Have you cancelled your gym membership yet?
If so, welcome to the club joined by many others in Toronto.
Leading an active lifestyle has grown in popularity in recent years, but when COVID-19 struck, many people were left looking for an alternative in this new normal.
Some have joined to a new trend: digital fitness.
Toronto resident Ryan MacSween took to social media to take part in the digital fitness trend.
“The pandemic has highlighted for us our physical and mental health, whether we like it or not,” MacSween said. “People can no longer ignore it and leave it on the back burner. It’s become clear to us through the pandemic how important our mental and physical health are.”
MacSween has just finished his 46th week of multi-day online fitness classes through the Balmy Beach Club located in the Beaches community.
Fitness professionals have also taken a huge hit and some have shifted to a digital style of training with their clients. Holistic fitness coach Xuan Nguyen-Marshall has taken her practice online to support her clients.
“I’m kind of enjoying the online space, like I enjoy the programming for people. I love the online classes it’s super accessible for people now,” Nguyen-Marshall said.
Zoom classes, live-stream fitness, leisurely plugging into workouts from the comfort of our own homes — these have become ways we have stayed active.
The pandemic has had an impact especially on those of us who live in a colder climate. It’s not as simple to go for a run when the snow outside covers everything in sight. The windchill is far too sharp and footing is too easily lost. But now similar workouts can be accomplished from the comfort on our own homes.
Fitness culture for Canadians has changed but how we will adapt over the long term is still unclear. After the pandemic, will we stick to the newly learned habits of the past year — staying in isolation, with a lack of activities and staying indoors?
Nguyen-Marshall thinks not.
“I feel, of course, people will want to be back in person and be back to normal,” she said. “But I think the digital aspect will never go away.”