Coco and Connie reflect on “Quaranteam”

Connie Bennett is a Cardio and Strength specialist with us at Rancho La Puerta. She’s been helping guests tune up their fitness routines and tone up their bodies since 1995. Her Aerobics with Soul and strength classes will help keep you fit as a fiddle. She and her sister Coco live fulltime at Rancho La Puerta, and I asked them how they’re managing their lives during the quarantine. Connie explains:

“In the 60 plus days that I’ve been sheltering in place at The Ranch two observations stand out in my mind,” says Connie.

First, even paradise needs upkeep. Without the constant, loving care of The Ranch gardeners, the beautiful Ranch grounds quickly turn into an overgrown, unruly plant city. 

Members of our own “Quaranteam 10” (the unofficial name for the ten staff in quarantine at the Ranch), have selflessly stepped up to fill in the void. Fellow staffers Mike B. and Robb have been using their personal weed whackers to clear the paths and keep the chaos at bay until we open again. 

Second, even fitness professionals quarantined at a fitness facility can lose motivation without a routine.

This was a bit of a surprise to me because I adore training. However, without my work schedule in place and a routine for training, I found myself losing my motivation to workout AND losing fitness. Help!

Luckily, help was just around the corner in the form of my “Quaranteam” neighbor Hazel. We started doing Yoga Sculpt together on Mondays and Fridays. This has helped me get back on track. YEAH for routines!

So far, so good…I’m hanging in there. I’ve heard that Hope is great for the immune system so, as the quarantine continues, I find more ways to buoy my spirits.

As a person who enjoys a good TV show or a good movie, I thoroughly enjoyed John Krasinski’s YouTube show, Some Good News. I recommend it. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it gave my Hope. Yeah, for HOPE!

Coco Bennett is a Cardio and Strength specialist with us at The Ranch. If you want to learn to Hop, Skip, Knee Twerk, do the Elevator, or Top Rock your way to fitness, Coco can show you how in her Cardio Hip Hop classes. She has been a fitness instructor and trainer with us since 1997.

Initially, I was anxious about family, friends, and the world in general. A friend started a blog from Paris, where he is quarantined, and his musings help me regain a sense of calm and catch up on sleep! Dog adoptions were off the charts, and it was excellent for my foster dogs and Emotional Support Animals to find great homes

There is a handful of us here, so we call ourselves the Ranch “Quaranteam!” It’s nice the way we all help each other out and socialize from six feet away. Hazel has gifted us with Sound Healing and Silks classes and we’re grateful. Wow, it’s amazing how quickly you get out of shape! It’s fun having the gyms to work out in, yet the Ranch feels lonely without people.

I look forward to the reopening.