Happy Friday—and May!
It’s a deeply weird time, but time is indeed passing. “To paraphrase Anton Chekhov and/or The Spice Girls: Tell me what you miss, and I’ll tell you who you are,” wrote Amy Shearn in a recent piece in Forge. Shearn says to close your eyes and envision the thing you miss most right now, without judgement or overthinking. For me, it’s swimming.
It’s not just the weightlessness, the quiet, the meditation, the light filtering through the water. It’s also the exertion, the endorphins, the slow exorcism of the ya-ya’s.
But alas, my public pool and LA’s beaches are closed, so I—like millions of other gym rats, yogis, ClassPassers, and SoulCyclists—am seeking other ways to get my ya-ya’s out. I’ve been running and then, when a knee started to bug me, walking. And for the first time, I’ve gone online for workouts.
This rapidly growing and evolving sector of the fitness industry is the topic of our latest Quartz field guide, the Home Fitness Boom. My colleagues and I spoke with wildly smart and interesting (and ripped) industry players about where this is all going and how we consumers can make the most of it. Here are the goods: some sweaty, some free, and one endorsed by both my mom and Fleabag‘s hot priest.
One thing at a time. This tip comes from Erica Rallo—not a home fitness magnate, but Quartz’s marketing manager. Rather than losing motivation in the morass of YouTube, Instagram, and the app store, Erica decided to choose just one provider at a time, give them a week or two, then assess whether to stick around or move on.
This is how I wound up spending two weeks of a free trial period devoted to Taryn Toomey’s The Class—a Goop-endorsed combination of breath work, cardio, sculpt, and yelling. I was super-judgy while I did it, but afterwards my triceps and butt were sore and I slept like a baby. Ultimately, I decided the limited live sessions weren’t worth my $40 per month, but it was fun while it lasted. (Toomey is co-hosting a $10 class on noon ET Thursday with Naomi Watts, with 100% of proceeds going to the WHO’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund.)
More free trials! I’ve since moved on to Peloton Digital, for which I have a leisurely 90 days of free cardio, yoga, stretching, and more (and do not need a $2,000 stationary bike). I’ve done a few of the audio runs and walks, and find they make me do things like “lift through the crown of my head” and push myself a smidge harder. But honestly, so does listening to Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals for the 977th time.
I’m also trying JetSweat, which hosts on-demand classes from buzzy boutique studios like Sky Ting Yoga and modelFit on an iOS app or website. (I do it on my laptop and screencast to the TV.) Because there’s a good deal of variety, from CrossFit to meditation—and they say more new classes are coming soon—JetSweat could be good for a family to share. It’s free for 30 days with the code WFH, and then $19.99/month.
📣 Speaking of free trials. The Home Fitness Boom series—including a look back at proto-Pelotons including the 1890 “Horse-Action Saddle”—is available with Quartz membership, along with many other exclusive stories, guides, and videos. Click here for 40% off your first year of membership and, yes, there’s a one-week free trial period. 📣
Locals rule. If you are missing weekly check-ins at your local yoga studio or gym, check in! As Katherine Foley wrote, they likely have some online offerings to keep those membership dues coming. (Also, according to Foley, it’s better if you know your classmates when your partner inadvertently flashes the Zoom class, as hers did. But is it? Worth reading, regardless.)
I interviewed Sian Fujikawa, the cofounder of LA’s Love Yoga, about her studio’s rapid shift to online classes. Theirs are available for $6 to non-members and Love is also teaming up with local businesses to sponsor free classes. (Smart!) Many teachers are updating their Instagrams with the dates and times of their latest Zoom sessions. See what your local faves are up to.
Leave your spirit lighter. “Just finished dancing with Ryan!” my 74-year-old mom texted me on a recent Wednesday morning. She was referring to Ryan Heffington, the short-shorted and generously mustachioed choreographer and owner of the LA dance studio The Sweat Spot—and perhaps the pandemic’s breakout star.
With his lo-fi, high-energy Instagram Live “SweatFests,” Heffington has started a free singalong dance party to which he handily welcomes several thousand people five times per week to do moves like “the happy hippie” and “the used-car lot inflatable.” The playlists are great, and so is his energy. He is silly and fun but also inclusive and thoughtful. His spirit was palpable at the end of a recent session when he said, “It’s gonna cut off. Thank you. I love you guys.”
In addition to my mom, Fleabag’s hot priest Andrew Scott, Reese Witherspoon, and Pink have all endorsed the Sweatfest. It’s free but I was moved to donate $25 after my first one.
Less fun, more utilitarian (and free). When I really need to sweat, I turn to the easily searchable videos at FitnessBlender, which are blessedly music-free, so I can play my own. And for a reliably chill yoga fix, Yoga with Adriene is beloved for good reason.
Be careful out there. As Sarah Todd wrote, one of the many benefits of online fitness is that when no one else can see you, you’re less likely to contort yourself to keep up. On the other hand, it’s harder to make sure you’re safely using the correct form.
Michael Tabb spoke to experts who see the consequences when we get overzealous with new workouts. For this Quartz video Jimmy Guerrero, a trainer at Evolution Physical Therapy, led a few of us through a video course in “mobility training.” I highly recommend looking into this, even if your joints don’t feel creaky. Physical therapists and trainers like Guerrero are booking telehealth sessions. The “open book,” which Guerrero demonstrates above, feels amazing after a few hours at the computer.
Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to stretch!
[quartzy-signature]
A stroll through New York. This time of year, when I usually make a pilgrimage east, really makes me miss New York City. On morning walks this week, I got a little fix thanks to two episodes of The New York Times’ The Daily. Columnist Roger Cohen’s lovelorn lament for the return of his city translated particularly well to audio. (His is a voice made for podcasting.) And Gabrielle Hamilton’s magazine story about closing her East Village restaurant Prune—at least for now—was poetic, pragmatic, and perfect for a 45-minute walk.