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In the first month of COVID-19 lockdowns alone, Americans increased their spending on online workouts by 125%, according to Cardlytics ad platform that partners with banks to track consumer spending. And purchases of at-home fitness equipment were 130% higher than they were the year prior, according to the NPD Group, one of the world's largest market research companies.

"With big box gyms being closed around the world, home gyms are becoming more of the norm," says certified personal trainer Jumha Aburezeq, founder of StoopidFit lifestyle coaching platform. He explains that it's not just longtime gym-goers who are investing in at-home fitness equipment; many people are entering into exercise for the first time as they try to get more movement and manage their mental health in spite of social isolation.

"Before filling up your online cart with all the best equipment on the market, though, there will be a few things you need to consider," he says. After all, what constitutes the ideal at-home gym is going to be different for everyone.

Here are six questions to help you create an at-home gym that works for you.

What Are My Goals?

It sounds pretty basic, but a lot of people don't take the time to ensure that the equipment they buy is truly consistent with their goals and workout preferences, Aburezeq says.

So ask yourself, do you want to add strength and muscle? Then looking into free weights, resistance bands, a suspension system like TRX, or even a weight-lifting station or cable machine should be your first move, he says.

If you're training for a race, enjoy cardio, or do your best exercise while watching TV or reading a book, then a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike might be the way to go. If you love total-body high-intensity interval training workouts, a rower is worth considering.

And if you're just wanting to feel generally healthier, a combination of any of these could work, based on what you actually like to do, of course.

What Would I Use at the Gym?

When your goal is to not work out at the gym, this might seem like an odd question to ask yourself. But if you're unlikely to use any given cardio machine or free weight when you're at the gym, you're also unlikely to use it at home, Aburezeq says.

Plus, it's worth considering if your at-home equipment is a temporary solution to help you train until you can make it back into a public gym or if you plan to work out at home from now on.

"This will give you an idea of how big of a budget you should commit to as well as the size of the equipment you'll be using," he says. "If you plan for this to be temporary, then smaller, more versatile equipment will be key, otherwise you'll be stuck with a bench press station that'll be used as a coat rack eight months from now." 

RELATED 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Home Workouts

What's My Budget?

Once you get a rough idea of the types of fitness equipment you want, it can be helpful to determine your budget before starting your search.

That way, you reduce the risk of browsing out-of-budget options that you might want but can't have. It also makes it less likely that you'll end up spending more money than is wise for your current financial situation.

Consider both your budget for your entire gym and how much of that you're open to devoting to any one item. If you're interested in buying multiple pieces of equipment, deciding all of your purchases before hitting that order button can help you stay on budget.

Where Will I Put Everything?

An immediate concern when investing in at-home fitness equipment is space – with the answer having a large impact on what and how much equipment you're able to house.

"Walk through your home and map out an ideal space that you can see yourself training regularly," Aburezeq says. "I always suggest underestimating how much space you actually plan to use to give you room for error." When considering rooms, also take into account ceiling height: If you are interested in overload lifting, at least a 9.5-foot-high ceiling will likely be a must, he says.

Flooring is another factor to take into account, explains certified personal trainer Joey Thurman, master trainer with kuudose online fitness platform. First, consider strength. Current U.S. building codes specify most residential floors withstand 40 pounds per square foot, with bedrooms dropping to 30 and garages requiring 50. Most heavy equipment will be safe even on second floors, but if you have an older home, look into its specifications before loading your second floor with barbells and weight plates.

Whatever room you're in, it's worth investing in exercise-friendly flooring: "It is very important for safety as well as shock absorption," Thurman says. "There are lots of premade gym floors that simply snap together like puzzle pieces where they can be laid on the ground."

How Easy Will It Be to Access and Use?

This depends on both the space you use and the equipment you fill it with.

"Finding a happy medium between 'can be put away' and 'still easy to get out' is critical for adherence and consistency in a workout program, especially when working out from home," explains certified personal trainer Mecayla Froerer, director of at-home personal training community iFit.

If you plan to store cardio equipment in a multi-purpose room, choosing lighter-weight options can be the way to go. Look through the specs on any equipment options you're considering to determine what's user-friendly for your workout schedule and lifestyle, she says.

RELATED 3 Miami Instructors Share Tips for Making the Most of Your At-Home Workouts

How Techy Am I?

For many people, online-based workouts and classes are a big draw, increasing workout enjoyment, interest and motivation. If that's you, choosing smart machines that play expert-led on-demand classes may be a good fit, Froerer says.

No matter how cool a machine's functionality is, though, be honest with yourself about how many tech features you'll really take advantage of. If you have a good feeling that you won't use all of the bells and whistles, look for a scaled-down option.

This story was originally published on US News by K. Aleisha Fetters and can be found here.

The City of Miami Beach continues its General Obligation Bond-funded reforestation efforts with its strong partnership with Neat Streets Miami, planting over 200 more trees in the Normandy Isles and Normandy Shores neighborhoods. This year’s $50,000 Neat Streets Miami grant will fund the planting of over 85 of the 207 new trees.

Launched by Neat Streets Miami, the Million Trees Miami initiative is a community-wide effort to achieve a 30 percent tree canopy cover for Miami-Dade County. Neat Streets Miami is a multi-jurisdictional county board dedicated to the maintenance and beautification of transportation corridors, gateways, and connections.

Miami-Dade Parks is the third-largest county park system in the United States, consisting of 270 parks and 13,573 acres of land. It is one of the most unique parks and recreation systems in the world and focused on Placemaking, Health and Fitness, and Conservation and Stewardship.

“Miami Beach is already one of the most walkable, bikeable cities in the country, and we’re always looking to take the next step, such as with actions like the 5,000 new trees funded in our 2018 G.O. Bonds,” shared Mayor Dan Gelber. “So we’re very excited about our ongoing partnership with Neat Streets Miami to keep improving our tree canopy and community.”

In addition to creating cooler streets, a prosperous tree canopy also intercepts thousands of gallons of urban stormwater runoff, reduces carbon monoxide, conserves electricity and improves overall health for residents.

The 207 trees will include Bridal Veil (Caesalpinia granadillo), Wild Tamarinds (Lysiloma bahamensis), Gumbo Limbos (Bursera simaruba), Green Buttonwoods (Conocarpus erectus) and several other Florida-friendly tree species that provide shade and beautify the community. 

The Miami Beach G.O. Bond program has planted over 650 trees over the last year. Neat Streets Miami grants, made possible through the County’s Tree Trust Fund, continue to assist the city in improving its yearly reforestation efforts.

New York gyms and fitness centers suffered another blow on Thursday when Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that gyms would remain closed indefinitely, labeling them a "dangerous activity." The announcement from Governor Cuomo comes nearly a month after New York gyms filed a class-action lawsuit against the state after Cuomo removed them from Phase 4 of the reopening plan.

“We deserve the opportunity to open up under the CDC guidelines set forth," said SC Fitness owner Charlie Cassara last month during a Fox & Friends interview. Cassara is leading the lawsuit for the New York Gyms.

RELATED NYC Gyms File Class-Action Against State After Being Removed From Phase 4

In his comments on Thursday, Governor Cuomo stated, “Gyms have been a nationally identified source of infections. We know from the other states they’ve been highly problematic.”

First, it's important to rightfully point out Cuomo's success and leadership in helping New York navigate the crisis early on, and even providing somewhat of a blueprint for other states to follow. But this latest move is problematic. Gyms and fitness centers at this point seem to be arbitrarily singled out. Gyms and fitness centers seem to be no more susceptible to infections than any other businesses that are open and operating. With proper capacity reductions, mandatory mask-wearing, enhanced cleaning procedures, social distancing, and updated HVACs, gyms and fitness centers should be given the opportunity to resume businesses responsibly. If they break the guidelines, they can be fined like every other business.

We will continue to monitor the situation with New York gyms as news becomes available.

SoulCycle launched an outdoor version of its indoor cycling classes, named SoulOutside, with the goal of allowing spinners to break a sweat in a safer way.

SoulOutside first held classes in the Hamptons in July, and now they are coming to other major cities including Boston, Hoboken, and Santa Monica. The company's goal is to give riders that feeling they had been missing for so long — without the stress of being inside a sweat-filled studio, even one at half capacity.

The main difference that riders will find between the outdoor classes and the indoor is that music will be played through individual headphones instead of speakers. This "silent-disco" experience will use headsets provided by SoulCycle and they will be sanitized using top-grade disinfectant between uses. Riders can also bring their own headphones if they choose.

RELATED Legacy Fit Gets Creative and Introduces Open-Air Tent for Training

SoulOutside will be held seven days a week through at least Labor Day and classes will be regular market price, however, pricing may not include shoes.

No word on the Miami locations right now, but SoulOutside mentioned the possibility of expanding into new cities so we'll keep you updated!

After seven years in Miami, Bodytek Fitness is closing their Wynwood studio.

In an email to studio patrons, owners Mikey Verdugo and Trey Opp confirmed that "COVID-19 has claimed yet another innocent victim."

Verdugo and Opp cited the initial government-mandated closure, followed by a reopening under restrictive guidelines as the reasons that operations were no longer sustainable.

"More than 757,120 workouts were logged by more than 12,010 unique visitors during our time between two Wynwood locations," said Verdugo and Opp. "When we look back at this we can only stand in amazement and awe with full appreciation for all that you gave to us through your commitment to your personal fitness and overall wellness and for including Bodytek Fitness as an integral component."

Bodytek Fitness maintains several other Broward County locations, including in Davie, Parkland, Pembroke Pines, Pompano Beach, Wilton Manors, and Weston.

"We do not anticipate that this is a forever goodbye but rather a "catch ya later" kind of parting," they said.

It’s more than shopping that’s getting people to Lincoln Road these days. South Beach’s famous outdoor mall hosts outdoor yoga, is lined with sidewalk cafés and, soon, will be where folks go to watch the ballet.

Starting today, Miami City Ballet takes over the former BCBG store at the corner of Lincoln and Meridian Avenue, transforming the vacant space into a sun-drenched stage for pedestrians. The pop-up theater will serve as a rehearsal area for the dancers, who can already be seen pirouetting throughout the space. Performances will take place weekdays from 1–3pm and 5–7pm, featuring up to six ballerinas in full regalia. Outside, viewers will be directed to stand on pre-marked, socially distanced circles where they can watch as well as listen to streaming classical music. MCB will hold daily shows Monday through Friday now through September 10.

RELATED Watch Rob Gronkowski Take Ballet Lessons from the Miami City Ballet

The community-focused initiative celebrates the company’s 35th anniversary and its humble Lincoln Road beginnings, as well as aims to provide locals with an artistic distraction. “We hope to give people a moment of joy and an opportunity to embrace the healing power of the arts,” says Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. 

A big (virtual) round of applause to that.

*This article was originally published on Time Out Miami by Virginia Gil and can be found here.

Saturday night marked another session of “Midnight Yoga” on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C.

The protesters, who have been out in the streets over 50 days after being initially sparked by the failure to arrest the officers who had murdered George Floyd and Breonna Taylor (still), have turned to the peace that yoga provides to manage their pain, both physical and emotional.

Around the same time federal police were turning Portland into a war zone while violently beating and pepper-spraying citizens, D.C. protesters were stretching out their limbs after giving a touching 100 candle-light tribute to late Congressman John Lewis.

WATCH VIDEO OF MIDNIGHT YOGA HERE

Over the past 50 days, protesters in Washington D.C. have faced their own share of police violence and war-like conditions, and on this night, Mahadi Lowal, a 26-year-old who helped organize the yoga session, addresses over 120 people in the street on their mats.

“I know yoga seems like a complacent act of protest,” says Lowal to the limber crowd, “but last night most of us here, most of us spent the night outside of the mayor’s house begging and pleading for her to address the rampant use of excessive force and abuse of innocent civilians by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). We decided to show some videos of MPD’s greatest ‘hits’ and show what the officers really do.”

One night earlier, Lowal was part of about 80 protesters outside D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s home projecting onto a bed sheet a video of the brutality experienced by D.C. protesters with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as the soundtrack to the violence.

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“I just want you to know that we’re doing yoga because we’re all in pain,” Lowal continues. “We’re protesting every single day, and there’s no time for self-care. So if you can’t leave the protest for self-care, you can bring self-care to protest. And that’s what we’re doing here.”

Lowal speaks about pain from personal experience. As was one of hundreds of protesters camped out in tents on Black Lives Matter Plaza on July 4th weekend, Lowal had a seizure and passed out in the grueling heat, and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. He had no history of seizures prior to the protests. With a visible blood clot in his eye that still shows two weeks later, Lowal was back protesting the next day. In June, he had a police flash-bang explode in his face.

“Experiencing police brutality at a protest against police brutality, and being hit in the face with a flash bang and have it explode and burn half my face only pushed me to go harder,” says Lowal, “and make sure that we have substantial and long-standing change in the fight against police brutality and racism.”

Saturday’s Midnight Yoga session was hosted by a group of young protesters named “Occupy H Street” and “Bartenders Against Racism,” and marked the fourth time this month that yoga was used as a therapeutic response to police violence. They have been followed up by Tuesday sessions that tend to start earlier around 8 p.m.

Yoga sessions are often followed by calls for defunding of police budgets, reallocating police resources, getting police out of D.C. schools, gentrification, and calls for police accountability (“Breonna Taylor’s and Elijah McClain’s murderers are still free”).

Aabi Abdun-nafi, the midnight yoga instructor, is also a protester herself.

“We’re protesting for over 40 days now,” says Abdun-nafi. “It’s mentally exhausting, it’s heartbreaking, it’s overwhelming. It’s hot, so you’re building up a lot of negative energy to the point where we can effectively continue to protest without taking care of that for us. So we decided to provide a yoga class for everyone to check in with their mental health.”

‘WHERE’S THE FOOTAGE? WHERE’S CNN? WHERE’S ABC?’

After covering the D.C. protests for weeks, a consistent complaint has been the dearth of national media attention. “The Black Lives Matter Protesters Want You to Know They’re Still There,” writes Jenny Gathright of of D.C.’s local WAMU/DCist outlet, one of the only outlets still covering the protests.

But local outlets lack the resources to station media on Black Lives Matter Plaza between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Protesters say D.C. police are acutely aware of this, and have scheduled their violence accordingly. Most of the overnight police violence, which occurred in the latter half of June, has still not been covered or publicly seen. Media is gone. Crowds have thinned. Phone batteries are dead. And documenting police violence while being bear-maced and trying to salvage your tent or property from destruction can be quite the multi-task.

“I’ve seen people get their heads opened up, and bruised and battered and beaten, and gassed. Oh God!,” exclaims “Earl”, a food supporter with Earl’s First Amendment Grill. “Where’s the footage? Where’s CNN? Where’s ABC?”

The footage is right here, courtesy of a protester named “Dirty Knucklez” who climbed a lamp post at 2 a.m. to get it. In the video, police violently ransack Earl’s Grill, a place that provided free food to protesters, the D.C. Community and the homeless.

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One protester who preferred not to be named for fear of police reprisal, called out CNN, the Washington Post, and Associated Press for their refusal to cover “completely newsworthy” multi-faceted protests.

“Nobody is out here except street journalists who try to chase the truth. [Due to media blackout], people believe nobody is out here. But we’re out here every day.”

One such street journalist trying to chase the truth is Wyatt Reed. On June 24 he was able to catch the “war zone’ police violence after 2 a.m. On June 27, D.C. Protest Museum, a Twitter account with 13 followers, caught this police violence at 4:43 a.m. Piecing together the depth of June’s invisible police violence is generally a Black Lives Matter Plaza cell-phone video scavenger hunt.

After several desperate pleas from protesters on the need for overnight media, I soon joined the Black Lives Matter Plaza Graveyard shift. If more police violence occurred at 3 a.m., I could document it. Or even better, possibly help to prevent it. “Midnight Yoga” was the very last thing on my radar.

Ironically, the Midnight Yoga sessions have produced more viral attention and interest on social media than the weeks of hidden police violence. When I interviewed a protester at 4 a.m. whose June police violence stat sheet included being tear-gassed 12 separate times, the video posted got 53 likes and 1300 views. When I posted what I thought was a minor tweet on Midnight Yoga, it got 83,000 likes and 2.6 million views, and dwarfed weeks of documenting police violence. Huh?

Has U.S. state-sanctioned violence become so thoroughly normalized that peace and healing is the bigger story?

The tweet was also met with many calls from people across the country to bring “Midnight Yoga” to their city. Many local D.C. protesters have expressed appreciation for the mental health focus, but also caution and concern that yoga as a response to police-induced trauma could water-down or get confused for the primary protest itself.

“The tear gassing, the rubber bullets, the intimidation, or even the fact that it’s a bunch of cops on one person — it’s ridiculous,” says Abdun-nafi. “It’s not just a free yoga class, it’s a close yoga class for protesters to continue protesting. I’ve been out here. We’ve done overnight sit-ins, and occupied the street. However we can get our rest in, we have got to get it where we live.”

‘ON BLACK LIVES MATTER PLAZA, YOU ARE A SOLDIER’

In D.C., over the last six weeks, there is a lot to recover from. While Black Lives Matter Plaza has more of a festival atmosphere during the day, the evenings have often resembled a war zone. Police violence has come in three distinct waves.

1. War Zone Wave (First Week): Since May 30, police have arrested 470 people in connection with D.C. protests, with over 400 coming in the first week of demonstrations that included military planes flying over protesters, federal sniper teams deployed, multiple attacks on journalists (more here), and the local MPD notably boxing in hundreds of protesters on Swann Street. “People were coughing,” said Rahul Dubey to DCist who provided shelter for protesters. “It was like that for an hour, they were pepper-spraying in through the window.”

2. Hidden Violence Wave (Latter June): The rest of June saw D.C. arrests plummet, but not the police violence, as well as legalized theft and destruction of property. By the end of June, one protester said he was tear-gassed 12 times over the month, and those providing free food and medical supplies repeatedly had their property confiscated or destroyed by police. Brutality wasn’t the only cost of MPD’s violent June 26 takedown of “Earl’s First Amendment Grill,” a community-beloved outfit of Black men who served 400-500 free hamburgers and hot dogs a day. “The Earls,” as they are affectionately called, estimate MPD seized or destroyed up to $30,000 of their property. They were able to “dumpster-dive” and salvage one of their grills and keep cooking.

3. Red Tape Wave (July): July brought more aggressive police snatch arrests to peaceful protesters, a downturn in the notorious overnight violence that defined June, but new city ordinances, enforcement to clear all food suppliers off the Black Lives Matter sidewalk, and other movement-suppressing “red-taping” that target free food suppliers, medics and supporters who nourish and sustain the protesters. Although less overtly violent, by cutting off food, water and health services in 90-degree heat, the Red Tape wave may have caused the most harm.

This is some of the militaristic context that preceded Midnight Yoga.

“Every time you step on Black Lives Matter Plaza you are a soldier. Even in the midst of trying Trap Yoga we had the police trying to shut it down.” says D.C. protester Toni Sanders. “That was a way for people to get their mental health in order. You cannot fight a war when your mental health is in disarray.”

MILITARY VETS EMBRACE YOGA TO COPE WITH ‘POLICE ATTACKS’

“I deal with PTSD,” says a Marine-turned-protester from his yoga mat this night.

“And this helps me calm down better than any other medicine I’ve ever been prescribed through the VA [Veteran Affairs]. This is meditation I need. I get a sense of stability. This is what a lot of people might need. Maybe the VA should take notes.”

This time around, the stress is not from foreign fire.

“[The yoga] is helping me deal with the police attacks,” he says. ”Some people been dealing with police brutality their whole lives. This is a de-escalation to help you deal with stress. And it’s a great thing. I love it. It helps me out.”

Liz Ferris is a protester and yoga participant who spent six years in the Army Reserve. She was hit by a stinger-grenade which exploded with nine rubber bullets to the back of her leg (video after 22 min marker). That happened on May 31, 2020, a block away from Black Lives Matter Plaza on a night where protests erupted throughout the country.

“I am a military veteran,” says Ferris on Friday in front of the mayor’s house, “and the kind of PTSD I’ve gotten from my own government is wild, and not something I ever would have expected in my lifetime.”

Navy veteran and protester Lee Cantrell, 47, sees parallels between yoga and military “R & R.”

“The healing yoga was a great thing because we are here every day in the blazing sun,” says Cantrell. “In the military, they give us R & R: rest and relaxation. They get that R & R and then come back and get in the fight. That’s all we were doing. Want some normalcy to try to keep this movement going. So what if it’s yoga. Big deal. We’re the ones out here 24/7.”

Some may be surprised to find so many ex-military members amongst the protesters and yoga participants. But many say they are just upholding their oath.

“I signed a contract to uphold the constitution against enemies foreign or domestic,” says one yoga-loving Marine protester with PTSD. “Those [police] are domestic enemies… The culture that they have. They all stand for one thing. They protect each other… Who we have in office? That’s a domestic terrorist.”

‘DON’T JUST COME FOR THE YOGA’

Beyond healing benefits, the spectacle of 100 mostly African-American protesters doing yoga challenged negative media stereotypes weeks before Portland’s mostly white “Wall of Moms” faced down Trump’s Gestapo goons.

“It shatters the narrative of what protests are, and who protesters are,” says Kian Kelley-Chung, a 23-year-old photographer and street journalist covering the D.C. protests. “Yoga is one of the most tranquil and peaceful activities that you can do. So to pair that with the power of protesting, it really does demolish the stereotypes that are associated with it.”

While the stereotype-crushing dynamic resonated with thousands of Twitter-responders, some D.C. protesters also feared the Midnight Yoga minus the combat context could be misused to promote harmful passivity or respectability into future protests.

“While the yoga can be a form of protest, it is not the main form here,” says Sanders, another protestor. “Don’t do yoga as a means to condemn anyone else’s means of protest. Don’t say, ‘We don’t have rioters here.’ Don’t try to invalidate other forms of protest. Don’t try to replace it. Everything works together. Everything [works together] like a hand. Don’t just come for the yoga.”

Sanders, who says she was also beaten and pepper-sprayed by police on June 1 and June 22, takes exception at calls for protesters to be peaceful without similar demands of police.

“We have a peaceful protest every night,” says Sanders. “The police are the people who bring the violence and make the protest violent. Don’t condemn someone else’s response to oppression.”

While July’s larger yoga sessions were organized by a group of protesters called “Occupy H Street,” there were some smaller ones in June, and yoga has been growing in D.C. for years. Kelley-Chung’s own mother, Katherine Kelly-Chung is a local yoga Instructor who also led a public yoga session on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Juneteenth, and groups Black Lives Matter D.C. and Chocolate City Experience also hosted a yoga session a week later on June 27 as part of a “police-free zone” that centered on restoring Black joys with yoga, painting, dancing, jumping rope, free food, and live Go-Go music.

Nee Nee Taylor of BLM D.C. says the event was a deliberate attempt to create police-free spaces rooted in Black joy was also a form of resistance, and signaling to police that they did not hold the power to “steal our joy.”

“We have no health care. We have no housing. And we are spending so much money on the police just to police Black Lives Matter Plaza. At night time they’re literally beating and pepper spraying people. So this is why we ask to defund the police.”

A TALE OF TWO PLAZAS

“Defund The Police” has been a near universal rallying cry from D.C. protesters, and Taylor was part of the instantly famous action on June 6, 2020 to paint “ = DEFUND THE POLICE” on BLM Plaza and repurpose what “Black Lives Matter” specifically means on a policy level. While the DFP movement has been gaining steam for months, the DEFUND THE POLICE bright yellow addendum instantly sparked an elevated level of mainstream media attention.

Depending on which protester you talk to, “Defund The Police” could mean cutting D.C.’s police budget from 25 percent to 50 percent, or abolishing the police altogether. What nearly all protesters agree on is that police resources should be reallocated to alternative community services of health and safety.

After six weeks of protests, Washington, D.C., leadership is doing the exact opposite: increasing policing, and cutting social services. On June 6, Black Lives Matter DC issued a damning statement condemning a proposed $45 million budget increase to MPD which has been coupled with recent proposals of up to $18 million in cuts to essential services, the type of outrage that had 80 people protesting outside the mayor’s house until 3:30 a.m. The BLM DC statement also notes that although Black people make up 46 percent of D.C.’s population, they were the recipient of 89 percent of police use of force (Office of Police Complaints Report).

Given the gap between performance and policy, protester after protester says the yellow paint commemorating Black Lives Matter “is a lie,” and what happens at night vs. the day is like ... night and day.

“This is supposed to be holy ground? Sacred ground? — This is a battle ground!” scoffs one of “The Earls,” a 22-year Navy veteran while listing the brutalities he has experienced at the Plaza after dark. “Been in combat four times. This is the real combat right here (while pointing to the ground).”

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“This paint on the street has not created any systemic change… or get these cops off our necks,” says a protester and yoga participant. “After seeing everything I’ve seen on Black Lives Matter Plaza, you may as well take the sign down and name it 16th St. again.”

At the intersection of “A Tale of Two Plazas” is Midnight Yoga, the ultimate act of peaceful resistance grounded in healing just around that time when Black Lives Matter Jeckyll turns into Hyde.

Many D.C. protesters are committed to the long haul, there is language of “marathons not a sprint,” and historical reminders that The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted over an entire year before change arrived. And Midnight Yoga has been implemented to help support that long-term reality, and short-term battle scars.

“I’m an extreme optimist,” says Lowal. “We have a group of people here that are devoted and will refuse to give up. We refuse to give up. We will be here as long as it takes. If it takes three years, we’re going to be here for three years to make sure that there is change. We’re going to make sure there is change.”

*This article was originally published on Deadspin by Chuck Modiano and can be found here.

Even during a pandemic, people find a way to party in South Beach. Recently, we’ve seen countless Instagram videos of women twerking on convertible cars, full-on brawls taking place on Ocean Drive and the sands crowded with what appears to be mostly tourists. (It’s a well-known fact that locals—especially mainlanders—hardly ever go to the beach.) While South Beach loves and still thrives on its out-of-towners, plans are in the works to attract a different type of visitor to the neighborhood.

On Wednesday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber revealed a proposal that would transform the city’s entertainment district into an arts and culture hub. Lately, the mixed-use entertainment district (MXE for short) has not been on brand with the image fostered elsewhere in the city. South Beach has become a “beachfront Bourbon Street, where too many people go to do things they would never do in their own homes,” said Mayor Gelber, adding that most of the victims and perpetrators of crimes reported tend to be visitors.

The MXE comprises tourist hot spots like Ocean Drive and Washington and Collins Avenues, where the majority of businesses are bars, clubs and restaurants that stay open late and contribute to the general raucous we’ve been watching play out. Gelber, together with a group of commissioners and experts, conceived a new vision that would rename the area the Art Deco Cultural District or something similar that reflects the area’s status as a true art and culture destination. The plan would significantly alter the character and even the architecture of South Beach with the additional proposed changes:

RELATED Miami Beach Ranked As the Most Active City in America

–Create new zoning laws. There will be an overhaul of the current zoning laws to establish the kind of business climate Miami Beach would like to foster. This includes prohibiting establishments from serving alcohol past midnight (there are more than 100 businesses that presently serve booze from 2am to 5am) and requiring them to pull conditional use permits (CUP) should they want to open and serve booze later. A CUP hinges on compliance, so officials can require a level of conduct they wouldn’t otherwise with a perpetual license. “If [businesses] refuse to comply, they can lose their rights because [the permit] was only conditional,” said the mayor.

–Hold operators responsible. Gelber hopes the city can partner with buildings and owners to make them aware of what’s happening in their establishments. Moving forward, they’ll be held responsible for violations and fines.

–Motivate cultural growth. The new district will explore incentives to inspire the growth of more galleries and museums and businesses that promote the arts. According to Gelber, venues like the Wolfsonian–FIU are examples of institutions making effort to expand their cultural footprint.

–Overhaul Ocean Drive. We’re seeing the changes now as the busy street was recently pedestrianized. Gelber hopes to expand the area and continue cultivating the types of “finer” businesses that would make Ocean Drive a more enriching destination.

The mayor recognized that some of these changes, which he’ll present before commissioners next week, will be divisive and even discourage a certain type of traveler that frequented South Beach. But he’s not concerned. “I believe that we’re at the point where we have to accept that we just can’t be for everyone,” said Gelber, emphatically. While there’s no set timeline in place, we should brace for a changed community that’s energizing and attracting folks in new ways. “When we emerge from this pandemic—and we will emerge—we should have a different kind of South Beach, a better one that’s just as vibrant and iconic but also cultural and safe.”

https://twitter.com/MayorDanGelber/status/1286005841309696009?s=20

*This article was originally published on Time Out Miami by Virginia Gil and can be found here.

Back in May, a pool of Miami gym owners, alongside other area health and wellness professionals, dubbed the "Working Wellness Group" by Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, met with Gimenez to advise on the reopening of the local fitness industry. Through a series of meetings and calls with the Mayor that have spanned the last few months, the Group realized they were more or less reacting to predetermined decisions vs advising on possible best practices on how to reopen their businesses while simultaneously prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Understanding that they would be more effective if they collaborated and worked the calls and agenda with a unified voice, a subset of owners formed the Miami-Dade County Wellness Coalition to do just that.

"It's pretty simple," said Christa Gurka, Owner of Pilates in the Grove and organizer of the Coalition. "If we speak together with a unified voice, we can be more effective in our communication with local officials."

RELATED Behind the Scenes: The Miami Gym Owners Pushing the County to Reopen

Gurka is not one to sit on the sidelines. To her, this is part of the bigger picture for the fitness industry as a whole, where she is working with a country-wide coalition that is lobbying Congress to include the fitness industry in economic relief stimulus.

RELATED This Miami Gym Owner is Lobbying Congress to Include Fitness in a Coronavirus Bailout

“It’s the right thing to do,” commented Gurka on her work lobbying Congress. “The fitness industry has been completely overlooked in all of this, and we are an essential part of the communities we serve. We help define community. We bring residents together every day under our roofs. And something needs to be done to help keep these businesses alive.”

But back in Miami-Dade, Gurka and other members of the Miami-Dade County Wellness Coalition want to make sure their voice is heard and know they aren't being passed over. Case in point, the County has already flagged $35 million for a grant program to help the hospitality industry. That money comes from the $474 million Miami-Dade received from the federal government as part of the CARES Act, which must be used by December 30, 2020.

RELATED NYC Gyms File Class-Action Against State After Being Removed From Phase 4

Gurka and others are just starting to meet. If local gym owners want to join the coalition, email Christa Gurka at christa@pilatesinthegrove.com.

On Monday, the Miami-based Legacy Fit opened its seventh South Florida location in Pembroke Pines.

Located at 10720 Pines Boulevard, Legacy Fit Pembroke Pines features the same Partner Interval Training (PIT) that guests of other locations have come to love: high-energy instructors, a gauntlet of exercise stations, locker room, giant turf, and even custom graffiti from famed Miami artist Mijares.

RELATED 5 People Who Forever Changed the Miami Fitness Scene in the Last Decade

Legacy Fit Pembroke Pines should be a welcomed addition to the South Broward city, that is seeing new fitness concepts opening their doors in the neighborhood. Legacy Fit is one of STAY FIT 305's "Must-Try HITT and Bootcamp Workouts in South Florida for 2020."

For more information, visit https://legacyfit.com/pembroke-pines-fl/.

In an Emergency Order on Friday, Broward County announced that guests of gyms and fitness centers will now be required to wear masks while working out.

The requirement of guests at Broward gyms comes a little over a week after Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced the same for Miami gyms, reversing an initial announcement to close Miami gyms and fitness centers altogether.

Broward gyms will still be subject to the initial reopening guidelines that consist of 50% occupancy, exercise equipment arranged to six feet of distance, and intense deep cleaning procedures.

Wearing a mask while training hasn't come without scrutiny from health and fitness professionals who say it introduces a new set of health risks.

When Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez reversed his rollback Emergency Order that would have closed gyms once again during the COVID-19 pandemic, instead requiring gym guests to wear a mask at all times, Legacy Fit Owner Manning Sumner knew he needed to do something.

RELATED Miami-Dade Gyms to Remain Open with Agreed Upon Compromise

"We are going to do whatever we can to stay open, and do what's required," said Sumner. "As a business owner, you have to go the extra mile for members to feel comfortable coming back to your gym."

So how exactly did Sumner go the extra mile to keep guests walking through the door? Due in large part to the size of Legacy Fit's footprint in Wynwood, Sumner ordered the build of a temporary hurricane grade open-air tent allowing guests to train outdoors 10ft apart, thus not requiring a mask.

"You can choose to be a victim of your circumstances or choose to figure it out," said Sumner. "We have space, to provide our members the opportunity to not wear a mask, so then can stay 10ft apart, and go as hard as they want."

The tent is a 2,800 square-foot space where Sumner and the Legacy Fit team moved equipment spaced 10 feet apart where they can continue creating the coveted experience guests crave when stopping by Legacy Fit.

"The gym business is a numbers game, and when you're at 50% capacity, you got to get creative and get people in the doors," said Sumner. "At the end of the day, the virus isn't going anywhere. It's here to stay. We have to start living with the virus, and assess your personal situation."

Not happy with your virtual studio experience for guests? You're not alone. The virtual studio can't quite capture the experience created in your studio, but that doesn't mean it has to be dull either. But where most studio owners and managers get tripped up is focusing on the wrong things.

RELATED 5 Mistakes Fitness Professionals Are Making and How to Avoid Them

Fitgrid, which bridges Mindbody and Zoom to make live streaming seamless for everyone, gives studios the certainty that students will never miss a class link and be able to provide feedback about what worked and what didn’t to keep improving.

Here are eight ways you can improve your virtual class experience from Fitgrid CEO Nt Etuk.

• Encourage students to invite friends to class
• Use Zoom’s advanced sound sharing controls to ensure high quality if using music in class
• Have a savvy team member available to help members with tech support issues for the 30 minutes before class

• Have the instructor/staff reach out to participants after class to create personal connections, i.e. send follow-up emails through FitGrid to thank them for attending.
• Encourage clients to put their favorite classes in their calendars and emphasize the importance of carving out a routine. Not having to travel to the studio makes classes more accessible, but it also makes it harder to create a routine and habit of attending regularly.

RELATED 7 Tips to Take Your Personal Training Business Online

• To connect with members from home, encourage instructors to emphasize interpersonal interactions during class by addressing participants by name, giving “virtual assists” to suggest adjustments on form, and praising the class on a job well done.
• Emulate the outstanding in-house experience that clients have come to expect from the studio by having instructors host their live-stream classes from the studio, to minimize distractions in the background and maintain the feeling of being in the studio.

Legacy Fit officially opened its newest location in Fort Lauderdale Monday. This new studio, located at 500 South Andrews Ave is Legacy Fit's sixth location in South Florida.

RELATED 10 Must-Try HIIT and Bootcamp Workouts in South Florida 2020

Known for their PIT or Partner Interval Training approach, Legacy Fit uses a combination of HIIT and resistance training for an afterburn for up to 21 hours post-exercise. PIT is also safe and for all fitness levels. It allows each participant to adjust the weights and intensity level at each station.

Under current COVID-19 precautions, class capacity is capped at 26 members to allow for 10 feet distance between everyone.

Legacy Fit invites you to try your first class free. Check out www.LegacyFit.com and click on “Sign up for a FREE Class” for instructions.

This week, New York gyms filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of New York, calling for the opportunity to resume business operations, after Governor Andrew Cuomo removed gyms from Phase 4 of the state's reopening plan.

"It just comes down to [that] it's Phase 4. There are no other phases," said SC Fitness owner Charlie Cassara, who is leading the lawsuit, during a Fox & Friends interview. "We deserve the opportunity to open up under the CDC guidelines set forth. We are ready to do that."

Gyms have been closed since March 16th, and for reasons unknown to them, have been completely left out of the state's reopening plan.

"We never got a reason for being removed from Phase 4" said Julia Elzomor, Owner of CircHIIT and CrossFit Middle Village to STAY FIT 305 this week after the news broke.

Elzomor's facilities moved to virtual training back in April, but like many South Florida gyms, getting members and guests back into the gym safely, in addition to a virtual option, is the only way some of the boutique gyms will survive.

Tuesday morning, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez met with the "working wellness" group, a task force of 50 or so local gym owners the Mayor has used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to advise him on the health, wellness, and fitness industry in South Florida, to discuss the concerns raised by the group stemming from his announcement on Monday to close Miami-Dade gyms beginning July 8th.

RELATED Behind the Scenes: The Miami Gym Owners Pushing the County to Reopen

"It was a productive call," said one source in attendance. "Gimenez didn't want to close gyms. The group worked collaboratively with the Mayor to find a solution to keep gyms open."

Immediately after the call, Gimenez tweeted the agreed-upon compromise the working group arrived at, stating that gyms and fitness centers could remain open, but guests would need to wear a mask at all times indoors, and when a 10ft. social distance could not be met outdoors.

https://twitter.com/MayorGimenez/status/1280524407224623116?s=20

According to RAVE, Miami Beach is the top active city in the United States, posting workouts on Instagram more than any other city. They posted 2,453 posts per million citizens. Miami ranks second in the country, posting 1,907 per million.

RAVE's recent study reviewed fitness hashtags on Instagram to see how they correlated with cities in the US. They analyzed over 2.3 million posts tagged with fitness, diet, and body positivity related hashtags and used that data to figure out which places in the US are most active.

Several other South Florida cities made the top 10s in various fitness categories.

• Miami Beach was no. 1 for #Yoga while Miami was no. 3. Miami was also no. 1 for #Crossfit, with Miami Beach at no. 6.

• Boca Raton was no. 1 for #StrengthTraining and no. 2 for #Pilates.

• Doral was no. 6 in the country under #Running, while Coral Gables hit no. 7 in #Cycling and no. 5 in #Pilates.

• Miami Beach was the number one city for use of the #BodyPositivity hashtag, with 50% more uses per person than the second-place city.

South Florida also ranked for different diet-conscious hashtags.

• Miami came in no. 3 for #Protein

• Weston was ranked no. 3 for #KetoLife while Doral was at no. 8.

• Delray was no. 2 for use of #Paleo.

Despite this strong showing by South Florida cities, the state of Florida is only no. 3 overall in the Most Active State category.

For more rankings, check out the entire study.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will be signing an emergency order that once again closes gyms and fitness centers in the County.

This order also includes restaurant dining rooms, ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, and short-term rentals. Restaurants will be allowed to operate for takeout and delivery services only.

"I am continuing to roll back business openings as we continue to see a spoke in the percent of positive COVID-19 tests and an uptick in hospitalizations," said Gimenez.

Several local gyms had already decided to close in an abundance of caution, including Sweat440 and RedBike.

The closures will go into effect on Wednesday, July 8.

Lululemon has agreed to acquire the at-home-exercise startup Mirror for $500 million. This is the company's first acquisition.

Mirror sells a wall-mounted device of the same name that allows customers to participate in streaming fitness classes at home. The acquisition comes as demand for streaming at-home workout classes has grown, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

With 20+ different genres, 15-60 minute classes, and beginner to expert levels, Mirror has a class for everyone in their extensive library. Mirror costs $1,500, plus a $39 monthly subscription for the classes.

Lululemon said in a press release that the deal would help the apparel maker boost its "digital and interactive capabilities."

In addition to the investment, Lululemon also worked with Mirror through a content partnership that included sweat and meditation classes from the apparel company's global ambassadors on Mirror's platform.

On Monday, Inter Miami CF announced it has entered into a new multi-year partnership with Baptist Health.

As a Founding Partner, Baptist Health will serve as the Official Medical Team, Hospital System and Sports Medicine Provider for the Club’s Major League Soccer (MLS) and United Soccer League (USL) League One teams, as well as the Inter Miami CF Academy teams.

RELATED Inter Miami CF Stadium and Facilities on Schedule for 2020 Debut Season

Baptist Health has also committed to becoming the first-ever presenting jersey sponsor of the Inter Miami CF Academy ahead of the 2020-21 season, in an effort to support youth development in South Florida.

"We're thrilled to announce this partnership with Baptist Health, who has gone above and beyond to take care of our community during these times," said Inter Miami CF COO and Sporting Director, Paul McDonough. "Our players receive top sports medicine and orthopedic care from the elite medical team at Baptist Health and we are excited to extend this level of care across our organization, including the next generation of players in South Florida.”

"Our Baptist Health Center of Excellence, Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute, is proud to provide world-class sports medicine and orthopedic care for the Inter Miami CF players and organization," said Baptist Health’s Doctors Hospital and Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute’s CEO, Javier Hernandez-Lichtl. "Miami and all of South Florida is excited about the launch of this new team and we look forward to this exciting partnership.”

Inter Miami will restart its inaugural season in MLS on July 8 at 8 p.m. ET against Orlando City SC.

FIBO USA announced Monday afternoon that it was canceling its 2020 fitness festival, originally scheduled to be held November 6-8 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, due to fallout from COVID-19.

RELATED FIBO Fitness Festival Returns to Miami, November 6-8

FIBO USA is an industry summit, an education program and a fitness festival backed by the long-running success of FIBO Global Fitness in Germany – the world’s leading event for the fitness industry.

FIBO USA had extensive discussions with customers before making the decision.

“While we had remained optimistic that FIBO USA could proceed in November 2020, the challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have not subsided and we are cognizant of the needs of our customers to focus on reopening their businesses,” said Bob McFarland, Event Vice President, FIBO USA. “We greatly appreciate our customers’ continued loyalty to the FIBO brand and look forward to seeing you later this year at FIBO Germany (October 1 to 3, 2020 in Cologne, Germany) and the American Health & Fitness Forum in November.”

FIBO USA shared that they remain focused on finding opportunities to continue to serve the fitness community, including through their business summit American Health & Fitness Forum (AHFF) scheduled for later this year.

For more information visit www.fibo.com.