It feels like (and almost is) a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. It seems as if each month has presented a new challenge or uncertainty has moved to the forefront. Whether it is coping with job loss, the e-learning process, the loss of a loved one or the anxiety that has escalated through it all, we are living in a time where managing your overall wellness is more important than ever.

Our team is committed to assisting our community any way we can. You are not alone in this journey. Lifestyles Fitness is more than a facility that offers workout equipment and fitness classes. We offer a community of support. During our most challenging times, what gets us through is knowing someone is there to encourage us and keep us going. This is true whether you are struggling to get through the COVID-19 era or simply managing the daily struggle of balancing our health and wellness in a “normal” year.

According to Mental Health America, there are numerous things you can do to help maintain hope in the face of uncertainly. As a Lifestyles team, we have leaned on these practices to keep us moving forward during these challenging times. We wanted to share them with you and hope that you adapt them for yourself to help you maintain your own overall wellness.

Remind yourself that this isn’t forever.

Look at how far we have come so far. It has been eleven months since the initial shut down in March. We adapted every step of the way. We offered outdoor classes during the summer and fall and will pick them back up as soon as the Chicago weather allows in the spring. We moved equipment, added barriers, increased sanitizing stations and instituted reservation timeslots to keep our participant numbers at a safe level. The constant change and adapting reminds us that this will pass and will not be forever.

Control what you can.

Lifestyles Fitness cannot control what the world brings next, but we can control how we approach it. It is our mission to provide fitness and community to you. We took the forced break as an opportunity to evaluate our offerings and work on improvements. The Bolingbrook community will see a fresh new “look” to Lifestyles Fitness at our Bolingbrook Recreation & Aquatic Complex. We are also wrapping up final plans for more opportunities for our members to connect and lean on the community support that Lifestyles provides.

Look ahead to post-pandemic times.

Our team is focusing on the future. We are so excited to see where we’ll be when we’re past this. The new layout of our facility provides a club experience within the community center. We can’t wait to see our morning coffee crew gathered around our new seating area in our lobby. The beautiful natural-light filled multi-purpose room will allow for more participants in programs and events. These images are what keeps our team motivated. We have plans developed and are just waiting for “go-time” to activate them for some great community events to bring us all together.

With that in mind, we have a challenge for you. We are inviting the community to share with us what you look forward to and we want to share what we look forward to with you. Here are a few of the things on our list:

  • Packed outdoor fitness classes this spring.
  • The return of Parkie’s 5K/10K next August.
  • Exciting new formats of group exercise classes.
  • People filling our facilities.

We are inviting you to check out what has kept us motivated during this time. We are currently offering opportunities for the community to come see the changes at Lifestyles and the Bolingbrook Recreation & Aquatic Complex. There are virtual and in-person options.

The best part of all this is that we’re going to help you with what you’re looking forward to. Lifestyles Fitness will randomly select names of our visitors and surprise them with gift cards for when life gets back to normal. All you have to do is sign-up for a tour of the newly renovated Bolingbrook Recreation & Aquatic Complex, tell us what you’re looking forward to doing in 2021, and we’ll put you in the hopper for a chance to win.

Stay well and we hope you are looking forward to future fun at Lifestyles Fitness and Bolingbrook Park District.