The Art of Staying Active In Quarantine
States are beginning to open back up in an attempt to stymie the national economic collapse. But we are far from being out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19 though with experts saying it can last anywhere from the next couple of months to the next couple of years. Simply put, this is only the first round in a very, very long fight. Many people, myself included, have been finding sanity in exercise. People are lacing up their shoes and running through the pandemic, but a ton of people are also spinning through the pandemic.
Spin classes may be cancelled in person, but streamed classes are having a bit of a moment. Peloton recently announced that they live streamed a class to a record 23,000 people making their stock jump up. People are panic buying Peloton’s $2,245 bikes at such a high volume that delivery times have shipped to 9 weeks out. In lieu of getting their hands on a Peloton people are now anxiously awaiting the original spin-cult’s $2500 at-home bike. But it’s not just stationary bikes that are having record sales, so are good ol’ fashioned bicycles — two wheels, a chain, some gears, I think you get what I’m talking about. Mike’s Bikes, one of Northern California’s largest privately owned bike retailers, has supposedly quadrupled their business and can’t build bikes fast enough. People aren’t just pounding the pavement, they’re also putting rubber on the road. I’m certainly one of those people.
Since shelter-in-place started in California on March 15, I have biked 542.80 miles…I biked 250.13 miles in the beginning of the year. Needless to say the quarantine has increased my activity level. What’s changed? I began to touch on my new habits in The Art of Staying Productive In Quarantine, but I want to dive into it a bit more.
Many people have been lacking structure during shelter-in-place whether from unemployment or adjusting to the newness of working-from-home, but I’ve been thriving with the new flexibility of my schedule. I’ve always been a casual user of fitness apps, but quarantine has turned me into a power user. Peloton reported a 77% raise in downloads compared to this time last year, and tons of other fitness apps have reported similar usage spikes. My app of choice has been Strava. Strava is a fitness platform, but it’s also a social app. Strava is a community of athletes with a commitment to healthy competition with respect for one another, the rules, and yourself as an athlete. Yes, this sounds preachy, but it’s given me the structure I need to really buckle down.
I belong to Strava Summit, their premium membership that gives you access to their full suite of training, safety, and analytical tools. I signed up for one of Summit’s one month training plans and stuck to it. I set a fairly modest weekly mileage goal and I’ve stuck to it (and exceeded it) every week. Most importantly though, Strava helps you make and find routes. You can make Strava work with just a smartphone and the app, but it definitely works better with some equipment. I personally use a Garmin Edge 530 and my Apple Watch. There are more specialized sensors like heart rate monitors and power meters that really let you dig into the analytical side of Summit, but I haven’t found a need for those yet.
Cycling is keeping me sane during quarantine. It’s getting me off my computer and outside. Strava has gamified exercise for me, and if you know me, you know I love to win.
