Being apart, together: Senior physical distancing workouts take off in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – We’ve all (hopefully) gotten the message that physical distancing is a must during these times.

As health officials across the country continue to tell Canadians to keep apart so we can all come together again soon, some people are finding creative ways to stay active and social.

As CityNews Vancouver reported last week, the people living at Tapestry Independent Living in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood have been taking part in weekly, outdoor, group exercise classes to get through rough times.

But what started off as an effort to get the seniors living there moving a little more in self-isolation has since turned into a neighbourhood affair.

“We didn’t expect that,” General Manager Michael Salhani told NEWS 1130. “The neighbourhood came out, the residents from the condos would come out and join us, it was a lot of fun. And the residents love it. They get to exercise a little bit, and they’re smiling, they’re laughing, we’re waving at them, the cars that are passing by are honking their horns, it’s a lot of fun.”

People living around the facility have taken to the sidewalks to join in on the Zumba-like classes every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.

Related video: Isolated seniors take Zumba classes from their balconies

Salhani said it just adds a little more positivity to the day-to-day.

“What we decided to do what take 15 minutes on each side of the building and do kind of like a Zumba class,” Salhani explained. “We have a kinesiologist who came out and did it for us.”

He said he’s happy residents and neighbours alike are finding the classes as a sort of reprieve from what can be a depressing time.

“It’s awesome, they love it. They can’t wait, because it’s social for them, as well, it’s keeping them active,” he noted. “They’re isolated in their apartments, and they’re getting down and depressed sometimes, so we do a lot of other things as well to keep them active and smiling and so on.”

For those joining in at street-level, Salhani said the only ask is that people stay the required two metres apart.

“Some of our staff come out as well and help run the class, but the social distancing is a must for us, so we make sure that everybody is far apart from each other, and that’s the only rule that we have,” he added.

The inspiration for the class came from videos posted online out of Milan, he said, showing people come out on balconies to entertain one another during the lockdown.

This is just one of the many examples of how people around the region are practising physical distancing together.

Some people at Trout Lake in East Vancouver took to the park last week to dance together – again, while being far enough apart.

There have also been a number of images posted to social media showing various people around the Lower Mainland having neighbourhood hangouts while maintaining an at least two metre distance between each household.

Meanwhile, many people around the globe have resorted to video chatting with friends and loved ones to stay connected, all while being apart.

Our very own meteorologist have even started to use online tools to do their daily Mets on the Mic videos!

First #MetsOnTheMic where we are both in the home @PenfoldsRoofing Weather Centre. We have Metro Vancouver covered from North Van to South Surrey. More wild weather coming this week. @NEWS1130Weather @NEWS1130 @BT_Vancouver @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/7QK8DitCT9

— Michael Kuss (@Kusswx) April 1, 2020

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