Physician Athletes Promoting Physical Fitness Through Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our daily lives and functioning. To reduce the potential transmission, countries throughout the world practiced social distancing. Unfortunately, this social distancing often contributed to a sense of social isolation and physical inactivity. Two physician athletes on opposite coasts of the United States sought to change this narrative by promoting physical activity among the general population with the #SocialDistancingFitnessChallenge. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and April 2020, these physicians would post exercises during the 5-day workweek-one would post yoga/flexibility exercises, while the other would post high-intensity cardio and strength exercises on two social media platforms. Some posts would amass over 100,000 views. They received daily feedback on how this challenge not only encouraged others to be engaged in physical activity during the most challenging pandemic of our lifetimes, but it also improved their mental health and outlook on the future amid great uncertainty.