People get fit after exercising restraint

YINCHUAN－Wang Yifei has put on weight after isolating himself at home for over a month during the COVID-19 epidemic. Repeatedly watching videos of the late Kobe Bryant didn't relieve, but intensified, his urge to return to the basketball court.

"When I can touch the basketball hoop again, I'll be extremely excited," says Wang, a 23-year-old college student living in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

The long period of self-imposed isolation has caused many people to slip out of shape. "I thought I would be able to dunk like Kobe, but my weight won't allow it to happen," Wang jokes. "I will come back tomorrow and play again with my friends."

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Chinese people across the country have been advised to stay at home. With the epidemic situation in China taking a more positive turn, some stadiums and gyms with good ventilation can begin to resume operation in areas with a low risk of contracting the virus, to meet people's need for exercise.

Some sports fields in Nanjing, Hangzhou, Changchun, Shanghai and other big cities have also resumed operations. By March 12, nearly 590 gyms and stadiums reopened in Shanghai. However, measures for epidemic prevention and control, such as disinfection, limiting the number of customers and taking body temperature, are being strictly adhered to.

On Sunday, Ningxia Stadium resumed operation under the guidance of the local government. Many people waited patiently for the doors to open.

"People have been constantly phoning us to ask when we would reopen. They are extremely eager for exercise," says Tu Men, chief of the fitness section in Ningxia Stadium.

After scanning the QR code, Wang and his friend Zhang Yizhe had their body temperatures checked and their hands sanitized before entering the stadium. Both of them study in Wuhan. "The situation in Wuhan is getting better. I hope we can return to school soon and eat spicy crayfish with our friends," Zhang says.

The beginning of the new term has been postponed by the epidemic, and Zhai Feifei, a 27-year-old PE teacher of a middle school in Yinchuan, has been busy teaching classes online. "I send fitness videos that I record myself at home to my students for them to follow, such as pushups, situps, deep squats and leapfrog, and the students like them very much," says Zhai.

Knowing that the Hubin Gym in Yinchuan has been reopened, Zhai instantly contacted his friends to play table tennis together. Some 20 people can play badminton or table tennis in the large indoor space at one time, and people arriving late wait for a vacancy outside. All of them wear face masks.

"This is my first time exercising outside my home since the outbreak. I feel free because I can play at will without worrying that the noise may annoy my neighbor," Zhai says.

The silence that has lasted for over a month in outdoor squares and parks has finally been broken. In the evening glow, young people go skateboarding or roller-skating. Accompanied by loud music, some teenagers do breakdancing, while middle-aged couples pass by with their dogs.

The public fitness equipment on the sidewalk has become a favorite pastime of the elderly. A gray-haired grandpa is switching his body forward and backward with hands grasping a horizontal bar, and some grandmas are twisting their waists and necks.

These days, wearing face masks while doing exercise outside has become a daily routine for many people. "I hope the epidemic will end soon, and we can exercise without wearing face masks," Zhai says.

Xinhua