When David daCruz met his now-fiancée, Marrissa, the busy financial analyst at first found it difficult to make time to meet up with her. But once the Upper East Sider learned his love interest was a fitness freak, he had the perfect solution.
“I asked her to go to a [fitness] class, Exceed Physical Culture, with me for our third date,” recalls daCruz, 31. “Since we were both going to work out anyway, going together was a great way to fit it all in and make sure we saw each other sooner. She was surprised — but in a good way!”
New Yorkers have always been experts at multitasking, but so-called exerdating — i.e., working out on a date — is the latest wacky trend which takes that skill to a whole new level. Like daCruz, many of those who swear by it say its main appeal is efficiency.
But why would anyone in their right mind want a potential mate (or even just a hookup) to see them red-faced, straining and clad in sweatpants? And can you really have a romantic rendezvous while wiping perspiration off a bike, to the tune of dropping weights and grunting juice-heads?
Noah, a Union Square resident who has taken five different girls to SoulCycle with him in the past six months, thinks that it’s not only possible but a great way to discover a woman’s true personality. “I can tell if I’m going to like a girl based on how she acts at Soul [Cycle],” confesses the 28-year-old financial analyst, who declined to give his last name. “If she’s into it and having fun, that’s great — it means she enjoys being active, just like I do. But if she’s passive and lazy during class, or I can tell she cares too much about how she looks, it’s a big turn-off and I don’t really want to see her again.” Luckily for him, not a single girl has turned him down so far — or even balked at the idea of an exerdate.
Experts say another reason exerdating is gaining traction is that being in shape is an increasingly popular quality that people look for in a potential partner.
“We live in a fitness-crazed city where being physically fit is a huge turn-on,” says Thompson Plyler, a personal trainer at New York Sports Club and certified dating and relationship coach. “People want to date healthy people who take care of their bodies and push themselves, because it shows that they’re responsible, self-aware and can keep up with the fast-paced vibe of the city. And it’s easy to see if someone has those qualities when you’re next to him or her at a fitness class.”
Others say it removes the heavy lifting of scheduling a date in between work and a host of other commitments and social engagements. “Look, working out is a huge part of my life, and I’m never going to skip it to go out,” explains Kate, 25, a financial analyst from Westchester who wooed her now-fiancé over exerdates at CrossFit. (She asked not to use her last name for career reasons.) “That’s why exerdating is great, because you kill two birds with one stone — you get to know someone and still get in your workout.”
Similarly, going au naturel also has major sex appeal.
“It’s pretty easy to put on a nice outfit and go to a bar and look great,” says daCruz. “But it’s harder to feel sexy when you show up in Nike — so when you meet someone who can, it’s all the more appealing.”
And finally, there’s the natural high. Most exerdaters say they typically grab a quick bite or drink after class, and are happy to let the endorphins — not the cocktails — do the talking. “I always feel so alert, awake and energetic after I exercise, which makes the time we spend after class so much easier, more natural, and more enjoyable than drunk bar dates,” explains Andrew, 27, an account executive from the West Village who takes his dates to Swerve, a Flatiron District cycling studio. (He declined to give his last name, citing career concerns.)
“Plus, if we do grab a beer, it hits me faster because my lungs are more open, so I feel it twice as much and only need one!”