FitView: Outdoor Fitness 12 Feet Apart

FitView: Outdoor Fitness 12 Feet Apart
By Efren Martinez

     The new normal in life is 6 feet apart with good measure. This has helped us Californians to really slow the spread of Covd-19. Great job everyone! Let’s keep rocking strong with this and perhaps even take it one step beyond when practicing your outdoor fitness.
     Lately getting outdoors has really been the only option for most of us to be able to continue our healthy lifestyle. In fact, since the shelter in place went into effect I’ve noticed a lot of people taking advantage of the positive rays of the sunshine while they rediscover their neighbors during their walks, runs, and even bike rides. For myself, it’s been an exciting part of my day to be able to see and recognize so many people in my neighborhood while I’m out on my run. With that being said, I feel it’s important for me to share my insight on how we should continue to practice our outdoor fitness while still safely controlling the spread of the virus.
     When we are out on a run or a bike ride we are usually inhaling and exhaling at a fast rate.  As we are exercising not only is our breath being projected forcefully into the air, but our sweat, skin cells, and even our smells of fitness go airborne.  Knowing this I often give myself a 12-foot distance from everyone, especially from a runner who might be in front or behind me. The theory is this, when I’m shadow chasing a runner 6 feet in front of me chances are that I’m running directly into their draft of fitness air. Furthermore, if we are running against a headwind I might as well be hugging them.  No doubt about it, we are sharing the same fitness germs at 6 feet apart in our workouts.  
     This also would pertain to those who cycle in groups as well. As we cycle in groups we can be traveling at speeds from 12mph to 22mph. In a pre-pandemic world, cyclists would often take turns drafting each other to share the work of pulling the group. This means a cyclist would be less than 3 feet from each other’s tires in a straight line ridding formation. Yes, in this case, we were all sharing each other’s germs in the air at those speeds. In today’s world, it wouldn’t be the smartest way to keep us all safe in helping to control the spread of the virus during our outdoor fitness. My recommendation would be to cycle behind each other at least 24 feet apart from the cyclist in front and we cycle in a smaller divided group.  The thought is that if you’re cycling at any of these speeds above with the 24 feet apart suggestion, you should be Ok. Meaning the fitness air of the person in front of you should have already dissipated and/or their air droplets fallen.
    Perhaps a good rule of thumb to use is that if you can smell the fitness funk of anyone out enjoying some outdoor fitness, you’re probably too close to them. Below I’ve also included another one of my juicing/smoothie concoctions that I call, “El Jugo Verde.” Similar to the one I shared in my April FitViews, this one also helps strengthen your immune system plus goes one step farther. It helps isolate all those free radicals and/or toxins in your body that those germs and viruses look for to help you get sick. This juice is very powerful in helping to cleanse your body and immune system.

“El Jugo Verde” The Green Juice
• Fresh Juice from one orange
• 1 slice of Pineapple
• 5 Springs of Parsley
• 1 Nopal Pad “Cactus”  
• 1 Large Celery Stick
Mix all ingredients in a blender or juice them in your juicer, strain or add ice if you like to your taste.