Periodic reminder that though "forbes.com" may have implied some credentials in the past, it is now a site where anyone can post anything.
It started a good HN thread in this case though.
New fitness habits being created during Covid?
51–60 of 179 posts
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#52The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives. People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly. Even some of my friends who had really good routines fell into pretty serious depressions at the start of it…
If anyone is interested, for home workouts I highly recommend a macebell. It its a weight on the end of a 3 foot pole. It's beautiful because it allows you to adjust the leverage the weight has against you to adjust the difficulty. It's very dynamic and fun to work out with and tons of exercises from isometric to full-body can be done with it.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#53It's not a new golden age of fitness. There may be a short-term boon, but people's motivation will eventually nose dive without social interaction. "Previously, 50% of gym-goers quit after 6 months." Why would you not expect the same thing to happen with people's quarantine workout motivations? We're still within the first 6 months of quarantine.
The best hope is (a) social pressure to attend class, with (b) class costs plummeting due to logistics and competition.
However, the glut of supply may make it hard for people to cluster together into classes
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#54I work in this industry, and this does not match the data we're seeing. People are eager to get back to certain on-site experiences, especially on the boutique/expensive side where the in-person class/instructor camraderie is very important. Also certain genres of fitness (think: cycling, F45, etc) require expensive equipment which is non-trivial to have in your house.
Data on countries that have re-opened (like Australia) is showing that it's they will quickly reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels as long as they take some safety measures.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#55It's not a new golden age of fitness. There may be a short-term boon, but people's motivation will eventually nose dive without social interaction. "Previously, 50% of gym-goers quit after 6 months." Why would you not expect the same thing to happen with people's quarantine workout motivations? We're still within the first 6 months of quarantine.
The best hope is (a) social pressure to attend class, with (b) class costs plummeting due to logistics and competition. However, the glut of supply may make it hard for people to cluster together into classes
It's hard to say for sure, but at the moment it looks like ~10-15% of class-based locations will not re-open due to business failure? So that's not a dramatically reduced supply, and additionally a lot of these places weren't sold-out to begin with (except in say NYC or LA where popular classes have waitlists). I personally think the desire to be social + in/person will soon exceed people's concerns re: safety, especially in areas where the COVID rates are low.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#56The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives. People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly. Even some of my friends who had really good routines fell into pretty serious depressions at the start of it…
One tip that helped me a ton – if you're WFH, turn your former commute (or some % of your former commute), and force yourself to work out during this time. I started that at the beginning of COVID and without exaggeration it's been life-changing.
I put 0 pressure on myself to hit goals, I just run / do pushups / walk briskly, but I make sure to use the commute time on that rather than working more or browsing the internet.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#57The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives. People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly. Even some of my friends who had really good routines fell into pretty serious depressions at the start of it…
I was fat before the pandemic. I continue to be fat during the pandemic. I will be fat after the pandemic is over. Fitness is for other people. I’m doing great, thanks for asking. I drink good whiskey on my porch while I watch the bomb ass explosive sunsets that Florida is so famous for. I shoot projectile weapons into an earthen berm. I listen to my favorite synthwave playlists. I eat good food. I go to the beach. J…
Have fun dying early.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#58Periodic reminder that though "forbes.com" may have implied some credentials in the past, it is now a site where anyone can post anything.
It's also a site that will happily send zerodays to your browser.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#59People are frustrated since home gym equipment is hard to find. And that's a valid frustration. However, bodyweight exercises and outdoor cardio can go a long way. Even just walking. The single most critical aspect you can control is diet. And that requires no equipment, just the right choices. WFH has thrown a big wrench into the eating habits for many. I run a nutrition application[1], and we've seen a big uptick i…
I used to use isometrics pretty heavily. That style pretty much means you do not use much equipment at all. For me it was an old sturdy chair and a heavy couch to pin my feet under. Diet for weight, exercise for strength. I used good portions of the Charles Atlas program. I skipped his diet as I was not looking for body building. Just kept myself under my 1100 caloric number (varies on height and age). Just wanted some strength and not be fat.
Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's been impossible to buy any kind of home fitness equipment for a couple of months now. I've seen kettlebells going for $500 on Amazon. People definitely thought they were going to jump into home fitness with both feet, but just like New Year's resolutions, I doubt that many of them stuck with it. If I had to guess, there are two groups of people who are taking advantage of the quarantine to better their fitness r…
The other side of the fitness coin is diet , and the two hours a day returned to me have been instrumental in improving that. People may come out of quarantine simultaneously less fit and less fat. Fitness-wise, there's only so much you can do with a 4-8-month-old in a third-floor apartment, but jogging a couple miles with a stroller is kind of nice at any rate.
I mean, the average person doesn't really need much equipment if the goal is to lose weight (in contrast with the niche hobbyist market of building muscle). There's a ton of bodyweight exercises[1] you can use that require no gym or even weights.