BOSTON — From chalking up to booting up, mandating COVID-19 closures has meant gyms like CrossFit Southie have had to change the way they do business faster than you can say 3, 2, 1.
"You just have to do what you can to get through the next six to eight weeks, whatever it ends up being, and get by with the bills that you have and do what you need to do to make sure your business can still stay afloat on the other side," said Amy Gosler, CrossFit Southie.
Owners Chris and Amy Gosler let members borrow equipment to take home and moved classes online to keep their memberships engaged. They even have a quarantine 15 challenge where participants can earn points for activity and acts of kindness.
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“I think initially, we weren’t sure people were even gonna take stuff and in a couple of days, we were cleaned out. As you know, CrossFit community, everybody is super active and wants to stay active during this time,” said Chris.
Rev’d Indoor Cycling went digital overnight and kept members in the saddle by allowing them to rent bikes. Owner Meaghan St. Marc and crew delivered bikes to the front porch.
"We have people with our bikes in their homes, and they're able to access classes and see their instructor on a weekly basis under normal circumstances, and for those who couldn't get a bike, we did some classes off the bike," said St. Marc.
Trillfit founder Heather White says their online classes have over 100 people joining them in from around the world, a farther reach than they've ever had before. White says it's do or die time for boutique fitness.
"Some business, if they can't pivot, many have to close and I think my biggest advice to other businesses is you have to find a way to pivot. You have to and if you can't figure out how to adapt, your business plan and your model to the current surroundings, you will get left behind," said White.
Personal trainer and nutritionist Ashley Mitchell says the silver lining is working out has never been easier with free or steeply-discounted classes tailored to the at-home setup with or without equipment and panic shopping has made eating healthy easy, too.
“All the pasta and beans, that sort of stuff gone and then the product is untouched and I’m like, hello! This is an opportunity to cook with fresh ingredients,” said Mitchell. “Now that we have the time, we can really focus on intutitive eating, what does my body need to survive versus what do I want to reduce whatever stress or anxiety I’m feeling.”
Her tips are to eat when you’re hungry, cook meals with fresh ingredients, limit sugar intake and the snacks you bring home, and keep snacks out of reach to avoid temptation.
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