NORTHAMPTON — When Queen’s “We Will Rock You” came on inside Anytime Fitness on King Street on Tuesday, Lindsay Restaino, a trainer at the gym, took to the large window facing the street to dance.
Cars honked, and people waved as they spotted her.
“I was feeling what everybody’s feeling right now — a lot of built-up energy, and there was just a really great song on, so I decided to just give all of Northampton a show,” Restaino, who has been a dancer most of her life, said the next day.
She comes into the gym to record virtual workouts, such as Zumba, that she posts on Facebook for Anytime Fitness members and anyone else in the community to enjoy during the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It gets pretty lonely in the gym,” she said. “I really miss my clients and, of course, the members that are here at Anytime. I miss being able to interact with them.”
While Restaino films her workout videos, passersby by will often see her through the gym’s large windows and seem to wonder what’s doing, she said. “Not being able to interact with any of those people, I took to that window to see a thumbs up or some sort of interaction from outside.”
“I was up there for a while,” she said, and laughed, “because I was having a blast, and I was going off of everyone’s energy — seeing people honk and dance in their car.”
She added, “I was living my best life.”
Restaino suggests turning on some upbeat music and moving. “I know everybody is feeling all different kinds of emotions, and moving is literally the best way to get that built-up anxiety out,” she said. “I would say if you can move, even just a little bit, you’ll feel a whole lot better.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.