Post Pandemic H&F

[Deleted]

This is kind of a spin-off from the thread on ML. 

How has the pandemic changed your health & fitness routine?  Have you had to purchase new equipment or take up new activities?  Any unexpected positive outcomes for your health and fitness routine?  What changes do you think you'll keep once it's "over?"  What are you looking forward to returning to?

I was starting a bikini competition prep (eek!) at the beginning of March.  I ended up putting that on hold, and don't regret it because that's not really something I strive for.  (To be clear, I wasn't going to compete, just do the prep and get ripped. LOL.) 

I stopped going to the gym in early March, and I hated that.  I've been going there and working out alongside the same group of retired guys for 10+ years, and I really miss them and that community.  I had almost no equipment at home, and struggled with that for a while.  I recently bought a power rack, barbell, and 230# of additional plates, so I'm set now for equipment.  I had to cancel my personal trainer, but I was getting bored with that anyway, and have enjoyed taking the reigns back and switching things up.  I look forward to at least having the option of going back to the gym, especially since all my equipment is outside, but I don't think I'll ever go back to having a personal trainer.  I really miss racing, and can't wait for racing season in 2021, but I've also enjoyed skating for fun this year vs. always training for a race. 

Most of all, I've had to learn to be flexible--with my goals, with my schedule with my equipment and programs, with everything!  I can be very OCD and rigid when in pursuit of something, so that has been a great thing for me to work on.

[Wines Not Whines]

I haven’t run a race since early March, and I haven’t had any races to train for, so I’m kind of just running here and there to keep up fitness. It’s kind of strange to not be training for a specific purpose, but I’m hoping there will be races in fall 2021. I miss running/training with friends and socializing during/after our weekly runs. I haven’t seen most of my running friends since March, or only very sporadically.

I also stopped going to the gym in mid-March. The gym close to my house closed permanently, so I couldn’t go back even if I wanted to. I got a few dumbells, and I do basic strength workouts at home. It’s fine. Sometimes I miss the group strength classes at my gym.

I also bought a Peloton, and I love it. It’s very convenient, and I love the classes. I’m going to be happy to keep using it even when spin studios and gyms are back to normal.

[sadlebred]

Everything got thrown out for me in February before the pandemic. It wasn't so much COVID that shut me down but my other health problems (see the post about my surgery). I picked a good year to have an off year. I wouldn't have been able to race anyway, but I would love to have cheered on my teammates at a couple of races. I did manage one cyclocross race and won the Elite Women's Category 1/2/3 State Championship. My entire routine changed. No more training, no more exercising, just moving and riding my bike with absolutely NO intensity for an hour for over 3 months while my heart recovered from the myocarditis. At least after that I could ride for a longer duration while I waited for surgery. I'm still in about the same situation as then as I recover from surgery although I can do some of what I'm calling my "new" intensity--it's much lower than before but it feels just as hard. I continued to do easy yoga and walking from the beginning and am just getting back into yoga post-op.

I added a weight rack to my exercise space and got some 15, 20, 25 pound free weights thanks to a teammate and a seller on the local classifieds. I had all of the other weights and equipment I use: couple of stationary trainers, bikes, bike rollers, exercise bands, kettlebells, yoga accessories, etc. I bought an Ebike a few weeks ago, but that is not related to the pandemic.

I still don't know what the future holds for me as far as racing goes or if I'll ever be able to get to the level I was at before. Only time and maybe a few years will tell.

[minzy]

I’ve never really been a super hardcore athlete but I just try to keep moving. I’m kind of kidding but also not when I say I try to do two half marathons a year to “keep myself accountable.” I also try on my wedding dress each anniversary in part to make sure it still fits. Both of my parents were significantly overweight when they were around my current age and I do not want to repeat that for myself. So far I’m doing fine.

For years my workouts were mainly a combo of running and the bike at the gym (I would also read while I was on it so it felt efficient), maybe some weights. I haven’t been to the gym since February I think, I had a bad cold so skipped a little gym time in early March. Even before covid though, I started doing more yoga, so this year has been a lot of running and yoga. I throw in a hike or walk or swim or whatever if it’s possible. I’m really glad to be able to have multiple things to choose from and that I’m still able to move in at least some way. I ran the equivalent of my two halfs this year and didn’t mind greatly missing the actual events. My husband has been using bands for strength but I got us some dumbbells for Christmas so hopefully I’ll bring weights back into the mix. I do miss some aspects of the gym, but don’t see myself going back for quite awhile.

[breezy8407]

How has the pandemic changed your health & fitness routine? Yes and no. I went to the gym 6 days a week bpre-Covid. I took cycle classes and paid for a small group class that did metcon style workouts 3 days a week. I have been trying to duplicate the workouts I did there as best I can though, and could still mimic my small group training class routine with some modifications since I have dumbbells. Sort of related that changed my routine was injuring my foot in May. I think it was overuse/sprain of some kind. I didn't go in to get it checked out because, Pandemic, but got a wrap and started applying heat each day and eventually it went away. It stopped me from running, so I had to dust off my old hybird bike for cardio.

Have you had to purchase new equipment or take up new activities? Yes. I already had a treadmill and adjustable dumbbells. At first I bought a medicine ball and a fitness step. Next was the Schwinn IC4 bike which I use with the Peloton app. It took 3 months from the time I ordered it, but I finally got a kettlebell, too. At first I was only going to use the Peloton app for the bike, but I've started using it for running and bootcamps, as well. There's a ton of content and so far I haven't gotten bored with it.

Any unexpected positive outcomes for your health and fitness routine? My injury forced me to get on my outdoor bike again, and while its nothing special, I will continue riding it next spring. I live close to regional trails and a park reserve that has over 10 miles of paved trails, so I will be happy to get back out there.

What changes do you think you'll keep once it's "over?" Probably the biking above for sure. As for the gym, I have everything I need at home now, but I will be back. I still miss the group environment and it pushes me. I like that I have the flexibility to do cycle at home though, when/if we return to busy weekends and it was hard to get to class on the gyms schedule.

What are you looking forward to returning to? The gym. I get a membership through my job to a really nice gym. So its not a money thing for me, so I will go back for sure. It will be interesting to see how and if classes will change. I am sure a lot of trainers, group fitness instructors, and staff who have lost jobs have had to move on.

[lilypad1126]

My routine definitely changed this year. I was hardcore marathon training, then boom! everything got canceled. I still run 4 days a week, but not quite at the same intensity.

I also bought a spin bike in August, so I've added that in 2-3x per week. It's a nice option to have, especially in the winter. I love being able to workout indoors when it's frigid or snowing or raining out. I opted to skip any marathons in 2021, because I hate the cylce of train hard, then a month before, it gets canceled, so I've pushed those to 2022. I'm hoping by fall 2021 races will be back in some form or another so I can get some shorter distances in. Running with nothing to train for is weird.

We suspended our gym membership, and I'm so hopeful that once we can get the vaccine we can go back to the gym. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss treadmill running. Not all the time, but on bad weather days, I'd give almost anything for that option. Buying my own treadmill is not an option, so I'm definitely looking forward to the day I can go back to the gym.

[osulori]

How has the pandemic changed your health & fitness routine?  

I've been doing a lot more solo running or running with one other person somewhere that we can stay at least 6 feet apart (usually the same person, I had one other person I'd run with but haven't in a while due to our schedules not matching up). And I will admit to going to the gym once a week...but I go early when hardly anyone's there, choose a machine that's nowhere near anyone, wipe it down before/after, and wear a mask anytime I'm NOT on said cardio machine. Overall my gym does a nice job of distancing equipment, making people wear masks, cleaning equipment etc but that's all I'm comfortable with doing there-I'm not down with the group fitness classes and save my strength training for home.


Have you had to purchase new equipment or take up new activities? I've bought some basic strength training equipment for home-resistance bands etc.

Any unexpected positive outcomes for your health and fitness routine? Learning how to like running by myself again.  It's still not my favorite but I don't hate it like I used to.

What changes do you think you'll keep once it's "over?" Strength training at home...I hope.

What are you looking forward to returning to? Running with more people, and running in person races again!  The one friend I run with on a weekly basis is one of my best friends and I adore her but we're both excited to run with larger groups again.

[Susie]

My routine hasn't changed a lot from what I was doing, but it changed a lot from what I wanted to do.

My youngest turned 1 in June mid-pandemic.  During his first year, I was a FT working, breastfeeding mom, and H&F was way back burnered.  My plans for 2020 were to phase in H&F as breastfeeding phased out.  

He did wean and grow into a toddler this year, but pandemic life took up the "above and beyond" resources that I previously was spending on an infant.  The hardest part is that there's no time for me, after kids, work, etc. all take their piece.  

I put my gym membership on ice, set up a home gym, and gamely tried to do NROLFW this fall.  The first phase was interrupted by a derecho and multiple day power outage (and family schedule fallout), and then a flood in my basement, where my workout room is.  Now my kindergartener is quarantined for covid exposure on 3 different days at school last week.

Essentially the pandemic has made me feel like I've been in the sort of under-slept panic mode that comes with being a working mom of an infant, except it's indefinite and seemingly perpetual.  It's #survivalmode over here.  

I'm pretty well set up, if I can catch up on sleep and get consistent school/daycare to get my work done.  These feel so precarious though.

[scm1011]

Susie, I feel your post so hard. I also feel like I'm perpetually in survival mode and its exhausting.

The only things I can really do is run, because I live in a city apartment and have zero space for any kind of home gym set-up. After a spring/summer of dealing with an infant and a toddler while working a full time job (i.e. no time for H&F), I started building momentum in the fall only to be struck down by a nasty case of pneumonia. I'm slowly rebuilding again.

[keweenawlove]

I feel like pre-pandemic, I still hadn't gotten fully into my working mom H&F routine so I ended up with a full shake up. I had previously done mainly running/triathlon focused training but have shifted to 2-3 runs/week plus steaming workouts (strength, HIIT, barre, yoga). So far I've bought more hand weights (now have 1, 3, 5, and 12 lb sets), a barre ball, and pilates sliders. I actually love just being able to do a quick workout in my basement early in the morning, when DD is napping and running outside either isn't possible or isn't appealing.

I think this will be my H&F life for awhile. The only reason I see to go back to the gym is for the pool which isn't happening for awhile. I do really miss my running group. I'd previously run with them 1-3x weekly. I had a goal do group runs at least every other week since DD came home and had been maintaining them until they shut down.

scm1011 I hope you're feeling better! Have you looked into any of the steaming options? I've been using
obé and can't say enough good things about them. Their base classes are 28 minutes but they have ones ranging from 5-60 minutes. It's NYC-based so they're designed to be used in small spaces with no to minimal equipment. It works so well for me to squeeze in a quick class before any wakes up but I don't want to go outside.

[scm1011]

Dec 17, 2020 10:00:08 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

scm1011 I hope you're feeling better! Have you looked into any of the steaming options? I've been using
obé and can't say enough good things about them. Their base classes are 28 minutes but they have ones ranging from 5-60 minutes. It's NYC-based so they're designed to be used in small spaces with no to minimal equipment. It works so well for me to squeeze in a quick class before any wakes up but I don't want to go outside.

Feeling 100% better now, a month later. Thanks! Really I shouldn't complain; I'm thankful it wasn't Covid.

Thanks for the rec, I'll check it out! I've been hesitant to do indoor classes like that because we're upstairs and our downstairs neighbor already complains about kid noise, but maybe something like yoga or pilates.

[Susie]

Hugs, scm1011. I keep telling myself we've made it 9 months, and we can (just barely) count on one hand the number of months to go until we can reasonably hope for vaccine access. I just keep trying to remind myself of that light in the tunnel.

[keweenawlove]

scm1011 if you end up wanting to try, I have 2 week guest passes (declaimer: linked to my account but I don't think I actually benefit) 

obefitness.com/?via=https%3A%2F%2Fobefitness.com%2F%3FuserId%3D1424cf28-4e89-46d8-b429-7850b885bdf8%26source%3Dweb&referralName=Karen&utm_medium=friend&utm_source=GUESTPASS&userId=1424cf28-4e89-46d8-b429-7850b885bdf8

[wambam]

Dec 15, 2020 15:20:06 GMT -5 @peep said:

How has the pandemic changed your health & fitness routine?  At the beginning, my yoga studio was shut down. I transitioned into remote practice and bought this cool Life Board thing because the logical room to use has carpet. My studio opened back up over the summer and I was going until last month when things started to get bad. The studio is still open but I don't feel comfortable going for the time being. I also started using Kira Stokes' app and I love love love it. I have been running a LOT less. 


Have you had to purchase new equipment or take up new activities?  I bought the Life Board at the very beginning. I bought additional dumb bells when I started using this KS app, but it took some searching to even find them. 


Any unexpected positive outcomes for your health and fitness routine?  I really prefer to workout in the morning and the app allows me to do that. I would have to run after work, which is why I have been doing it less. I think the app allows me to be more efficient in my workouts. 


What changes do you think you'll keep once it's "over?"  The app. And using remote yoga classes when it makes sense time-wise. 

What are you looking forward to returning to? I am supposed to start teacher training at the end of January after my session getting cancelled this fall. I don't know if it'll happen. 

ETA: I also had two races cancelled. I was supposed to run a half in April. It got cancelled and I thought “well surely by October, things will be okay.” But then that got cancelled. Currently, I’m supposed to run a half in April but that’s not happening. Rather than refunds, they keep wanting to defer and it’s frustrating.

[osulori]

wambam, which half in April?

[wambam]

Dec 18, 2020 13:07:42 GMT -5 osulori said:

wambam, which half in April?

Derby in Louisville

[scm1011]

Dec 18, 2020 9:57:02 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

scm1011 if you end up wanting to try, I have 2 week guest passes (declaimer: linked to my account but I don't think I actually benefit) 

obefitness.com/?via=https%3A%2F%2Fobefitness.com%2F%3FuserId%3D1424cf28-4e89-46d8-b429-7850b885bdf8%26source%3Dweb&referralName=Karen&utm_medium=friend&utm_source=GUESTPASS&userId=1424cf28-4e89-46d8-b429-7850b885bdf8

Thanks! With Christmas break coming up (and kids still at daycare) that would be a good time to check it out!

[keweenawlove]

Dec 18, 2020 16:05:10 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Dec 18, 2020 9:57:02 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

Thanks! With Christmas break coming up (and kids still at daycare) that would be a good time to check it out!

Enjoy your brief time of bliss (or as blissful as this year can get)

[coconutbug]

My last race was on March 8, and since then I've done a good number of virtual races either alone or as part of a team. I've done a lot more walking than before, mainly because I walk during work conference calls most days. Working from home has saved me at least 1.5 hours a day in commute time, so I've spent at least some of that time on trying to become a more consistent runner. I hit a record high of 414.5 miles of walking and running in June, though I'm now back to my regular 100-ish miles/month. I started using the Peloton app, have been doing Zwift rides more frequently, and have spent far more time on my treadmill than I'd like (including running the Marine Corps Marathon on it). I've been doing a bit more trail running and found that I really like it.

My main challenge has been trying to get enough sleep while working full-time, helping my kids with online school, and doing all the other stuff that comes with being stuck inside all day. My youngest has ADHD, so trying to figure out how to help him with school has been an exercise in patience. I'm on survival mode too, but have been squeezing in workouts where I can to try to stay sane.

When things get closer to normal, I'll probably still use the Peloton and Zwift apps for solo workouts. I'm looking forward to running with running buddies again and races!