I swim both at home and in the ocean + mountain bike regularly.

Absolutely no need for an expensive home gym, a fitness trainer to coddle me, or a gym membership.

My weights consist of concrete-filled restaurant tomato cans with a steel bar inserted between them.

Exercising alone and outdoors is one way to reduce the odds of contracting Covid-19 from others and it is cost effective.

It also saves money for other luxuries
like my new Porsche.

It depends what you find valuable...and if you are simply after a workout.

Some people crave the social interaction of a gym/sports/dance/martialart membership. Some people just cannot replicate the variety and quality of equipment at a fitness club. Others find the professional help to be completely worth the added expense. Others find they do just fine by themselves in their garage or running around trails, etc.

I started teaching Karate classes online just prior to the official restrictions required gyms to shut down last March. And I plan to continue them indefinitely because now I have people all over the world attending my classes remotely.

Now that we are back to in-person options, there are many more people coming to classes than when we were virtual-only. And this is due to a variety of factors but probably mostly because Karate is a skill that really requires an experienced instructor and is best done in three dimensions/live. Dance is similar. Many find that they can do the most basic yoga routines or weight-lifting with their existing knowledge/experience. But when you want to take your skills to the next level, you really need to have a teacher who knows what they are doing. Again, it really depends what you are after...

Human interaction (especially when working out on an individual level) is overrated.

It is nothing more than a distraction unless one is a needy type who needs others to validate their efforts.

For me, it's more of a premium to pay for these mediocre gyms. Not only that, but these mask/vaccine mandates are ridiculous. It's already hard enough to breathe when you are trying to bulk up and get a good a lift in, but you have to wear the diapers on your face.

I don't think I'll ever go back into a gym. I'll just stick to my Peloton, MIRROR gym, Bowflex, and other cross fit equipment that I keep in my other garage/yoga studio that is designated only for workouts.

When they come to their senses and drop the mask requirement in favor of having people sign waivers I'll start thinking about resuming my gym membership. Masks get disgusting and uncomfortable very quickly during a workout. They are not designed for it and there's no data showing that they do anything significant in a gym setting so it's just an uncomfortable grossout with no point except to make other people feel safe somehow, I guess?

The gym is just a convenience anyway and there are plenty of other options. Saving money is a great side benefit too.

I feel sure I have read over the years about the amount of exercise equipment that is unused, gathering dust, in people's homes. Craigslist and buy & sell sites seem to be full of equipment no longer wanted and hardly used. During the pandemic people appeared to buy and use the equipment partly for the desire to exercise but also because we all had more time on our hands that made us look for things to do in a way that was not the case before.

These home gyms may take a little longer to fall into the unused category particularly as many crave to social interaction as well as the group challenge. Of course the modern equipment and apps attempt to recreate those incentives at home, but I suspect that for many returning to a physical gym will happen on a gradual basis particularly as masking inside becomes less necessary.

I think we are all getting tired of the isolation and crave more human interactions. Whether it be in a work/ school setting, or in a gym, being surrounded by real people appears to be a deep human need.

This is perhaps a bit off topic, however I travel between PA, Santa Monica and La Jolla every two months (to visit my kids and grandkids and also OC and SoCal friends). I've taken note that starting at Santa Barbara, masks, distancing and other protocols seem to diminish, just an observation I make frequently.

Sadly, if you offer the following question to local bay area blue social media warriors, 'would you be willing to wear a mask forever'? The overwhelming answer will be an immediate "YES!" even before you provide hypothetical requirements. I think it's because they credit Covid restrictions in beating Trump so they believe that by continuing to wear a mask even when fully vaxxed and dwindling case numbers locally, they are 'owning the cons' to keep doing so. Yes, it is embarrassing, but there you go...

I agree with JBS on this. Mask wearing around Palo Alto has taken a political stance. Those who wear masks while in their cars by themselves, hiking in the hills, riding bikes or skateboards, probably think they are saving the planet from climate change as well as saying no to the recall.

Humor aside, I do believe the more political a person feels, the more they wear the mask. Perhaps it is subconscious, or perhaps not. But yes, some seem quite happy to wear one for ever.

@AlexDeLarge/a resident of Midtown

I've noticed this too...especially in Orange & San Diego Counties.

Whether vaxed or unvaxed, the younger folks seem to have an aversion to wearing face masks in public and the local businesses don't emphasize its necessity or importance in most situations (i.e. while indoors).

Exercise is healthy, especially during a pandemic. My gym membership is frozen. It doesn't make any sense to wear a mask while exercising. Walking and hiking will do.

I'm doing cartwheels, handstands, back flips and the splits like I was still a cheerleader in youth football, high school and college. I haven't lost my agility, but I'm way past the age where I should be doing this. It relieves frustration.

Masks have become political to some people. I think it's your comfort level more than anything.

- Jennifer/a resident of another community

I loved being a cheerleader in both high school and at a small college in Kentucky.

The attention is most gratifying and I tried several times to become an NFL cheerleader but was disqualified due to gender bias...so unfair.

In my spare time and due to various gym restrictions, I also practice my former cheerleading routines in the back yard and quietly yearn for the days when I was out on the sidelines dancing and performing various gymnastic maneuvers with the other girls.

And at 55, I still have all the right moves!

My cousin was a male cheerleader at Oklahoma and he reveled at the opportunity to display both his exuberance and the opportunity to date a few members of the football team.

I suspect that most male cheerleaders are gay and this recreational outlet provides them with an added opportunity to be a part of the bigger sports picture.

Of note, there will NEVER be male cheerleaders in the NFL because both ownership and the paying spectator base would find it unnecessary and visually unappealing.

It's true. I, myself, have invested a lot in building my at-home gym, especially during the pandemic. I find it more comfortable and relaxing now. I haven't been to the gym for a year now, now that I'm thinking about it. Amazing.