Image: Cleveland Clinic - https://health.clevelandclinic.org/head-toe-benefits-cardio-workout-infographic/
I talk to Bri Cawley, a personal trainer based in Chicago, about health, how the pandemic has changed the fitness industry, and why it’s important to keep moving during lockdowns.
When COVID-19 restrictions went into effect early last year, the fitness industry took a massive hit. Gym closures and other limitations led to an estimated 480,000 jobs lost by Oct. 1, 2020, according to a report by the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association. Now, nearly a year after the lockdowns fundamentally changed how we interact with each other, the $94 billion fitness industry has reinvented itself by going online.
But, while Zoom sessions, fitness apps, and high-speed internet make it possible for people to remain in contact with trainers during the pandemic, online communication cannot reproduce the distinctiveness of face-to-face interaction – a defining feature of the fitness industry. Moreover, even though lockdowns are a necessary and scientifically proven way of stopping the spread of COVID-19, they come with their own set of non-virus related health risks. From weight-gain, increased blood pressure, and heart disease, to insomnia, depression, and anxiety, staying put for long periods – as we have all been doing – poses significant physical and mental health challenges.
How has the fitness industry changed? Will gyms ever be a thing again? And how are personal trainers reshaping both the nature and substance of their profession during the pandemic?
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Episode 4: Lockdown Fitness