Shifting gears

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/05/2020 (2134 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As COVID-19 restrictions continue, gym-goers have had to improvise and figure out new ways to stay active.

Flights of stairs, living rooms, basements and garages are doing double duty as spaces to exercise. Milk jugs, soup cans and pieces of furniture are finding new life as fitness equipment.

With gyms closed, we’re all doing our best to stay motivated and make do with our domestic surroundings. Staying active not only benefits you physically, it’s also incredibly important for keeping a healthy mental state. But getting a workout in when the world is in chaos might not be top of mind.

Olivia Retter was a regular fitness instructor until mid-March, teaching spin classes at WPG Cycle and her own boot camps. Since COVID-19 forced the spin studio to close its doors, she has had to make adjustments.

“(My routine) has completely changed. Prior to the pandemic, I was at WPG Cycle every day, sweating and working with a great group of people,” she says. “Now I try to seek that community feel through the internet, but it takes effort and self motivation.”

Retter, who’s pregnant with her second child, has been following a home pregnancy fitness guide, but says it has been a mental struggle to motivate herself to work out with a toddler running around.

“Going from having a set place to get a high-energy release to creating the time and space at home can be difficult,” she says.

Switching to a home workout routine isn’t easy. It takes commitment. And one of the biggest blows to our motivation is the loss of social training activities like group classes. Luckily, many fitness experts, apps and studios are doing their part to help us stay in shape.

Many people have turned to Instagram Live to get their home-workout fix, including Retter. Since gyms were forced to close, local fitness studios have stepped up, providing free, live-streamed classes on Instagram or Zoom. And some of these studios now offer digital monthly subscriptions to their online platforms. These digital classes cover everything from high-octane boot camps to calming meditation sessions.

Social media — Instagram in particular — can be an effective tool for motivating people to exercise, according to a new study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, which publishes peer-reviewed research across the psychological sciences.

Retter has missed spinning on a bike so much that she decided to purchase one for her home. It hasn’t arrived yet but she believes the investment will be worth it.

“I’ve been really missing the bike, and seeing as I’m due in September with baby No. 2, I know it’ll be difficult to get out to the studio even after it opens again,” she says. “I did loads of research, asked Instagram, weighed my options and decided on the Bowflex spin bike. I guarantee I’ll be using it daily once it arrives.”

While some prefer exercise as a way to relieve stress and stay healthy, others need it to fuel their competitive edge.

Physiotherapist Stephanie Roberecki is an endurance athlete. She’s an avid runner and cyclist who has completed more than 100 races, including 13 marathons. But when her clinic closed its doors in March and she wasn’t able to work, her regular exercise routine fell into a funk.

“Self motivation was a really big problem initially,” she says. “Not being able to go to work to do what I love hit me very hard. The uncertainty and the inability to deliver in-person service was very difficult.”

Normally during this time of year, Roberecki would be training and running in real-life races, including the Birds Hill Park triathlon. And as race director of the Physio Fit Run, she would have been celebrating its 30th anniversary on May 9, when it was originally scheduled to take place at Assiniboine Park.

A change in gears also meant her Ironman Camp in British Columbia was a no-go.

“The biggest influence COVID has had on my exercise routine is the uncertainty of upcoming races,” she says. “Training for Ironman is a life-consuming beast and it’s difficult to dive into workouts if the race isn’t going to happen.”

Training for an Ironman also requires swim-training. Roberecki would typically swim laps at the Pan Am Pool but hasn’t been able to since everything shut down.

“There’s literally been no swimming for two months,” she says. “Hard to train for a 3.8-kilometre swim without a pool.”

But with all races and trips cancelled, she’s had to find new inspiration. So she decided to tackle her races virtually.

While scrolling on Facebook, Roberecki noticed a friend’s post about the Ironman Virtual Club, a free, web-based platform for athletes to train, compete and connect from anywhere around the world at any time. This was right in her wheelhouse — she has already completed five Ironman triathlons.

Virtual races have been going on for a couple of years, but the global pandemic has given them extra attention.

“I was impressed and felt like I needed something new to motivate me. So I signed up,” she says.

Her first competition? A virtual duathlon. Over the course of a weekend, with her triathlon bike set up in her home, she covered a three-km run, 40-km bike ride and an additional 10-km run.

She’s also kept her competitive juices flowing through Zwift, an indoor-training platform. The online training tool connects to devices on your at-home bike and uses its data, such as speed and power, to simulate virtual races and workouts on your computer or television. Cyclists can ride on a series of courses against other riders from all around the world. Roberecki has even connected and virtually met up with fellow Winnipeggers on the app.

‘The (virtual) meetups are super fun and allow you to connect with friends and fellow athletes while inspiring you to push yourself out of your comfort zone,” she says. “The meet-ups have definitely added a fun, competitive component.”

Though, Roberecki adds that nothing quite compares to the camaraderie and feelings of community of an actual race.

“I miss seeing all my fellow runners,” she says. “And the nods of encouragement, high-fives and sprint finishes on race day.”

She was set to run in the WPS Half Marathon, Manitoba Half Marathon, Hecla Half Ironman and Penticton Ironman, among several others this year.

“It was going to be a very big goal year for me,” she says. “My mom passed away last year and I was devastated and struggling through 2019.”

For now, Roberecki’s goals have shifted. Slightly.

“On my current list? A virtual sprint duathlon is the only race confirmed at this point. The rest is up in the air.”

So how do we get our exercise motivation back? Like under normal circumstances, it’s all about balance. The guilt cycle is a brutal one: feel guilty about not being motivated, skip a workout, feel guilty about skipping a workout. Don’t go there.

Remember, what worked for you pre-COVID can still be effective — do what suits you, establish and maintain a routine and focus on how exercise makes you feel. And don’t be too hard on yourself.

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