I felt very emotional last night as I attended my final fit steps class at our local school for a while.

This class offers something very special to the community. A whole lot of joy from the wonderfully comedic and brilliant teacher, an opportunity to dance with your heart and soul, and perhaps most importantly, to connect and share that joy with a wide range of wonderful people. It is this energy and connection that will be very hard to replace over the next few strange months we are about to embark upon. And believe me, when I say I was sad last night, that wasn’t purely from a selfish point of view. I feel sad for every single person who gets so much from this and many other brilliant classes and activities in the community. There are many people living alone, for whom these things are a real lifeline and are vital to their health and wellbeing. However, if anyone can adapt, Ian Parker can, and I for one will be tuning in to his online class every week without fail.

So, I guess the message really is, to acknowledge our feelings. This is undoubtedly a sad time and one that will be extremely stressful and anxiety provoking for many. These feelings are very real, and we must express them anyway that is helpful. However, it is then important to take a big deep breath and adapt to this situation as quickly as we can. Stress will be very real for people, but it is how we respond to it that is so important to get us through these challenging times.

I frequently refer to the brilliant work of Dr Chatterjee, but never have his books and his podcasts been more relevant.

We have a real responsibility to take care of our health now more than ever to prevent us from putting any further strain on the struggling NHS.

Our choices have a profound impact on our health and wellbeing, and it is important more than ever to follow the 4-pillar plan…. we must find a way to relax, eat, move and sleep, and maintain our vital social connections with our community.

There is no doubt this is going to be a challenge but if there is one thing that I have learnt from everyone I have met along the way; it is that anything is possible. We all moan about technology from time to time, but right now I for one are so grateful for it, because it offers us all a chance to connect, to talk, to laugh, to share stories, to exercise together, and to stay connected. I have met some brilliant people and they will still be there. We just need to take on this strange new world and give it our best shot.

Some of my favourite instructors are already inviting us to join their classes online, and I will be right there at the front of the class (in my lounge). But I am also fully intending to stay in touch virtually with all the brilliant people I have met through the community, and to try and support people to stay as healthy as they can.  The ‘real’ supper club is on hold for a little while, but if you want to join us for a free virtual healthy lunch club next week from the comfort of your own home please do message me directly. We will be doing it via Zoom so I will need to invite you in!!

Let’s all stay healthy together and most importantly of all let’s stay connected.