(Keith and Sandi Beutler, co-owners of Mt. Bachelor Fitness | Photo Courtesy of Sandi Beutler)
COVID, smoky air, heatwaves, masks. Needless to say, there are multiple obstacles getting in the way of outside recreation and exercise this year. But there is one side to this situation that could be viewed as a silver lining: Dedicated fitness buffs are setting up home gyms and purchasing fitness equipment, which is good for a piece of our local economy, and for the health of those committed to staying in shape through it all.
“Overall, business is good because there is a lot going on,” says Sandi Beutler, co-owner of Mt. Bachelor Fitness Shop, which has been in business in Bend for 32 years. People have gotten to the point that if they are serious about their health, they are tired of trying to depend upon trainers and gyms with everything that has already happened and what may happen this winter, so they are setting up home gyms.”
Back in the late ‘90s, Beutler says home fitness equipment sales were booming, with people building new homes that included fitness rooms. “Then it kind of died off. We are not sure why. It might have been because the building in Bend was going the way of smaller lots and homes. Then when COVID hit, there was that surge all over again. People were converting garages, extra bedrooms, offices and even living rooms.” She adds, “We did so many deliveries. We were putting treadmills and fitness machines in peoples’ living rooms. It was like a panic situation; I’ve never seen anything like it.” Beutler says they are seeing a second surge now with the re-establishment of mask requirements and the spread of the Delta variant. “I think it’s got people thinking,” say says.
The weather and climate have also contributed to rising fitness equipment sales and repairs. “Sales have been higher than our normal summer sales due to the heat and smoke,” says Kevin Roll, owner of Back in Action Fitness Equipment in Bend, which provides residential and commercial sales and service of equipment. “There aren’t any specific units selling, just overall fitness equipment in general, including cardio and strength units,” he says.
Israel Love, owner of Xcel Fitness in Bend, says he finds that in terms of people exercising, the smoke has a similar effect as that of a bad snowstorm. “It’s odd, because the people who normally go to the gym are still coming to the gym no matter the weather. The smoke is like a bad snowstorm; the people who don’t venture out and do anything during a storm don’t venture out in the smoke either.” He adds, “The smoke hasn’t hurt business, but it hasn’t increased business either. Even though you are indoors, it’s still smoky. Everything is an emergency now; we are in emergency and crisis mode. With all the stress in the world, what’s needed most now is exercise.” He adds, “You can’t get away from everything by watching sports anymore because it’s all politicized. But what you can do is exercise to feel better.”
Beutler says that with the current state of affairs, most people purchasing equipment for home gyms are gym users, which is different from years past. “This past year, we saw a lot of gym-users-only people come in. Before COVID, we always sold more cardio equipment than weights or weight machines, like rowers and elliptical machines. But through COVID, they wanted everything. More people were coming in for dumbbells and kettlebells, plates and bars. They wanted to replicate what they were doing at the gym.”
Beutler says customers were going outside to walk or run during the shutdown for cardio fitness, but they wanted to add weights at home while the gyms were closed. “This was challenging because of the supply chain shortage. It was super hard to get them. People were using bricks and rocks as weights. You should have heard the stories of what people were doing just to keep their strength up.”
Like Love, Beutler agrees that our health is the most important thing right now, and is one of the few things we can have some control over. “I’d much rather be outside than inside, but with the smoke, I feel like it’s counterproductive. It’s hard to gauge, because you don’t know how much smoke you are taking in, but it can’t be good.” To maintain fitness, she recommends a combination of cardio and weights, and suggests that when setting up a home fitness area, the first thing to consider is space. “If you are exercising at home, and space is an issue, you have to decide what you can accommodate. If it’s a small space, we recommend a stationary bike.” During the COVID rush, Beutler says spin bikes were very popular because they are small. “People can just put them next to their beds or couch. Peloton was doing so much advertising that people came in to check it out.” She says they sold “a ton” of spin bikes because they are easy to move around and don’t weight a lot, whereas treadmills and ellipticals are heavy. “If space is not an issue, we recommend a treadmill or walker,” she says. “If you aren’t into running or walking, we recommend an elliptical. A rower can also be good, and we recommend a few weights or kettlebells. If you have the space for it, we sell full weight machines with pulley systems. It’s all important.”
For those who want to move their fitness regimen indoors and/or into their homes but need a little advice on how to get started, Beutler and her husband, Keith, who co-owns the shop with her, will show customers a few exercises to get them going. “Lifting weights is important as you age due to loss of muscle mass. And cardio is important for the lungs, especially through this virus.” She adds, “The average person has put on weight over the past year; it is being called the ‘COVID 20.’ People are at home sitting, or are working from home and close to the refrigerator. That’s a problem of its own.” She continues, “If people have thought about getting fitness pieces for home, or don’t want to wear a mask at the gym, we can help with a full room or just one piece. It’s not our goal to just sell stuff people won’t use. We consider lifestyles, family members, etc. We want them to just get up and move.”
mtbachelorfitness.com • BackInActionFitnessEquipment.com • xcelfitnessbend.com
