While young South Florida fitness enthusiasts find creative ways to stay in shape, personal trainers in their 20s struggle to pay the bills during the coronavirus pandemic.
Daniela Vidal, a 26-year-old spinning instructor at Redbike Studio, has been leading her classes in an empty studio, using Instagram live to stay connected with her clients.
RedBike Studio is one of the few spinning studios that continue to offer classes.
“Since spinning is one of those things you cannot
just pull out a mat and do at home, we have actually rented those 85 bikes [from the studio] out to our clients,” said Vidal.
But Vidal is struggling to pay her rent. She relies on her live classes and its attendees to pay the bills. “Before the quarantine, I taught 11 live classes a week. Now I only teach three on Instagram live,” she said.
Many gyms are moving their classes online, including Coconut Grove-based Body & Soul. Members still pay their monthly fees and are given access to their online classes.
Body & Soul member Nicklas Campagna, 24, said he decided to suspend his membership for 60 days. That doesn’t mean he stopped working out, though. (Full disclosure: The reporter has a personal relationship with Campagna.)
“I built a home gym,” he said. “I always start with strength training, using one of my four main compounds. Then, I do a circuit of high-intensity interval training.”
Anna Kadushin, a 39-year-old part-time yoga teacher at Prana Yoga in Coral Gables, said she’s using her time to try new things in her routine. The marketing operations manager said she isn’t worried about the loss of income because it isn’t her full-time job.
“I’ve been finding and doing YouTube videos and Prana has been doing classes on Zoom,” she said.
Like many South Florida residents, Kadushin takes the occasional walk around her neighborhood and tries to remain healthy and connected despite the social distancing rules.
“A friend and I have been FaceTiming and doing weights and other exercise routines,” she said.
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a series describing the transformational effect of coronavirus on the young. For more stories, click here.)
