It's Monday lunchtime and ordinarily time for me to take a dip in my local pool. However, like the rest of us, I’m stuck at home, left high and dry by the outbreak of Covid-19.
I’ve been eating like it’s Christmas too, so it’s time I started moving my backside.
Online conference calls on FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom have become the order of the day for work and socialising, so why not for the gym too?
My swim training group decided to get together for a land-based workout instead, joining the hordes that are moving their fitness regimes online.
Blinds are drawn, toys, toddlers and pets are cleared away and we start to pound the floorboards in homes across Dublin. It’s not a pretty sight; a bunch of bodies, like seals, that are much more graceful in the water. Still, it gets the job done.
The enforced restrictions keeping everyone at home have seen a huge surge in what was an already growing shift towards exercising online.
Yoga teacher Maura Rath usually runs her class in Blackrock Market in Dublin but she moved online as the pandemic struck.
"Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t too hard," she says on a Skype call as she prepares for a lunchtime corporate class.
"You do miss the human contact, the energy off the people in the room. But I’m getting used to talking to the screen."
It’s something she may consider doing beyond the shutdown, though Maura admits there’s no replacement for the real thing. "We’ll always go back. Human connection always wins, but for now this is just what we have to do and it’s working well so stick with it."
Celebrities and sports stars are leading the trend. Serena and Venus Williams recently got together for a workout with comedian Amy Schumer on Instagram, while the self-titled 'Body Coach' Joe Wicks, has been drawing in millions of viewers with his online PE classes for out-of-school children.
"While the schools are out and there’s no PE being delivered in schools I will be here. I’ll be the PE teacher for the world," he says over a video link with his long curly hair slickly pulled back in a pony-tail.
"It starts the day well with a routine at 9am. It lifts their mood. This is all about me trying to energise the kids and get them feeling positive and optimistic so when the parents sit down to do some academic stuff, they’ve got the mindset to go," he adds with reassuring positivity.
"The world is effectively paused but we’re going to resume and we’re going to be fine and we’re going to move forward and be connected."
Closer to home, Dublin twins Sean and Paddy Headon are punching their business in a new direction.
Their boxing academy faced closure two weeks ago - now it’s thriving again with online classes.
"The virus kicked in and turned everything on its head," says Paddy sitting on the couch beside his identical brother.
"We needed to close our business to be responsible, so we decided to move everything online to keep our members moving and active.
"Everyone’s getting so creative," adds Sean. "They’re holding out tins of tomatoes, holding books in their hands for the classes. People are trying to adapt."
That seems to be the word for the times we live in. Adapt. I’ve played my own part but would still rather be pouring out lengths in the pool.
But whether it’s sofa sit-ups, balcony burpies or kitchen kettlebells, there’s never been a better time to join the revolution.
And if you’re working from home your boss will never know your next workout is just a click away.
