The Future Of Fitness

Gym bunnies, moms and athletes alike have turned to the digital space for creative ways to keep moving during the lockdown. Has Covid-19 has changed the way we exercise?

- Lisa Abdellah And Thobeka Phanyeko

When I found out gyms and athletics tracks had closed, and we weren’t allowed to exercise outside our homes, I feared I’d lose all the hard work I’d put into my training and the strong bonds I’d forged with a like-minded community of athletes. Some people say I’m mad for waking up at 5am every day to work out, but without that dose of feel-good hormones, I worried my mental health would deteriorate.

My husband and I had had to cancel an upcoming holiday to Zanzibar due to travel restrictions, so we decided to use some of our savings to buy an indoor cycle trainer. In layman’s terms, it transforms a regular bike into an indoor bike. You attach it to a machine, which connects to an app via Bluetooth where you can control things like the resistance and how much power you want to produce with your legs. Some of them can connect to apps like Zwift, which are virtual training tools that look a bit like video games and allow you to compete with other users around the world. Although it could never replace running, having an indoor trainer meant I could follow a training programme that involved speedwork, hills, and regular fitness tests to monitor my progress.

I watched YouTube videos for inspo, looped resistance bands around my staircase and used a toning ball for core strength. I even used the five-litre water bottles we’d stock-piled during the drought as weights. Who knew one crisis could help out in another?

With a little imagination, I could do most of my gym workouts at home. Plus, it was more convenient: my workout equipment was in the same one-bedroom apartment as a ‘café’, a ‘sleep pod’, a home office and a shower.