Exercise No Matter What

My excitement was heightened last night when I visited the reopened gym that had been closed since July 11 due to district government mitigation measures against COVID -19. After scanning the location's code, my phone indicated that my nucleic acid code was valid within72 hours. The front desk refused to allow me in because the required time limit for the nucleic acid code is 48 hours. Since there was no other option, I retreated to the riverbank and took a 1-hour walk in the heat and among the crowds.

At noon today, I decided once again to swim at the gym. I had my swimsuit on and was enjoying the fact that the entire pool was empty except for me when I heard a loud announcement that the pool would not open until 5 pm due to upcoming sanitation inspections. This notification had been posted on the WeChat friends circle. Since I do not check it at all, I had absolutely no idea.

Even though I felt discouraged, I did not give up.  After putting back on my original clothes, T-shirt and shorts, I decided to walk fast on the treadmill. The trainer was curious about how I managed to work out with a pair of slippers (I did not have any athletic shoes with me). I simply kicked off my slippers and stepped unto the treadmill barefoot.

At first, it was a little uncomfortable walking on the machine without the protection of shoes. Soon my body got used to the style, and a little later I even started jogging slowly. At least it felt like I was jogging vigorously. It was quite satisfying to get off the treadmill after working out on it for 50 minutes.

In life, things always turn out differently than we expect. Don't let discouragement get you down. As long as there is a will, there is a way. Nothing can stop a determined heart from exercising every single day.

By the way, that night I jumped rope 520 times and slept very soundly.