2023年2月4日

今天淩晨1點31分。卡羅爾·澤克在新冠肺炎期間擴建和更新了她的家庭健身房，增加了高科技的NordicTrack和空中瑜伽吊床。她說，考慮到這些設備、先進的技術和便利，她再也不會想到自己會回到戶外健身房了。(由瑪尼·詹姆森提供)盡管我不能說這場大流行有多少好處，但我不得不承認，它給我們的生活帶來了一些，非常少的改善。例如，我們掌握了Zoom。現在我們可以更少地親自參加會議，更多地穿著瑜伽褲參加會議。但也許最健康的發展是家庭健身房的興起。隨著健身俱樂部卷起瑜伽墊，健身房細菌恐懼症改變了我們的健身習慣——假設我們有健身習慣——並驅使忠實的鍛練者在家裏創造鍛煉空間，或者自己建造更好的鍛煉空間。根據市場研究公司NPD集團的數據，2020年美國家庭健身設備的銷量增長了84%。分析人士說，近三年過去了，這一趨勢沒有放緩的跡象。現在，我並不是說大流行促進了全國範圍內的健康和健身。相反，很多美國人感染了“covid - 19”。 For those who did not have a fitness routine, covid was the perfect excuse to skip the gym. However, for those who felt the need to occasionally do something better with their time than binge watch episodes of "Friends" and eat potato chips, home workouts provided a healthier alternative. And guess what? Once folks outfitted their spaces, they liked it. "While the pandemic drove many fitness enthusiasts to create full-blown workout spaces at home, rapid advancements in fitness technology are now keeping them there," said Matt Berenc, head of training and technology for FORME, a home fitness company that offers smart training and fitness services. In other words, home gyms are not only on the rise, but they are also here to stay. Carol Zurcher, of Winter Park, Fla., is among those not turning back. Before the pandemic, Carol had a small home gym, which she used twice a week. She also swam at her club two days a week and went to barre class or to aerial yoga three days. I don't know about you, but this makes me feel both tired and inadequate. When quarantine prevented her from going to her barre studio or aerial yoga classes, she decided to amp up her home gym. She remodeled to make it larger and replaced her low-tech treadmill with a NordicTrack outfitted with iFit technology. When, during the gym remodel, workers discovered a large support beam, she used it to hang an aerial yoga hammock. Now, she swims twice a week, and works out five days a week at home either visiting foreign countries on her treadmill, or streaming aerial yoga classes online. "I don't think I'll ever go to an outside gym again," she said. Here, according to Berenc, are some of the ways digital solutions have made exercising at home, once a boring slog, a lot more fun: ◼️ Apps for all. You name the workout — pilates, weightlifting, yoga, boxing, cycling — and you can find an app that will play a workout program on your mobile device or television putting professional home workouts at your fingertips. What often makes the programs, such as those available through platforms like Peloton and iFit, so popular are the world-class trainers who are also fun to hang with, the option of working out on any continent, in addition to the ability to go where you want when you want on your own. ◼️ Classes get personal. Today's technology lets you take classes with your friends across the country or around the world, and dial in the instructor, workout duration and environment (beach, rain forest, mountain) you crave. For those who want to go beyond working out with fit personalities and get more feedback, companies like FORME and LuluLemon Mirror can beam personal trainers into your home on demand. . "The ability to digitally connect those working out at home with a trainer live through their devices has really rocked the home-fitness movement forward," Berenc said. ◼️ Reflective trainers. Smart mirrors with built-in cameras can provide training as well. You work out facing the mirror and the camera watches to give feedback on your form. "The camera has built-in software that looks for anatomical landmarkers on your body as you work out, so it can let members know if they're moving the right way, or not," Berenc explained. Artificial intelligence prompts you to adjust if you're too low, too high, or too fast, and to step it up if you're slacking. ◼️ Get away in place. The built-in videos that let you work out while taking virtual adventures is what makes working out at home work for many, including Zurcher. "I just did a free weight class at the Rose Bowl," she said. Join me next week for budget friendly ways to set up a home gym. Marni Jameson is the author of six home and lifestyle books, including "What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want." ADVERTISEMENT