Keeping up the workouts — at home
Before the pandemic, Chicagoland gyms would be flooded with patrons looking to attack their New Year's resolutions at this time of the year.
But the new climate is leading to a shift in area residents seeking alternative methods to stay in shape to avoid attending crowded gyms or health centers to avoid COVID-19. The Jan. 3 mandate that called for Cook County gyms to ensure that visitors are fully vaccinated added another factor that led to more area residents choosing to exercise outdoors or at makeshift in-home gyms.
North Barrington resident Caryn Blanke, an avid runner who competes in marathons and Ironmans, shifted her training due to the growing concerns over COVID-19 and the omicron variant.
Blanke, a Buffalo Grove High School graduate, combated boredom and not being able to run in competitive events for over a year with several changes, including adding more equipment to her basement gym. She even organized a local marathon with a few of her neighbors, which included a sign-in area, competitor name cards and numbers. Several family members and friends cheered during the 26.2-mile route on Oct. 31, 2020.
“I'm a triathlete, so I run and bike outside but also bike indoors in my basement in the winter,” Blanke said. “During COVID, I strictly ran outside with my friends. COVID changed not racing triathlons for me, so we set up a running group with three women, all moms, who run together. The pandemic made me slow down, have more rest days and also made me really stick to a routine. Every Saturday, for example, we run. It gives us something to look forward to doing, almost like our social hour and also it's a huge stress relief.”
Blanke said she and her husband set up their basement to incorporate their workouts, plus to give their three boys an area to exercise. They added free weights, a pair of bikes on a trainer with a TV in front of them along with a wrestling mat.
“My husband and I do more lifting in the basement. I've definitely been doing more lifting in the pandemic,” she said. “What's helped me is having a partner to workout with, in my case my husband, during the week and the women that I run with on Saturday.
“Working out keeps us young and it's good to take care of yourselves.”
Blanke said her family is spending more time together during the pandemic, inlcuding walking their new dog. “The pandemic took some pressure off of normal training for me. I'm still goal-oriented.”
Wheaton resident Mark Priebe was among the millions across the globe that had to switch from working at the office to working from home. Priebe said the pandemic shifted his workouts, too.
“I've always kept a balance of working out at home and at the gym,” Priebe said. “I used to be a member at a gym closer to the office that offered a pool for lap swimming, which you cannot do at home obviously. With the pandemic and our office being remote, workouts have been mainly at home.”
Priebe said he added equipment to enhance his workout area in his basement, plus it allows his two kids to expand their workouts.
He bought a Nordic Track treadmill and bike and a Tonal home gym, which allows his family to incorporate a full body workout in an all-in-one system.
“With my gym membership paused and all my workouts at home or outside, I've gotten much more use of the new Tonal for building strength and flexibility,” Priebe said. “Throughout the pandemic, I felt I really took advantage of the extra time at home to fit in those workouts. What also helped is that we have a dedicated space in the basement for the equipment. That helps you keep focus. The bike and Tonal are used quite a bit by our kids.”
Priebe said his home gym allows him to spend more time with his family, both due to not driving to the gym along with doing workouts together.
“Both my wife and our 14-year-old son (Foster) have vastly improved their strength and have learned quite a lot on proper form,” he said. “Our daughter loves to swim, so her focus is still the swim team, but she's starting to balance it with workouts at home.”
Schaumburg native Nathan Wilson said he was an avid gym attendee for several decades until the pandemic hit, leading him to put safety above his desires to attend a crowded heath club. Wilson said he reluctantly started running outside early in the pandemic, while adding pushups, situps and pullups to his regular routine.
“It was very hard for me to change my whole routine and workouts,” he said. “But I didn't have many other choices. We couldn't go to gyms. A few months into it, I started liking the changes. My body responded to the workouts and patterns. I gained 10 pounds of muscle and my body fat dropped. It's become my new life. I even save money and time not driving to or attending a gym.”