> How could someone not find a schedule that works for them now

My answer to that question is having children while no longer being able to outsource childcare.

I'm in the same boat there but I'm training more consistently than I ever have. I have a double stroller so I take the boys running, or I load them up and do sprints uphill if I don't feel like going for a long run. It's not unlike pushing a sled. I also set the littlest one up in his bouncer while the 2 year old plays with the tools in my garage and watches me lift weights or do pull-ups. Exercise can and should be a family activity. On the weekends my wife and I each throw a kid on our back and go for a ruck in the forest.

You can also use children like a kettlebell. They love it and it's a great workout. The two year old also loves to help me with push-ups and planks by climbing on or under me.

> > The only people I know who seem to feel really good about their COVID fitness levels are those who prioritized it before the pandemic and are so committed that they were willing and able to figure out alternatives.

> Definitely not my experience. I was going to the gym regularly before: lifting weights and cycling. Post pandemic I've lost 5 pounds thanks to cycling outdoors, swimming outdoors, lugging heavy bags camping in the wilderness, Ring Fit, Just Dance, Box VR, Audica, Beat Saber, yoga and pilates TV shows, and first one set of resistance bands and now a second more advanced set. Started doing acroyoga with my girlfriend, which is a blast.

Am I reading this wrong? You said "definitely not my experience" and then validated everything he said. Looks more like "definitely my experience".

It's very difficult for many people to change their routines, especially where fitness is concerned, even more so when paired with the anxiety of the pandemic.

My wife is just like you. She went from daily workouts in the gym to daily workouts with Nike Training, running outdoors, and Yoga with Down Dog. I'm in the other camp, I went from very regular (but not daily) training in the gym and schedule-permitting Muay Thai to a month of depression to a few weeks of inconsistent home workouts before I finally fell into a great routine that's close to my wife's but with more weight training. My wife had made fitness a big part of her life for years and she was used to changing it up; I had a routine that I was happy with but it was a struggle to even get there and when it changed, I had a really hard time building up momentum again.

These are just a couple anecdotes, everyone is different, but I know more people whose experiences are closer to mine than my wife's or yours. It probably has a lot to do with the circles we all travel in -- I don't know a lot of people who were very fit before COVID so I'm less likely to know them now -- but I don't think we should overlook how challenging it is to change fitness habits. I think we're entering a great age of home fitness options but I'm not convinced that it's going to radically transform the health of as many people as the companies operating in this space would like it to.

Prior to the pandemic I had from 8 - 2 each day to work out as my kids were in school. With the kids home now its pretty difficult. Compounding this is that I cant actually take them anywhere to blow off steam, and outside time is pretty limited as its crazy hot outside (I am in the south).

The pandemic has really not been conducive to me remaining fit. Young kids complicate things massively.

Also have no friends right now and not the best time to make any... so things are going great :)

Just popping in to say...that sounds hard, brother (or sister). I feel you and keep going. This time too shall pass, and keep investing in the things you know are important even if they feel for now like they're not working.

A lot of people are only socially motivated to fitness: 1) With less socialization in general, less motivation towards fitness. (The "who cares if I am a fat slob if no one sees me outside of the house?" problem.) 2) Gym tools like personal trainers are an "accountability-buddy", a big reason why they are such a common gym amenity is that some people need that "mentor that keeps me accountable" or other peer pressures of a gym environment.

You can only do so much social motivation over Zoom.