I, like most of you, have been finding various ways to keep myself healthy both mentally and physically while living through the new reality of life in Michigan since Governor Whitmer’s orders to shelter in place. Perusing social media the past week I’ve seen lots of people asking questions about how to cope with this new routine when they can’t go out to eat, can’t go to the gym, and can’t find ways to be entertained.
To help find some expert advice I reached out to some extremely talented and successful Michiganders and asked them to share their unique expertise to help you keep it together until things start getting back to normal.
Get your yoga fix from home
If you are missing your yoga studio, gym or fitness classes, check-in with your favorite location’s website or Facebook page. Many small businesses are finding ways to reach clients online, through Facebook Live, Zoom, and other online options.
Some are offering free classes, such as The Hive Yoga in Grand Rapids, which is offering classes via Facebook Live through the Facebook page from various teachers. The class schedule can be accessed through the regular scheduling system on thehiveyogagr.com.
“This is an important time to stay connected to our yoga community and support them through access to online classes. This is new territory for all of us and we are doing our best to make it through together.”
Elizabeth Sanders, co-owner of The Hive Yoga.
If your local studio is not offering classes, a nice option is Yoga International at yogainternational.com, which offers a 30-day free trial of access to many online yoga classes from studios and teachers throughout the world.
For one-on-one attention, reach out to your favorite yoga teachers and see if they are interested in offering private online classes or if they are willing to discuss a sequence that might suit your unique needs during this time. Many yoga teachers are unable to work during this time and might be able to make time for private classes online or by phone.
If you are looking for ways to center and ground yourself during these challenging times, there are online meditation programs and apps that can be helpful. There are also many yoga teachers and studios offering this service during this time.
Other studios offering online programs include:
If you’re in the Grand Rapids area, you may want to check out The Hive in person once that becomes an option.
Find new local music to support
While there aren’t any concert venues available at the moment, being cooped up gives you the opportunity to create some new playlists and discover some new artists. I got in touch with Traverse City’s Shawn Butzin, winner of Nashville’s ‘Ear to the Ground’ songwriter contest.
After his father passed away in 2014, Shawn returned home from Colorado to Michigan. In that first year back, he spent many days hiking and foraging Northern Michigan’s trails and campsites. This is when Shawn decided to put pen to paper to help with his mourning.
Shawn has been featured in Relix Magazine, on numerous folk, Americana blogs, and on several college radio stations. This playlist includes music from his own albums and several of his favorite Michigan musicians.
Shawn released his debut solo album titled Northern Trails in the summer of 2017 and shortly thereafter followed it up with an EP titled Adventures in May of 2018. Roots journal No Depression says, “Tom Petty fans now have a new artist to love.”
Be on the lookout for a new release from Shawn sometime this summer, featuring some of Michigan’s top talented musicians in Mark Lavengood and Loren Kranz.
Keep your hair in order
If you’ve spent five minutes on Facebook in the past month you’ve certainly seen the nightmare haircuts and panic from folks who know they won’t be able to see a professional for the foreseeable future. So, before you do anything rash, take some advice from Jen May, owner of Salon Moxy in Kentwood.
People are buying box dye. Yes, it’s a LOT cheaper but I don’t recommend it for many reasons over professional hair color.
Jen May, Salon Moxy
- Box dye has more harsh chemical components and directly stains the cuticle of the hair, resulting in more damage to the hair.
- Box dye is harder to apply and a lot messier than having a professional do it
- Box dye is basically permanent and doesn’t wash out. Better like the color you choose!
- Box dye markets that you will receive the color that is stated/pictured on the box. This is NOT true simply because everyone’s hair is different.
- Color corrections are very expensive and will cost you more money in the long run to fix the results of the box dye.
Professionals look at a client’s hair type (fine, curly, coarse), skin color, condition of hair, texture, and porosity of hair along with color theory knowledge to determine the best professional color formula for the desired outcome.
Some suggestions for everyone to get by:
- Reach out to a professional before you try anything yourself
- Instead of box color use temporary gray concealer/coverage root spray or mascara. It’s temporary and rinses out until you get to your hairdresser.
- Don’t try and do precision haircuts on yourself. Keep trimming minimal, even just around the ears will make a huge difference
- If you already have short hair you can go with a basic, quick and easy buzz cut. Use a number 2 guard and buzz the entire head with the clipper guard on for safety. Hair grows out pretty evenly, so this is a safe way to go.
- Don’t use kitchen utensils as scissors!
- Don’t try something out of boredom.
- While it’s hard to do, for your hair’s health (and your overall health) it’s important to try to stick with healthy options when it comes to eating and drinking.
- While it can be tough right now, do your best to try to manage your stress as it can cause hair loss
- Try to book an appointment in advance (if your stylist/salon is able to at this time) to ensure a time slot and to give yourself something to look forward to.
If you’re located in West Michigan and are interested in some expert styling or advice, you can learn more about Salon Moxy and find their contact information on their Facebook page.
Take some free fitness classes
Just because you’re stuck indoors doesn’t mean you can’t get yourself in shape. As a matter of fact, many fitness instructors are offering free classes at the moment so you can even get some expert instruction on how to work out while sheltering in place.
Desi Johnson II and his wife Victoria, also known as Des2Fit and Coach Mommy are regulars on Detroit TV and are offering up free online classes this month to help people get fit or stay fit.
If you want to keep up on their class schedule and get helpful updates you can follow them on social media using the links below:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/des2fit/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/des2fit/ and https://www.instagram.com/iamcoachmommy/
Thank you to our contributors
I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute their expertise and services to me for this post. Hopefully, you found something in here to make your sheltering in place a bit more bearable. If you have your own ideas to share or know of other Michigan businesses offering unique and valuable info at this time, please share in the comments below!