During the first two years of the pandemic, Kristi Falzon, a resident of Chicago, USA, used her Peloton exercise bike every day. “It was a godsend,” she said. She could exercise in her spare room between Zoom meetings without worrying about other people’s germs.
But lately the spark has gone out. Last month, Falzon, 39, offered the bike on Facebook Marketplace. She paid $2,650 (R$13,460) for the Peloton and accessories, but after a month of waiting for buyers she grudgingly sold it for $1,100 (R$5,590).
“I wanted to sell it before everyone else,” she said. “The further back we get to civilization, the more people will start selling.”
Peloton, which during the pandemic was the preferred home exercise equipment in the U.S., had a rough few months, losing $439 million and laying off 20% of its workforce when exercisers returned to work. gyms.
Planeta Fitness gym gained 1.7 million new members in 2021 and opened 132 new locations, the company said. At Crunch, membership in the United States “has increased by 34% from pre-Covid levels,” said Jim Rowley, chief executive of Crunch Worldwide.
The biggest increase, according to Rowley, was just in the last month, when people returned to group classes. At Kondition Fitness in Boulder, Colorado, which offers spin and barbell, owner Emma Straight said business has increased 30% since its lowest point in 2020.
Whether it’s for camaraderie, motivation, or just a change of scenery, some exercise bike enthusiasts are starting to rethink their “ride or die” workout.
People miss human contact
A group training class “offers three things that are really needed right now: connection, hope and empowerment,” said Kelly McGonigal, author of “The Joy of Movement.” [A alegria do movimento]a health psychologist and speaker at Stanford University.
When you move with others, especially in sync, “you feel a sense of belonging and connection,” said Dr. McGonigal.
Some studies suggest that synchronized movement, such as dancing, makes people feel more connected than solo activity, and that group exercise programs are more beneficial to mental health than individual ones. In a small 2013 study, synchronized rowers had greater pain tolerance after training than those rowing alone.
Since Oregon lifted face masks in March, Danielle Massari, owner of the StarCycle spin studio in Portland, has seen “a steady 10% increase in the number of cyclists each week,” many of whom told her that left a pandemic Peloton at home.
It’s not just that you can exercise more without a mask, said Dr. McGonigal; it is also that we are often stimulated by the emotions of those around us. It’s just easier to bond with someone when you can see their face.
Molly Taylor, 31, started wearing Peloton less once OrangeTheory Fitness, near her Los Angeles home, reopened. One of the biggest draws is socializing, said Taylor, who is single and works from home. “Some days, it’s the only way to interact with other humans.”
Easy access also means easy interruption
At the start of the pandemic, Paige Van Otten, a mom and stay-at-home mom in Seattle, loved being able to do a quick Peloton workout while her baby napped.
“You think, ‘Oh, it’s so convenient, I can do this anytime,'” she said. “But really I could only do it at nap time. I started to resent how limiting it was.”
Last fall, as his daughter started preschool and her gym reopened, Van Otten, 34, returned to the gym and began a weightlifting program. “I like it much better,” he said. “I feel like a real adult and not just a mother.”
Exercising outside the home can provide “a separate space, free from other responsibilities, where you spend time doing something that’s all your own,” said Pirkko Markula, a sociologist at the University of Alberta (Canada) who studies the fitness industry.
The more you decrease the likelihood of interruption, the more productive your workout will be, said Elizabeth Leonard, a trainer at Barre3 Studio in Brookline, Massachusetts. When she tried to exercise in her living room, she was distracted, like, “Gee, it’s dirty under the couch, I need to vacuum,” she said. “If you’re kind of thinking about something else, it’s a lot harder to concentrate.”
There is no substitute for a real instructor
Taylor said she sometimes relaxes at Peloton because “there’s no one watching me do it”. She tries harder in an OrangeTheory class because the trainer would notice if she was faking it.
Despite the loyal following that some bike instructors attract, they are limited in the personal encouragement they can offer; the closest thing is a brief on-screen “scream” to a cyclist celebrating a milestone.
In a face-to-face spin class, a participant is more than just a username, Massari said. “When we say ‘Go Kim! You look great!’ we know exactly who Kim is, we know she’s getting married in three weeks.”
In Leonard’s barre classes, participants can wear an orange “consent band” on their wrists to indicate that they are comfortable if she touches them to correct their shape.
About 90% of people now use them, she said, a “huge increase” from when the studio reopened last summer. “It’s like people are saying, ‘Yes, come into my personal space, I want to feel connected, I want to feel supported’.”
“Gamification” can be tiring
Steve Perkins, 71, bought a Peloton in December 2020 and rode it every day for six months. “I’m a statistics guy,” he said. “I didn’t realize how addicted I would get to the leaderboard.”
Some research shows that adding gamification to exercise can be extremely motivating. In a 2017 study, 200 adults tracked their steps for 12 weeks, with half the group competing against family members as they gained points and progressed through levels.
Those who played nearly tripled the number of steps they normally took.
For some people, competition — and numerical proof of progress — may have been more appealing during the pandemic, which has brought so much uncertainty, said Dr. Markula. “If you can put a number on it, maybe you can feel like you’ve achieved something.”
But it can be a relief to let that go too. Perkins’ attempts to dominate the leaderboard came to a head when he “pushed too hard” and injured himself. A few weeks ago, he decided to sell the bike and focus on how he felt about the exercise, not how many competitors he could crush.
“I’m going back to walking my dogs,” he said. “Good thing for a 71 year old guy.”
Peloton still offers some advantages
Shibani Faehnle, 41, who lives in Cleveland, said he likes the convenience of the exercise bike, the variety of schedules and the fact that he can choose from a more diverse range of instructors than those available in his neighborhood gyms.
Faehnle, who is Indian-American, said, “I wish fitness studios would pay more attention to creating a diverse experience because that would really draw me back.”
Brienne Rosman, who lives in Dallas, said she has found a vibrant online community in Peloton’s unofficial groups, such as the popular “#hardCORE on the Floor,” which has grown to 350,000 members. “I have no interest in going back to a gym,” said Rosman, 42. In February, she also bought a branded treadmill.
Still, until Peloton reopens its studios in New York and London this summer, some devotees are choosing to return to in-person exercise elsewhere, and are finding it surprisingly exciting.
“We saw some tears of joy,” Straight said. “A lot of people told us they didn’t even realize what they were missing until they got back.”
Chad-98Weaver, a distinguished author at NewsBulletin247, excels in the craft of article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a penchant for storytelling, Chad delivers informative and engaging content that resonates with readers across various subjects. His contributions are a testament to his dedication and expertise in the field of journalism.