Speed Group’s Guide to Getting Through the Covid-19 Quarantine
We have always considered our staff and clients to be one big Speed Group family, and the rest of the racing world our extended family. We all know how much racing, and the world, are hurting right now; so amongst the bad news and the isolation, we thought we would share what we are doing to stay busy, positive and healthy during this shutdown, enjoy!
Recommendations from our family to yours:
David & Vero Martinez
David Martinez’s “new” workout routine: Insanity.
Working out at home has become the new normal these days, and David Martinez is going back to basics by redoing the infamous program “Insanity” by Shaun T.
Vero Martinez’s top 5 Self-care routines + a BONUS.
#1 Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning!
#2 Workout early in the AM. This will boost your day with energy, and you will feel great!
#3 In-Home Date Nights. Since going out for a proper date night is out of the question, David and I have been having our date nights right in our patio. We have been doing it on Saturday evenings. We order from a restaurant we really like. Then the trick to really make it feel like a proper date night to set the mood. So we add candles, flowers, nice music (we love “The Complete Ella & Louis On Verve” Album, on spotify, we set the table like in a Restaurant, we even bring a cool glass water bottle, we dress up… AND NO KIDS ALLOWED! To pull that off, Nintendo Switch comes to the rescue 🙌🏼.
#4 During this Pandemic, my go to self-care routine is taking a long hot bath every Monday night. Hot water will help your muscles relax, and it’s perfect before going to sleep. Throw some Dr. Teal’s Pure Epsom salts, and listen to a good audiobook on Audible (Currently listening to: How To Raise an Adult, by Julie Lythcott-Haims)
#5 Before going to sleep, prep your workout clothes for the next day… this will set you up for success!
BONUS. Every Saturday, I set myself the goal of: cleaning up one area of my house… for example, the kids’ closet, my master closet, the guest bathroom drawers, etc. It’s something simple and doable that will make a difference once this Pandemic is over.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
Everyone knows that PR1 has always been a family team, so for our post today we have reading recommendations from Bobby and Lisa Oergel’s kids:
Brody Oergel’s recommendation: Mr. Lemoncello's Library Book Series
Kinsey Oergel’s recommendation: The Selectino Series
Toni & Megan Calderon
Megan’s Recommendations: COOKING! I have found a new love for our kitchen during this time❤️ It’s felt very grounding to have a purpose each and every night and it’s been so fun to experiment with new techniques and ingredients. Favorite cookbooks and instagram pages that have become my go-to’s are The Defined Dish and The Modern Proper. Both are so user friendly and every single thing I’ve made has been insanely delicious.
Like Vero I’ve been trying to make sure I get a sweat in every day. I’m trying to do everything from getting a ride in on our Peloton, yoga and barre from online streaming platforms, even just a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood! Anything that involves moving around is so good for your mental health. It’s like a brain dump that frees up any tension or anxiety you may not have even known you had! I’ve also been turning to some of my favorite influencers on Instagram for some great at home strength training sessions. Brighton Keller is super inspiring and has some awesome exercises, Amanda Kloots is also so positive and SUCH a joy to have your butt kicked by.
As a couple Toni and I have nerded out and become obsessed with playing Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune on our Nintendo switch! It’s been something fun to do together, that and board games have been an awesome way to bond. We’ve also been trying to get out on drives and go for walks together. We try and get outside and just be as often as we can - safely of course😊
Will Owen
Will loves a good read and specially when it involves the cold war, so his book recommendation is: The Manhattan Project
James and Becky Hinchcliffe
Between walking the dogs as often as possible and James’ new found career as an (unsuccessful) Sim racer, James and Becky have tried to put their phone down and pick books up to help pass the time in quarantine. Becky, showing her affinity for show business, is reading “The Genius and the Goddess” about the lives and marriage of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe. What a romantic. James has dived into “Endurance: Shackelton’s incredible voyage”. If you think having to isolate at home for a few weeks has been tough, this tale of a crew losing their ship and spending over a year living on the floating ice floes of Antarctica will make you realize that this ain’t so bad!
Leo Lamelas
Whenever Leo is not at the go kart track or on his sim, he’s been spending his time watching Money Heist on Netflix which he HIGHLY recommends.
Kayla Cezanne
I am focusing on bettering myself by learning a couple of new skills while also taking the time to focus on my mental health. I am taking a professional online course for social media, connecting with contacts and updating clients’ digital presence.
However, I think that mental health really needs to be prioritized during this time. Many people on social media are highlighting the 50 new skills that they magically learned within the last couple of weeks. It always amazes me just how much some people have learned. But if you haven’t used this time to learn all of the skills you’ve ever wanted to learn that’s perfectly OK too. I check up on myself every day. Sometimes I feel great and I am very productive but some days I am not. I set screen time boundaries daily to free up time to do activities that help put my brain and body in motion. I explore different local trails with my dog. Existing in a natural space gives me a much needed break from my busy home.
If you don’t have an outside space where you can safely social distance, I recommend diving into a good fiction book. I am reading the Harry Potter series. I know that I am several years late but I really enjoy opening the book and apparating into the Wizarding World.
Since many of my favorite bakeries are closed, I am trying to learn how to bake my gluten-free treats. It’s harder than I originally thought. There have been a few losses but many more wins thanks to this cheat sheet. Also, to combat all of the sweets that I am eating, I do YouTube workouts by Bailey Brown. Most of the workouts are only 5 minutes long making it really easy to combine videos and personalize my workout.
It’s important to remember that it is OK to listen to your body and take a break.
DEForce Racing
For all of you out there with young ones running around! Coloring can greatly help reduce stress and anxiety. Racing on the other hand, raises our pulse in a good way… put them together, and you’ll have hours of fun with DEForce’s Activity Book! Just download, print and enjoy! Get it here!
Finally, if you are looking for a very worthy cause to support or help promote, we’d like to share with you two charities that are very close to our hearts:
Helping Racing Crews: Real Racing Heroes
“Established in response to the CV-19 crisis, The Hardpoint Paddock Foundation through its Real Racing Heroes initiative works with US-based professional sportscar racing teams to provide emergency financial assistance to contract and other fly-in crew members hardest hit by the CV-19 crisis. Through your donation, you will help ensure we have a healthy sport to come back to when this crisis ends. Assistance will be provided through $1500 grants to qualified applicants that apply through our website www.realracingheroes.com.”
Helping First Responders: All Clear Foundation
“All Clear Foundation is driven to change the harmful stigmas and daunting statistics plaguing the First Responder profession. By creating, convening, funding and amplifying innovative programs focused on improving their life expectancy and wellbeing, we have the opportunity to positively impact the men and women who sacrifice so much and shoulder unfathomable burdens in their efforts to keep us and our communities safe.”
https://allclearfoundation.org/
How do you and your family keep busy during this difficult time? Let us know in the comments below.