The COVID-19 lockdowns across the world have changed people’s lives in many ways, including the way in which they exercise. In Guyana, most gyms have been closed since March, while public areas, including parks and the seawall in the capital, were only reopened for use at the start of last month. And while home workouts have become the new normal for some, others have taken to the D’Urban Park to continue their fitness journeys.
D’Urban Park is one of the few public parks that remained open during the initial lockdown as it is not enclosed. All urban parks and recreational spots were closed to halt the congregating of persons after the COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March. At the Park, persons could be seen using the open space to conduct their daily exercises which would have been relocated from whatever gym they previously trained at, to the open air.
Kwame Goodluck, who is physical education instructor at the Carnegie School of Home Economics and also a sportsman, said that he trains at the D’Urban Park because he sees exercise as a key component in keeping his mind and body fit, especially at this time. While most would see the Park as just an open area and having little to no gym training equipment, Goodluck sees the Park as the perfect outlet to conduct exercise. He said that by utilising all its available features, for example the stairs along the stage, Goodluck and his students are able to work out at the park. He said that even though most people would want to stop what they are doing because of COVID-19, in order to stay healthy and have an immune system that is strong enough to fight the severe respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, exercising and proper nutritional intake are musts.
At D’Urban Park, he has taken up training some national football players and also three students who have recently started training. Everyday Goodluck heads out to the park with his exercising goal set and the will to train his students to meet their fullest potential. When exercising, he explained, a certain level of intensity has to be maintained and in order to have his students maintain this intensity, he carefully structures routines which will be followed throughout the 90-minute exercising period.
Another person who has taken up training at D’Urban Park is Theodore Henry, a fitness enthusiast and head coach for the country’s national rugby team. Henry has developed a sort of boot camp-style training programme, which started after he and some friends decided to continue training after the lockdown was enforced.
Henry’s friend, Akeem Fraser, both a physiotherapist and a member of the Guyana Rugby Football Union, said “initially when we get the lockdown, gym close, park close and everywhere close. It was like ugh, where we are going to go to train. Then he [Henry] said Akeem lets go to the park [D’Urban Park] and do some running. That’s how all of this started.”
Quickly the cardio exercises turned into full body workouts with limited options for activities. “Roughly three months [now we have been training]. This really started during the COVID-19 lockdown period, I used to train by myself [along with Akeem and a couple other friends],” Henry said.
He added that the training is primarily driven by their need to staying healthy as the deadly disease continues to spread. “We thought that other than eating a proper and nutritious meals, exercising is another form of keeping the immune system up,” he noted. “The goal was always to stay fit but then after the whole COVID-19, you now you want to keep your immune system going, so with the supplements, with the vitamin C and so on, that’s one way but then also exercise is another way to stay fit,” he added.
Just like Goodluck, Henry has utilised his surroundings to exercise efficiently. However, Fraser noted that there have been some setbacks for persons who have goals such as muscle building. He said that without weights on hand like at a regular gym, persons have been left to their own devices, that is, they have resorted to using their body weight as an alternative and more cardio exercises are incorporated instead.
They have been making do with large tires and small sledge hammers in lieu of weights and resistance machines. Fraser explained that the tires are used to stimulate the shoulders, core and legs.
Edison Jefford, one of the persons who train with Henry and Fraser, highlighted the benefits the training sessions have had, not only for the body but the mind.
“COVID-19 has put a lot of strain on a lot of people’s mental health. To preserve your mental stability is very important, so this is a way I guess, for us to really take care of our mental health. One of the ways to help us to ease stress in the absence of regular work, regular income and all these things,” he said.
As part of Guyana’s phased reopening, restrictions on group exercise or recreation with distancing will be relaxed in phase four, which began yesterday. The reopening of gyms is expected to be a part of phase five, which is expected to commence on August 14.
