Returning Health & Hope to America, One Small Business at a Time

You're more capable than you think.

On Tuesday, April 28th, at 5am small business owner Matthew Scarfo tied up his sneakers, put one foot in front of the other and started a journey... a 9oK trek that would take him from his now shuttered, deemed non-essential business, his gym, Full-Time Fitness, on Bank Street in Morristown, to the War Memorial in Trenton, roughly sixty miles away... over 90 kilometers, more than two marathons of running length.

It literally took the better part of the day - 12.5 hrs, give or take. He ran it as a small business owner, a friend, an inspiration, and an American. He carried with him not just his own burdens that he holds silently and in pain, but the burdens of his family as well as millions of his fellow Americans. The burden of not being able to satisfactorily provide for his family; the burden of not being able to provide for his self, his staff, his clientele. The burden of an instantly insolvent business; the burden of five unanswered Paycheck Protection Program applications and a "grant" that never materialized.

The burdens of being self employed; the burden of not qualifying for any personal government assistance. The burden of uncertainty when he speaks to his children; the burden of hypocrisy when he tells them to believe everything will be alright. The burden of guilt that he's practically useless; and the now cumbersome burden of hope when he closes his eyes to pray each night.

He brought with him to Trenton the hopes of millions who are right now struggling to keep it together. Struggling to make everything seem alright, when oh, how far, from alright we are.

Governor Murphy has ordered that parks and golf courses be reopened at sunrise this Saturday, and it seems as though the glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel is getter ever so brighter.

After so many weeks of closures and restrictions it seems like we've begun to turn a corner and loosen the knot we've all been tied to for what seems like forever.

That's great for so many people, and for so many reasons - but what's not being spoken about is what we, as individuals, are going to do about improving our own health and fitness once things are back to normal.

What will be critical for our loved ones: our children, our parents, our spouses, and our friends will be that we take care of ourselves, and on a relative scale, be fitter than we were yesterday.

Little by little we'll begin to return to normal. Just as important, we need to begin returning Health to America. We as personal trainers do just that, everyday we work . We are anxious to return to our business and help keep people's body, mind, spirit and energy strong, HEALTHY and WELL.

Matt's Trek to Trenton was a statement about health, wellness (both physical and mental), business and politics... Take away from it what you will.

Please support your small businesses.

Families depend on it. Your communities depend on it. Our downtown depends on it.

Follow Matthew Scarfo on Instagram, @mattscarfo, Full-Time Fitness on Instagram, @fulltimefitnessnj