bethpage, and owners Michelle DeNicola-Turano and Cindy Mussman-Valentine, to offer free virtual guided meditation and yoga courses to first responders. The courses run roughly four weeks and throughout the month of April.

Panetta is also working with Suzanne Kraemer and Ada Coonerty of Fitness 19 in Malverne to provide online exercise classes on Fridays and Saturdays, offering abdominal strengthening, cardio and Zumba. Panetta said that physical activity is a fantastic "destressor [and] preserves your mental health.

She doubled down, saying that being static can bring on anxiety. Everybody is starting to get that unsettling feeling, Panetta said. That anxiety feeling of could it be me? Do I have symptoms? Do I have no symptoms but am spreading it?

Panetta has already seen her latest idea put into action. She gets updates from the Yoga Shack or Fitness 19 whenever a new member signs up for the program. She even sent the offer directly to the Nassau County Police Department health and wellness department. Panetta said she hopes they send it to their dispatch team, whom she believes are a group of unsung heroes that rarely get recognition.

Beyond the Badge has grown steadily since its inception late last year, and more law enforcement officers are taking notice. When asked if Panetta would quit her job to take on the full responsibility of demanding nonprofit, she was not sure, but she did offer this: I dont know if I would stop my career, Ive never been asked that. But I think the beauty of the situation is that were active. Were working the same type of job and going through the same things as the people we aim to help.

All information for the free exercise classes can be found on https://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheBadgeNY/.

Read more:
Locked out of gyms, first responders turn to yoga - liherald

Elizabeth Heidari teaches an exercise class through Zoom, a videoconferencing platform.

Millions of Americans are stuck in one place right now. Many states have issued stay at home orders, urging people to isolate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Exercise studios have shut down for the time being, but people still need exercise, especially when anxiety is high. So studios are changing their business models and getting people to exercise over the internet.

I take an interval training class at Invoke Studio, which operates two yoga and pilates facilities in Indianapolis. Its a circuit of intense exercises that leaves you sweaty and hungry. A couple weeks ago, Invoke closed because of coronavirus. The next day, it began offering classes through Zoom, a videoconferencing service.

Other exercise facilities in Indianapolis and across the U.S. did the same thing.

Its certainly something weve always wanted to at least dip our toes into, says Jared Byczko, co-owner of NapTown Fitness, which offers yoga and fitness classes at four locations in the Indianapolis area. Right now, thats all we have to work on, so were trying to perfect it as best we can.

Taking my class online is not quite the same. Instead of weights, Im using the Jumbo Easy Piano Songbook. Instead of a pad for my knees, its a piece of foam packing material.

Watching my instructor on a laptop, Im skeptical that Ill get as much out of the class. The loud music is gone, along with the pressure to keep up with people around me. I bump into furniture, and jumping around makes my whole second-floor apartment shake, which means I have to tone it down for my downstairs neighbor.

My teacher, Elizabeth Heidari, is learning to adjust, too. When I leave the house and go to work, Im at work, she says. Its a boundary that I need that I dont have anymore because Im in my house.

Zoom was designed for meetings, not exercise classes. Heidari has to demo an exercise, then run back to the computer to talk. Its also harder for her to see what students are doing, and tell them how to adjust

Were definitely missing the connection side of it when were teaching like this, she says. I think thats part of the learning curve. Were just trying to make sure were giving you guys as much of the in-house experience as you can possibly get.

Instructors start Zoom sessions early to help create a sense of community that people may get at a studio. Invoke created a Facebook group to communicate with its members. Staff has hosted a happy hour through Zoom even started a book club.

When I logged in to my class, people were joking around about the weights they were using. One person had grabbed a wine bottle.

Thats a big part of my class. Im not just walking in and instructing you and leaving, Heidari says. Its becoming a fun thing and not a chore.

With the transition, Invoke now competes with other established online exercise services such as ob and Pilatesology, which both said via email that theyve seen an increase in new memberships with the pandemic. (Pilatesology also mentioned an increase in cancellations.)

Amy Peddycord, Invokes owner, says she hasnt seen a significant drop in membership yet. People want to support the studio, she says, even if it means taking classes online.

People want to see the teacher that they love, she says. They want to chat with fellow students that theyve seen in classes for years.

Invoke offers fewer classes right now, but Peddycord says some have had dozens of people more than could normally fit in their studios. Plus, theyve seen people join in from Texas, Ohio and New York. So she says Invoke will likely offer online content even after the studios reopen.

Now I own a video fitness production company, which I never wanted or thought I would open, she says. I do have two 5,000 square-foot studios that Im paying for that were not using right now, so that will have to have an end date. But I think were gonna be okay.

At the end of the class, Im still going. Im slacking off a little, but I realize there are some perks to exercising in isolation: No one can smell me, or see me I could go pantless if I wanted.

And when my sweaty back rubbing against the mat makes a sound that people might confuse for a bodily function, no one is around to hear it.

This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health.

View original post here:
Exercise, Yoga Studios Adapt In The Age of COVID-19 - WFYI