*Ping*
My phone rings with a notification from my Peloton app. I earned a badge for a 10-week streak of exercise. I smile with a sense of pride and accomplishment, something I have not felt about exercise in quite a while. More notifications come in as my Strava friends give me kudos on my most recent yoga workout.
For once, I’m not immediately dismissing them as an annoyance in my day or a reminder of what I’m not doing. What do I have to thank for this newfound dedication to my physical and mental well being? An unfortunate global event keeping me and millions of others at home.
Nearly every article about keeping yourself physically and mentally healthy during the COVID-19 “stay home” period mentions the importance of exercise. Even before this crisis, healthcare providers told us ad nauseum the importance of physical movement to aid in prevention and treatment for everything from heart disease and diabetes to depression and anxiety. But if you are anything like me, taking care of yourself often falls to the bottom of your to do list as work, caring for others, and errands become more immediate needs.
The COVID-19 stay-at-home orders are causing many of us to reexamine how we spend our time and care for ourselves. When we began staying home nearly two months ago, I was already upping my fitness game having purchased a Peloton bike. But as my work and home routines shifted, that bike became my unexpected lifeline to wellness and community.
The more time I spent working from home, the more I realized how important my 35-minute subway commute became how I decompress from the workday. Now my commute is about three feet, leading to me staying in work mode longer and not taking time for myself. I began using the Peloton app’s vast library of cycling, yoga, and strength workouts to create a “commute” for myself where I could zone out, release frustration, and sing at the top of my lungs to Whitney Houston songs (my partner luckily has great headphones).
I found many of my “in real life” friends and family were also using the app, namely my younger sister. Soon our routines, besting each other in the gamification elements of the app, and discussing what hilarious thing our favorite instructor Cody said became a main topic of conversation. I began tracking my bike miles and other workouts in Strava, where friends gave me “kudos” on my workout, keeping me accountable and feeling the praise I’d normally get from a trainer or instructor in the gym.
That personal and community-based motivation can make the difference for someone beginning a workout no matter the global state of affairs. That’s something App Association member WeStrive knows well. WeStrive’s mission is rooted in “…the belief that every person, regardless of fitness level or economic status, deserves to become the perfect version of themselves,” and that belief resulted in creating the first-ever marketplace to connect personal trainers with clients through a range of plans at every price point.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, WeStrive’s app allowed trainers to grow their brand and client base with virtual training offerings and let exercisers get the motivation they needed without the sometimes-intimidating environment of the gym. Now with gyms closed due to stay home orders, WeStrive’s platform has new relevancy in creating much needed income for trainers with virtual sessions. And as many people are embarking on new fitness routines to stay healthy, WeStrive opened its app to a 30-day free trial for new users or those missing their local gym.
Similarly, you don’t need the Peloton bike or treadmill to enjoy the offerings on their app right now. Peloton made the app free for 90 days to new users starting a fitness routine or curious to what exactly that “Peloton wife” in the ad had going on. Both WeStrive and Peloton’s apps are available in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. These are just two of numerous fitness apps helping us all find a little movement and personal connection in our day right now. It’s unfortunate that it took this crisis for me to finally make time for meaningful self care, but now that I have that 10-week badge, getting to a 20-week streak is a challenge I am ready to rock.