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New fitness habits being created during Covid?

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Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#91

Post by taude »

shwoopdiwoop wrote: post #12
site-packages1 wrote: post #3

Anecdata: I have always wanted to do a full body exercise routine, gravitating toward body weight exercise. I _never_ wanted to deal with personal trainers and didn't really know where to start. I tried a few step-by-step guides over the years and always lost motivation. Always, sometimes relatively quickly. I'm healthy, skinny and do a lot of aerobic exercise and outdoor activities (soccer, frisbee, etc.), but I alw…

Apps are great to recommend a training and exercise plan, showing you different ways of working out etc. However I found that without having a professional by my side, especially in the beginning stages, it was impossible for me to know if I'm making mistakes in the way I carry out the exercises, wrong postures, incorrect movements or alignment of limbs. Once you learned to do them incorrectly, it can be very hard to…

I found getting a big mirror at Home Depot so I can watch myself do the movement helps a lot. You can just tell when something looks way off...

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#92

Post by fatnoah »

sickcodebruh wrote: post #16

The 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…

>People who didn't prioritize it or struggled to get into sustainable schedules are doing poorly.

I'm one of those people that has fitness goals met mostly through routine and access to the gym. There are no gyms within 20The complete dynamiting of my child's summer schedule, WFH, and everything else has made it so that there is no routine any more.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#93

Post by lukewrites »

Prior to the pandemic I went to the gym 3-4 days/week, alternating between HIIT on a bike and an endurance workout on an elliptical. I knew I would need to find an alternative since gyms were no longer safe, but due to space restrictions knew I couldn't get the same equipment I use at the gym.

I set up alerts on OfferUp and Craigslist for a Nordictrack ski machine. Got one back in April for $100 and have used it 6-7 days a week since. It fits in a relatively small space, doesn't require power, and is 100% user serviceable. I have it along the wall in the garage, and can fold it up if need be. I only do my "long" workout on it, but am planning to try my first HIIT workout on it tonight!

I also have started doing the kettlebell routine from the book "Simple & Sinister" using a 16 kg kettlebell I bought ages ago and never used. The /r/kettlebell community is very, very helpful. I was, to be brutally honest, intimidated to start this; I was sure that I would somehow do the exercises wrong and wind up hurting myself. However, nothing bad's happened and I do feel better/stronger.

Finally, I've done more reading on health/longevity (most recently the book Lifespan by Sinclair) and have modified my eating habits a bit.

The pandemic sucks, but being forced to come to grips with months of my life being heavily restricted served as motivation to live healthier so I can make more use of the time that's left once (a) a vaccine come around or (b) I figure out how to immigrate to New Zealand and live a normal life :-)

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#94

Post by mathieuh »

Aaronstotle wrote: post #89

Personally I've gotten a lot more into cycling than I had previously. I used to cycle to work, thankfully I bought my bike last year before the markups. Amazing how much I have improved in the last few months. I'm lacking in the weight lifting department, would be nice to get a bench/olympic bar, but I'm having a lot of fun cycling.

Same with me, in the UK we have a scheme where you can buy a bike tax-free which I availed of in December, having not cycled in years.

Since lockdown I've been cycling 40 km almost every day, and I managed to do a 120 km ride the other week.

To be honest it's one of the main reasons I'm quite happy WFH, soon as the clock hits 16:00 I'm out the door on my bike.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#95

Post by sickcodebruh »

johnfn wrote: post #84
sickcodebruh wrote: post #16

The 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…

My anecdata is definitely in opposition to your anecdata :-) I’ve personally struggled in the past to keep a consistent fitness habit because it felt like it took a lot of time. However, Covid gave me a couple of extra hours a day, and, coupled with the discovery of amazing body weight exercises on YouTube, I’ve been working out virtually every day for the past 3 months. That’s longer and more frequently than I have…

I think that speaks to your ability to adapt, which is great! My wife found herself in a similar boat: prior to COVID, she did abbreviated workouts every day after work; since COVID, she's arranged her schedule to get her ideal workouts every morning plus yoga and some extra runs with me. I've finally reached a same place, doing 5-6 days a week instead of 3-4, but it was almost entirely because she harangued me. Finding a fitness routine was never natural for me and I feel for all the people who got thrown off their game and still haven't recovered.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#96

Post by irrational »

As in no fitness habits? Before the pandemic I was swimming 2km 3 times a week and lifting weights 3 times a week. Since the pandemic I haven’t done anything. I neither have access to a pool or weights. I could switch to body weight exercises or walking (I hate jogging/running), but I haven’t and probably won’t.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#97

Post by chadlavi »

irrational wrote: post #96

As in no fitness habits? Before the pandemic I was swimming 2km 3 times a week and lifting weights 3 times a week. Since the pandemic I haven’t done anything. I neither have access to a pool or weights. I could switch to body weight exercises or walking (I hate jogging/running), but I haven’t and probably won’t.

my new habit is that I still don't do any of the things I know I should, but now I don't feel as guilty

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#98

Post by jraby3 »

irrational wrote: post #96

As in no fitness habits? Before the pandemic I was swimming 2km 3 times a week and lifting weights 3 times a week. Since the pandemic I haven’t done anything. I neither have access to a pool or weights. I could switch to body weight exercises or walking (I hate jogging/running), but I haven’t and probably won’t.

Try P90X 3. About 15 30 minute videos that definitely keep you in shape. About half don’t need any equipment, and a quarter only need a pull-up bar.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#99

Post by asdff »

I used to go to my apartment gym for their freeweights and treadmills. I ended up buying some elastic straps and can do all the movements you need to work the same groups as olympic lifts, they go up to 150lbs of resitance and only cost $40. Never going to a gym to share some sweaty gross equipment with smelly grunting people again!

I also bought a road bike and have been biking all over town and keeping the car parked. When I first bought the bike I had to pull over and lay on my back on the sidewalk after 4 miles, just completely dead and gassed. Now I do 30 mile rides without any trouble, in my mask mind you for all those mask wearing complainers. I also try to run all my errands on the bike and stay close to the neighborhood if I can help it, and honestly since I can lane split around traffic and park effortlessly, I make about the same time as when I ran errands with my car.

For those who are having trouble finding a bike, it seems here in LA all the local bike shops still have plenty of bikes, and there are always second hand bikes being sold on craigslist and other sites. While dumbbells and kettlebells are hard to find, resistance bands are plentiful and you can do all the same movements with a little creativity.

Re: New fitness habits being created during Covid?

#100

Post by asdff »

thomascgalvin wrote: post #21
sickcodebruh wrote: post #16

The 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…

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…

Certain equipment has had a run, but you can get resistance bands all over the place. I bought 150lbs of resistance for $40, and I just looked and there are still plenty in stock.

I think people have to get more creative with their physical fitness. You don't need freeweights to achieve great results.

Here is an excellent guide:

https://yoga-horizons.com/pdfs/Fatmans-Guide-to-Cable-Traini...

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