What's Happening at FI Autumn 2021

@FI

Fit to Print . Autumn 2021 . Volume 30 Number 3

It’s Better Together

Take Back Your Life. Take Back Your Health. Take Back Reality.

I Can’t Remember What It was Like

18 months down the rabbit hole, the alternative universe of life during the time of COVID, and we’re still struggling to get back to anything resembling normal. In fact, normal seems so long ago and far away that it’s hard to remember what it was really like. Yet, if you’re seeking an oasis of normal you don’t really have to look all that hard. One of them is right here under your nose – Fitness Incentive. By normal, I mean a place where real human beings gather together – a social gathering place; a place where friends meet friends to share a common purpose and a common goal. Sadly, places like this are on the endangered list. Social gathering places, be they restaurants, bars, gyms, or music venues, have been under unprecedented strain for a year and a half, and despite some efforts to help, if normal doesn’t reassert itself soon, many of these places will be gone for good. No business can survive forever at half its pre-pandemic volume. That’s just reality, like it or not.

The Brave New Virtual World

As bad as the impact has been on small businesses, what’s most concerning is the change the pandemic has wrought in people’s minds. The rise of the virtual world was already physically isolating us long before COVID had reared its ugly head. But the virus turned isolation into a necessity, then a virtue, and now, for many, an instinct – a way of life. You Zoom your meeting, Facebook your friends, Peloton your workout, and then DoorDash your next meal. Who needs reality when you have virtual reality?

Well, we all do. While all of these virtual adaptations served their purpose, we’ve reached a point I fear where we must either reach out and re-grab the real world or lose it, and with it, a part of ourselves that was aspirational, motivated, and alive.

Let’s Look at Fitness, an Obvious Example.

When the state closed down gyms in March of 2020, they forced us all to improvise. And we did. FI started online video workouts, and many of you found gym alternatives – whether it was walking or jogging or buying something like a Peloton. We all adapted. And so it went, first for a few weeks, then months, now a year and a half and counting. Until we all got a little too used to it. And while we all can give ourselves a pat on the back for our resourcefulness, the truth of the matter is that our alternatives to the gym haven’t really worked out so well (pardon the pun). Studies show that the average American has put on 39 pounds during the pandemic. And that was as of a few months ago, meaning it’s undoubtedly worse now. 39 pounds! That’s jaw-dropping. And that’s the average. How could it be? Weren’t we all working out, finding ways to stay in shape while the gym was closed? And even after the gym re-opened, we didn’t really need to get back to our old routine because we had this great new one. You know, the one that helped us, as it turns out, put on 39 new pounds.

Let’s be honest.

Working out on your own is great, and it’s commendable, but it’s also working out on your own. No one is pushing you (except maybe your virtual instructor in your virtual class), no one is encouraging you, no one is checking your form, even checking if you really showed up today. No one except you, and we all tend to go easy on ourselves, especially when it comes to exercise. And the next thing you know, despite your home workouts, 39 extra pounds are hanging off your body. Thirty-Nine Pounds! And this weight gain comes at a time when we know that obesity makes us more vulnerable, not only to severe complications from COVID but also to a host of health issues, like diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s – the nasty, nasty stuff.

I’m sorry if this sounds self-serving, but the fact is that 18 months away from the gym has not made any of us healthier. Quite the contrary. So what to do? Take your life back, and especially take your health back. Get back to the gym, get back to your fitness friends and your fitness routine, back to real, live, breathing instructors and trainers that can watch and engage with the real you. People who know and care about you!

Come back to normal, and please, come back to Fitness Incentive. We miss you, and we need you as much as you need us.

It’s Better Together.

Post-Summer Recovery, Dynamic Duo Style

After a year of being essentially locked indoors, you’re to be forgiven if you overindulged a little this summer. But summer is over, and it’s time to get your fit on. If you’re looking for a great way to jump-start your fall fitness program while dropping a few pounds before the end of year feasting, may we recommend the Fall Dynamic Duo challenge? It’s 8 weeks of getting leaner, stronger, and healthier, all under the guidance of a professional trainer. The challenge starts on 9/27/21. Sign-ups are taking place as I type this and will end on 9/22/21. Don’t miss out – It’ll be Thanksgiving before you know it.