Staying Fit

Reworking The Workout: How Community Members are Staying Fit During the Coronavirus Pandemic

June 15, 2020 by Lauren Rosh

With Insights into The Future of Exercise!

On an average day in College Park, Maryland I typically walk between 10,000 and 20,000 steps on my college campus. When my university made the switch to virtual classes for the remainder of the semester and I came back to New York, I did not think I was going to miss walking from class to class as much as I did. For me, staying fit while at home has been all about walking with my family, friends (socially distanced, of course) and even by myself. Doing this allows me to recreate the feeling I have when I’m walking on campus and also gives me peace of mind and time to reflect.

Here are some of the ways other Northern Westchester residents have been staying fit… read on too on for insight on why some fitness enthusiasts aim to continue with online options while others say they are ready to go back to the gym.

ZOOM CALLS

Right now, gyms are offering virtual workout sessions through Zoom to keep members connected with the health club and each other.

One of the ways Chappaqua resident Jeff Samberg has been exercising is logging on to Adina Olan-Ellick’s Breathe Pilates and yoga classes.

“It’s so convenient. I roll out of bed and within five minutes, I am working out in front of the screen in a class, then five minutes after that I can be on a conference call,” said Samberg.

Marcia Heitlinger and her husband belong to Lifetime Fitness. One of their favorite instructors is holding a zoom class on weekdays and Sundays at 6:30 am. The instructor asks for donations through Venmo which she then passes on to the Westchester food bank.

“These Zoom classes are great because they are early enough where I can get the workout in before I do work for the day,” said Heitlinger.

Kristen Acosta’s main source of exercise during this time has been Zoom classes with her instructor, Lisa Gagliardi.

“There are over 70 people that Zoom in to take her class. She has done amazing things to keep our workout community connected.”

Tamara Leopold and her husband are members of Immortal Fitness in Pleasantville and have also been using Zoom to stay in shape. She said owner Tommy Carter maintains the gym community through three Zoom classes everyday excluding Sundays. Carter and his team pre-record the workouts the night before they release them so members of Immortal Fitness can have the classes on demand.

“If you can’t watch them live, you can still do them on your own,” said Leopold.

APPS

The Peloton app is a way people are staying in shape. The company offered a 90-day free trial giving people who were interested access to all their classes ranging from strength training to yoga to cardio and cycling.

Leopold said that they use a traditional spin bike paired with Peloton app as a way to take classes. She also enjoys their weight and yoga classes.

Heather Hecht also loves the accessibility and range of classes the app offers. She completed the 4-week “crush your core” program and when she finds the time she takes anywhere from a 30 to 45-minute yoga class.

Heitlinger also enjoys the yoga feature on the Peloton app. She even will meet up with a friend to do a socially distanced yoga session led by instructors on the app.

USING GYM EQUIPMENT AT HOME

Like the Peloton app, people have also been using a Peloton bike.

Hecht said previous to the stay-at-home orders, she used the Peloton bike in her house mainly on snow days or vacation days when she did not leave the house as much. However, the occasional ride has turned much more frequent as she has found creative ways to make the workout fun.

“With ‘everyone’ riding and the new hashtags, I have joined groups in town. We follow each other, favorite teachers and offer motivation. It keeps it fun,” said Hecht.

Heitlinger and her husband created a gym in one of the rooms in their home. Before gym closures, the room had a spin bike in it. Now, they added a set of weights, rubber mats and a bench.

TIME OUTSIDE

Living in suburbs, there is the advantage of being able to spend active time outside.

In addition to the online classes through Breathe, Samberg has been riding a bike outdoors.

Heitlinger has also been spending time outside and finding ways to safely do so with others. Once a week, she does a socially distanced run with one of her friends.

Hecht has also been taking advantage of the sunshine and returned to the tennis courts outdoors to play singles with her hitting partner.

“It’s definitely great to be back on the courts and they are being super cautious,” said Hecht.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF EXERCISE LOOK LIKE?

The bottom line is that there is a mixed reaction to today’s status quo.

Some people don’t necessarily miss the gym; they may enjoy the time and cost savings and may continue to feel safer staying fit without leaving their homes. Options outside the traditional club memberships satisfy many so they are starting to opt-out, at least temporarily.

Samberg said he recently gave his gym the notice that he would not be returning when they reopen.

“I have been able to get everything I need at home, this has changed my perspective. For smaller studios I plan to go back because I think they can be contained and sanitized and healthy,” said Samberg.

Then there are those who are interested in working out in classes and groups in proximity to live humans, so they are looking forward to getting back to the gyms. They also are bracing themselves for the changes.

“I would like to go to the gym after this, I am a big class person, so I’m a little worried, I do hot yoga and I would love for it to happen again but I do not know if it will,” said Heitlinger.

Yet others are also ready to be adaptable to changes gyms will make when they reopen whether that is smaller classes or stricter guidelines.

“I look forward to going back whatever capacity that is in. We miss being inside the four walls of the gym,” said Leopold.

Also, people are missing the sense of community that is found within a gym. Although health club owners are working hard at maintaining relations with and between members, there is something different about working out with others in person.

“I look forward to the day that I can walk back into my gym and see everyone’s faces. Although I feel connected with everyone from home, there is nothing like that in person, face to face, interaction,” said Acosta.

How Greeley Athletes Stay Fit Over the Summer

June 1, 2018 by Madeline Rosenberg

For most Greeley students, summer is a well-deserved break from the stresses that consume the school year. They no longer spend their days completing piles of homework, waking up at 6:30 a.m., and preparing for exams. During summer, most students can finally relax. But those months off from school can be anything but relaxing for athletes intending to play a fall sport. For these students, every bit of free time that comes with summer is spent training for preseason, which begins in August.

Although running through the heat of summer seems unappealing for many students, Greeley varsity athletes complete ambitious summer training routines over the summer to prepare for their fall sports seasons. Junior Max Notarnicola, a three-season varsity runner, says, “For the first few weeks of the summer, I plan to run about 20-25 miles per week. By the middle of the summer I plan to increase my distance to about 30-35 miles. Leading up to preseason, I plan to run over 45 miles and I will also be doing some speed work on the track. The speed work will most likely include mile repeats at around a five minute pace.” Nortaricola’s demanding summer training will prepare him well for his cross country meets in the fall.

Preparing for the Fall Season

Cross country coach and Spanish teacher Mr. McKenney can attest to the importance of running over the summer to prepare for the upcoming season. “Running and conditioning is our sport. All cross country runners who want to do well need to run over the summer,” McKenney explains. But he admits that not all runners follow as strict of a training regiment as Notarnicola does because “summer commitments and camps make it hard to find the time to run.”

While sports that revolve around running require rigorous training, the workouts that other varsity athletes complete over the summer to prepare for the fall sports season are equally as demanding. Captain of the Greeley Girls Varsity Soccer Team and junior Rebecca Putnam says that she stays active during the summer to stay in “soccer shape,” and tries to vary her workouts to avoid injury, as she works on different parts of her game.

She states, “Two or three mornings a week, I go to my SPARQ (speed, power, agility, reaction, quickness) trainer Andrew Abt in New Rochelle, and three nights a week, I work on technique in a co-ed soccer clinic for serious high school players and college athletes home for the summer. I also practice on my own to improve specific skills like shooting.” As captain, she will also be holding kickarounds for girls who plan to try out for the varsity team.

Younger Athletes Train Just as Hard

Although upperclassmen complete rigorous training schedules to prepare for preseason, younger varsity athletes are just as committed to maintaining their fitness over the summer. A member of the Greeley girls varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams, freshman Grace Arrese explains that she plays on a club lacrosse team four times a week, and also finds time to play on her club field hockey team, which the varsity field hockey coach runs.

Arrese’s training doesn’t stop at team practices and games. “During quiet weeks,” she says, “I go on runs with my sisters and grab a field hockey or lacrosse stick and head to the turf at Greeley.” For a varsity athlete, training for preseason is a time consuming, summer-long commitment. While many non-athletes get discouraged from exercising as the temperature rises, how do Greeley athletes stay committed to their training, especially during summer? Putnam says that she is able to stick to her training plan because she knows that “in the long run, [she] is not only improving [herself], but [she] is also benefiting [her] school and club teams.” She also explains that “improving should always make an athlete excited!”

Keeping Their Eyes on the Prize

Other athletes echo Putnam’s sentiment. “Having a decisive schedule for working out helps me stay committed,” says Notarnicola. Making a plan is the first step to sticking to summer training. He also states that “a strong work ethic is the most important characteristic to staying in shape.” Athletes must be willing to run through 80 degree temperatures, knowing that their preparation will benefit their teams in the fall.

Ultimately, though the training that Greeley varsity athletes complete over the summer is strenuous and time consuming, their hard work to maintain fitness is well worth the effort, because as Grace Arrese explains, “It is the best feeling when I arrive prepared for preseason.”

Stella Schwartz’s Rigorous Training for Division 1 at UMass

June 1, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

As Greeley athletes work on their summer fitness routines, graduating senior Stella Schwartz is prepping to play Division 1 soccer in the Atlantic 10 Conference at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The UMass Women’s Soccer pre-season starts July 31st. That’s when the team moves onto campus and starts to train and practice together. To prepare for pre-season, the coach sends all players a Summer Fitness Packet. The packet includes Strength Training which is lifting weights, Agility Training which is doing small running drills to work on speed and change of direction, Aerobic Training, which is running longer distances like 2 miles or 3 miles, usually within a certain timeframe and a Mobility Circuit, which is a stretching program. The Fitness Packet also includes a calendar that starts in May and goes through pre-season. Each day has a different drill.

Besides working on the UMass Fitness Packet every day, Schwartz trains with a technical coach (who she’s been working with for 4 years) who works with her on all aspects of the technical side of soccer, such as first touch, heading, shooting and body position. “Even though I just received the fitness packet in May, I had already started more serious training on my own last summer, to prepare for college soccer. Starting a training program a few weeks before pre-season camp will not prepare a player to be at their best,” notes Schwartz.

“The biggest difference in playing Division 1 soccer and club soccer is the speed of play and the physicality of the players,” explains Schwartz. “It’s a huge adjustment and can be overwhelming as a freshman.” So another way Schwartz is preparing for Division 1 level soccer this summer is to play with college players on the New York Surf U23 team. They’re a member in the United Women’s Soccer (UWS) summer league. The league is a place where current college players (and graduated college players) can stay on the ball and compete while on summer break. It’s also a place for players to be seen by college coaches if they want to transfer schools or to play at the national level. The team is made up of college players, International players and National players. “It’s a great environment for me to be in because it pushes me to work on areas I need to improve.” Schwartz’s goal is to go into pre-season camp fit, strong and prepared. And it sounds like she’ll be doing just that!

Staying Fit

Reworking The Workout: How Community Members are Staying Fit During the Coronavirus Pandemic

With Insights into The Future of Exercise!