You gotta love an alliterative dating trend, but what exactly is workout wooing? A somewhat new trend, workout wooing is a form of dating that involves having a first date centered on exercise, as opposed to something more traditional, like dinner and a movie. This could mean meeting at a gym, going for an outdoor run, or doing a fitness class together.
While this may be a bit unorthodox or even uncomfortable for some, it’s becoming more common for singles who exercise regularly. After all, many of them are already working out in gyms or fitness centers, so if they meet a potential love interest there, deciding to exercise together later becomes a logical transition.
Almost half of the single millennials involved in a study conducted by the dating app Bumble and fitness brand Gymshark admitted that they would actually prefer to meet someone while working out than at a club (via Women’s Health). So could your perfect match be at your local gym? It’s certainly possible, based on a few surveys, the sheer number of gyms around, and the existence of social media groups. And thanks to fitness dating apps, the odds of meeting your “person” are higher today than they were in the past.

Gym chains have been around in the United States since the 1960s, according to ClubReady, but there weren’t very many of them around back then. Plus, there weren’t as many women exercising in public in the ’60s as there are today (with the exception of aerobic studios). Needless to say, a gym wasn’t a popular place for someone to meet a potential love interest 60 years ago. Today, with the prevalence of boutique fitness studios, 24-hour gyms, health centers, and other fitness centers, the odds have improved.
In 2020, Muscle & Fitness published an article that featured eight couples, all of whom met at the gym. Later in 2022, BuzzFeed conducted a study and asked the BuzzFeed Community the “how did you meet” question. One woman said she met her husband at a boxing club. And in 2023, Zola shared its list of top places where couples met. “At the gym” ranked in at the ninth most popular place.
Social media has helped improve the odds of meeting a potential partner at a gym or fitness studio. Today, you can find Facebook groups like Orange Theory Singles and Planet Fitness Dating, where you can post about a workout and privately message someone who piques your interest.

Dating websites and mobile apps like Tinder, Bumble, and eHarmony have quickly become some of the most popular ways to find a romantic relationship. Among the long list of dating apps geared toward singles who love to exercise are Datefit and Fitafy. Both apps claim to be a community for people who love to exercise, value health and fitness, and hope to meet others who share their goals and interests.
One of the latest fitness dating apps available, Lunge, launched in January of 2023. It gives members the opportunity to meet someone at their local gym. “Our research shows that individuals who attend the same gym or exercise class are very compatible,” app founder Steve Cole said (via GlobeNewsire).
It’s really a no brainer when you think about it. Two people, in the same place (a gym), doing the same thing (exercising) on a regular basis are likely to have similar goals and interests (being active and healthy). The same can be said for people who practice their hobbies in public, like disc golf or bingo. 
So if you want to increase your chances of meeting your perfect match at your gym, a fitness dating app or a Facebook group for your fitness center can help.

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PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 17: A general view as athletes swim in the Seine river in front of the Eiffel … [+] Tower during the Women World Triathlon on August 17, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
One of the most anticipated aspects of the Paris 2024 Games is the fact that open-water swimming events are set to be held in the Seine river.
However, given that the city has been trying to make the Seine swimmable for more than 30 years—former Parisian Mayor Jacques Chirac vowed as much in 1990—holding Olympic events in the iconic waterway is proving to be one of the greatest challenges facing organizers.
Last week, World Triathlon events were held to serve as a test ahead of the Games next summer. Though the women’s and men’s triathlons on Thursday and Friday were held as planned, on Saturday, “high levels of E.coli bacteria were detected in the river water,” as reported by Agence France-Presse. A paratriathlon event was canceled as a result, as was a mixed relay set to be held on Sunday.
And at the beginning of August, the Open Water Swimming World Cup event was also canceled due to water quality being below acceptable standards, per the French Swimming Federation.
France has already invested 1.4 billion euros (about $1.5 billion) in its Seine clean-up project. Not only is its success crucial to the Olympics swimming events going off—organizers said there is “no Plan B”—but it will open the river, which has been a lifeline of the city since the Middle Ages, to the city’s inhabitants for bathing and recreation.
“There is no solution to move the event; the triathlon and open water swimming will be held in the Seine next year,” said lead organizer Tony Estanguet, via Deutsche Welle.
The project hinges on containing rainwater in an enormous undeground reservoir so that it can be treated. When Paris experiences heavy rains, its sewer system overflows, sending excess wastewater into the river. France’s massive investment has already made some progress in preventing wastewater from flowing into the river.
Los Angeles water and sanitation officials have also been to Paris to observe the work surrounding the clean-up of the Seine as the city prepares to host the 2028 Games.
When Paris hosted its first Olympics in 1900, a 200-meter freestyle and a 200-meter obstacle race were held in the Seine, one of the last times Olympic swimming events have been held in open water. Eight years later, at the London Games, swimming events were moved to pools.

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Aug 21, 2023
Dan Callahan, 40, trains near his Warriors Mark home for the Ironman half triathlon championship in which he will compete on Aug. 27 in Finland before heading to two other triathlons in Europe. Mirror photo by William Kibler
Warriors Mark resident Dan Callahan’s father is a retired Christian preacher.
Dan himself has become a preacher, but his gospel is fitness.
A retired intelligence officer who served in the Middle East, Callahan turned away from a life of too much beer and too much weight five years ago to run a marathon — a ritual of suffering that revealed to him that with better preparation and injury care — along with discipline and spirit — he could become a more praiseworthy version of himself.
A measure of how well he’s fulfilled the promise of that epiphany is his schedule over the next several weeks — three world triathlon championship races in three European countries, all of which required him to qualify in his age group in national-level races in the United States.
This week, the 40-year-old Callahan will fly to Finland for the Ironman half triathlon championship Aug. 27, then ferry and drive a rental car to France for the Ironman full triathlon championship Sept. 10 — then drive that car to Pontevedra, Spain, for the Olympic-distance World Triathlon Age Group championship Sept. 24.
Callahan
“It’s a lot of racing; a lot of logistics — quite the challenge,” Callahan said last week, sitting at his dining room table in a suburban-style house set amid country roads where he regularly runs and cycles — although he resorts to the State College Y for swimming, the third mode of travel for the triathlon.
Callahan brought out a written list of “10 whys” to explain his dedication to the triathlon — and to Spartan Ultra events — and three of them involve the wish to become an exemplary figure: for his two young sons, for his wife, for other family members, for friends and for co-workers at Varian, a company that provides equipment used in the treatment of cancer.
People can take heart from his current level of fitness, given that in 2018, before he began reforming his ways, he had trouble running three miles, he said.
“If I can do this, I think (other) people can (too),” he said. “I’m an advocate for the sport of triathlon.”
Those who try it will improve their quality of life, he said.
Dan Callahan gets a high-five from his son at the finish line of the Ironman triathlon. Courtesy photo
His father was a truck driver who got into preaching late in life, first with a children’s ministry, then as pastor for an Assembly of God church in the Pittsburgh area.
His father would often say, “It’s all about reaching the one.”
His son has a similar outlook.
“I want this (the story about his triathlon accomplishments) to reach at least one person,” he said.
“Sitting on an office chair or the couch, we’re not meant to do that,” Callahan said. “As a species, we’re meant to be outside, to be active, to set some goals and go after them.”
Triathlete Dan Callahan competed in the Spartan Ultra World Championships in Telluride, Colorado, in 2021. Courtesy photo
His advocacy for fitness reflects a “passion for people gene,” rather than any preaching gene, according to his father, James “Cal” Callahan.
For Cal and wife, Vicki, that passion for people seen in their son comes across most clearly after he’s completed a race, when he tirelessly congratulates and encourages others who are finishing behind him, even to the very end.
It’s because for Dan, as with himself, “each and every person is valuable to God and should be valuable to us,” Cal said.
Dan uses racing as a tool to connect with people, Vicki said.
Early beginnings
Callahan has a significant prior history with all three modes of triathlon travel, along with a lifelong attraction to endurance sports.
It surfaced one Sunday during fourth grade, when he went to a track in Avalon, Pa., where he grew up, and ran a mile, he said. A couple years later in the summer, he was running as much as 100 miles a week. Running enabled him to explore the area, relieve his stress, converse with himself and “drift away and think about life,” he said. It also enabled him to compete.
As a 10th grader, Callahan rode a bike with four other youths in a church-related fundraising adventure from Kentucky to Florida.
And as a youngster, he taught himself to swim at the Avalon pool, then as a high schooler, swam several distances competitively — along with running cross country and track.
He was always a disciplined child, Cal said.
He’s become a disciplined adult.
“He always tells me when he goes out in the morning, that’s where his God’s at,” Vicki said.
Long-held goal
That goal that presented itself to Callahan’s imagination after the painful marathon he ran in 2018 was the Lake Placid full triathlon the following year.
The idea of competing in such a race had stayed with him after watching the Ironman World Championship at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on TV in sixth grade, he said.
He ran a half-triathlon later in 2018, which went poorly due to injury. Physical therapy helped settle the injury problems. Then he ran a half-triathlon in spring 2019, which went well.
The Lake Placid full tri­­athlon turned out to be “epic,” as he finished in 11 hours and 40-some minutes.
“It opened up my mind to seeing what I was capable of,” he said.
A full triathlon requires traveling 140.6 miles: 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.
Callahan has done six full and four half-triathlons — as well as three Spartan Ultra races.
His full triathlon personal record is now 9 hours and 55 minutes.
Training involves 5,000 yard swims, 100-mile bike rides and 20-mile runs.
He has a treadmill in his garage — a “dreadmill” — for running indoors when absolutely necessary, and a stationary bike.
He goes to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. and gets up at 4 or 4:30 a.m., so he doesn’t lose “control” of the day to family or work obligations.
“Some days I’m tired, but for the most part, it’s enough (sleep),” he said.
The discipline involved, and the practice of becoming “comfortable being uncomfortable,” helps control his “vices,” including a taste for beer, he said.
Based on a book he has read, Callahan subscribes to an 80-20 training method, with 80% of the workout load low intensity and 20% high intensity, with mid-range intensity workouts to be avoided.
Workouts sometimes include exercises that mimic the transition from swimming to biking and biking to running, both of which present special challenges.
Supporting his hobby
The total cost of the upcoming European races will be about $15,000, according to Callahan.
“I had to really get creative with our finances to make this trip happen,” Callahan said.
He’s doing it as cheaply as possible, using frequent flier miles, free days for the rental car and Airbnbs, he said.
High-level triathlon participation is an expensive hobby for “age-groupers” like him, he said.
“But I don’t spend money on anything else,” he said.
Neighbor Greg White has organized a GoFundMe page for Callahan that had raised $2,430 toward a $3,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.
The fundraising is meant to cover entrance fees, transportation within Europe and some other logistical expenses, White wrote on the web page for the effort.
White has been “awesome,” Callahan said. “A huge help.”
Following the European trip, Callahan has a further ambition: to compete in a full triathlon in Florida in November in hopes of qualifying for next year’s Ironman at Kona, an “ultimate aspiration.” While 2023 is a “pinnacle year,” he wants to continue to grow, Callahan said.
In competition, when he finds himself in “tough spots,” he looks down at his forearms.
Before the races, he writes his sons’ names: TJ’s on the left and Danny’s on the right.
Seeing those names motivates him, he said.
“I want them to see their dad as someone who doesn’t quit, who does hard things and who doesn’t make excuses,” he said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.
The Callahan file
Name: Dan Callahan
Age: 40
Hometown: Born in Pittsburgh, currently resides in Warriors Mark
Family: Son of James “Cal” and Vicki Callahan; married to Kim; two sons, TJ, 6, and Danny, 4
Education: Northgate High School, 2001; Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2009, business management
Military: Enlisted in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 2001; was deployed to Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Djibouti as an intelligence officer. Retired from military in 2022.
Employment: Varian, a provider of hardware and software for radiation oncology; Dan is strategic account service manager supporting U.S. government accounts for treatment of service members on active duty and veterans and their dependents.
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AROUND 10 swimming teachers at a leisure centre near Basingstoke have handed in their resignation after facing a ‘50-per cent’ cut in their wages.
The swimming instructors at Tadley Health and Fitness Centre claim that the changes introduced by an aquatics team appointed by Serco, which runs the centre, are “unprofessional”.
According to teachers that the Gazette spoke to, around ten out of 19 instructors have quit so far.
They claim Serco is trying to cut the wages of private lessons from £30 per hour to £15.93, resulting in a loss of £10,500 per year for each teacher.
READ MORE: Councillors push for improvements at ‘neglected’ Tadley health centre
Furthermore, the teachers say the aquatics team has implemented plans to reduce the number of one-to-one and two-to-one sessions at the centre and increase group classes. This means teachers will need to be contracted for a minimum of six hours of group lessons to be eligible to teach private lessons. The members would also be unable to book classes with specific teachers.
The Gazette understands that the centre’s aim is to raise the number of group swimming lessons and increase revenue. However, the teachers claim that the revenue argument is “odd” as there are sections of the centre that are not fully open to the public.
Paula Swinhoe, who left in February before the new rules took effect, said Serco is actually trying to “get rid of” private lessons with the new rules. 
She said: “There’s a wider community who relies heavily on these private lessons. It’s not just about the average child who goes to school, there are nervous adults who prefer private lessons because they don’t want to go in a group. There are special needs children who absolutely would not survive without private lessons.
SEE ALSO: Great Wolf Resorts could bring indoor water park resort to Basingstoke
“Not only to teachers, but this is going to be detrimental to people from Tadley, Newbury and Basingstoke who come to this centre.
“There was no reason to change this system. They already take a 35 per cent cut from our money. Where does this money go if the centre is not making profit?
“If Serco is given that building to run, they should just run it. What they are doing is taking it away from the community. I am getting calls from other teachers who are inconsolable.”
Lorraine Vaughan, another swimming instructor who handed in her resignation after the pay cut, said the changes are “really unprofessional”. 
SEE MORE: ‘I am not enthralled’: Mixed reactions as councillors react to water park plans
The Gazette received more than 20 emails from concerned members of the centre who are worried about private lessons being taken away. Parents of children with special needs said the new rules would affect their kids.
Georgina Jones, who has two children with special needs said her children want to know where and when and with whom they are doing something.
“With children with special needs, this is a must, an absolute requirement. Routine is everything, trust is everything, continuity is everything,” she added.
READ ALSO: Basingstoke diner Iron Bull Roadhouse to reopen after flood menace
A spokesperson for Basingstoke & Deane Community Leisure Trust said: “As part of the process of offering a more balanced swimming programme at Tadley Health & Fitness Centre, we have consulted with our swimming teachers so they were aware of our plans and able to fully understand the rationale behind all decisions. The purpose of introducing our new programme is to bring the centre more in line with industry norms, which will ultimately benefit not just swimming lesson customers but all users of the facility.
“As part of an overall review of swimming at Tadley, we have developed a new timetable, which has two disability sessions per week, plus 1-to-1s for SEN swimmers available during all appropriate sessions. We understand the importance of consistency when it comes to 1-to-1 lessons. As such, customers will still be able to select the teacher they prefer for their children. 
“All of our swimming teachers are fully qualified and trained according to nationally recognised standards.”
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If their run together as a tag team lasted longer, the following wrestling duos would have reached legendary status!
The legacies of all-time great tag teams are often harder to reach legendary status than as a singles star. One common reason that few teams reach that top iconic spot is due to the time they are together. WWE and every other promotion will sometimes break up a great team in favor of trying to push them into singles star.
RELATED: 10 Best WWE Tag Teams of the 21st Century
The Rockers breakup set that template of how much success can come as Shawn Michaels started his trajectory into an all-time great legend after betraying Marty Jannetty. However, some teams didn’t even last long enough as a unit to get remembered as fondly. The following great tag teams would have had legendary runs if together longer.
The tandem of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin debuted with the perfect gimmick as Kurt Angle’s new proteges. Team Angle was the name given to them since Haas and Benjamin had amateur wrestling backgrounds to wrestle similar styles to Angle for the instant fit.
RELATED: 5 Tag Teams That Flourished After Leaving A Promotion (& 5 That Flopped)
However, WWE didn’t have long-term plans when splitting them from Angle when he turned face. World’s Greatest Tag Team was the new name used, but Shelton and Charlie were split up after a little over a year. WWE wanting Benjamin to get a singles push ended a team on pace for all-time greatness.
TNA made Triple X and America’s Most Wanted their top two tag teams in the early years of weekly PPVs. Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper and Low Ki had tremendous chemistry together as three exciting rising stars.
Fans typically viewed Daniels and Skipper as the ideal tag team when they were together. TNA broke them up in a strong feud with America’s Most Wanted with the losing team in an epic cage match forced to disband. Triple X ended before TNA’s fan base grew with the future Spike TV deal.
The Attitude Era gave us many makeshift tag teams, but one proved that it could work well with the right story. Kane and X-Pac became arguably the most beloved tag team of 1999 when they united after both getting betrayed by new members of The Corporation Triple H and Chyna.
WWE found a lot of momentum from Kane and X-Pac forming the perfect odd couple tag team based on an unlikely tag team. The run ended a bit too early when X-Pac betrayed Kane to reunite with Triple H and D-Generation X. However, it was a great yet short tag run for the time.
WWE formed an ideal tag team for the Golden Era with Power and Glory uniting Paul Roma and Hercules. Both struggled on their own, but WWE found some success with the unlikely pairing. Power and Glory had solid performances against The Rockers and Hart Foundation to show their potential.
However, they never had that big push to the tag titles and suffered an embarrassing defeat to the Legion of Doom in under a minute at WrestleMania 7. WWE hurt Power and Glory’s momentum then broke them up before they could move into that top spot to have a better legacy.
AEW placed the unlikely members of The Elite together when Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page won the AEW Tag Team Championship. Both guys were considered tremendous singles wrestlers, but this stint showed they could thrive in tag team action as well.
Page and Omega had some of the best recent tag matches against duos like the Young Bucks, FTR and Lucha Brothers. AEW understandably split them since both were planned for future world title reigns. However, they would have a richer tag team legacy together too if they had more time together.
WCW started to see the full respective potentials of Steve Austin and Brian Pillman when they teamed up. The Hollywood Blondes became the most entertaining WCW tag team outside of the Steiner Brothers in the early 1990s with great matches and hilarious segments.
RELATED: 5 Current Tag Teams Who Are Best As Babyfaces & 5 Who Are Better As Heels
It was a bit surprising when WCW chose to break them up for good when Pillman suffered an injury and Austin betrayed him. Both wrestlers ended up having legendary legacies in different ways as singles wrestlers, but the Hollywood Blondes chapter deserved more time.
The call-up of MNM from developmental to the main roster saw them instantly becoming the top team on Smackdown. Melina was the perfect manager to put the talented wrestlers of Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro over the top as a stellar heel act.
MNM defeating a legendary duo like Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio for tag gold when they stopped getting along was a huge moment. WWE made them the top team for about a year until a sudden breakup. Mercury violating the wellness policy led to them breaking up for Nitro and Melina to get pushed on their own.
WWE seemed to create a perfect babyface tag team with popular mid-carders Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne aka Matt Sydal became Air Boom. Fans loved the new act that injected life into the tag team division during their short run after WWE booked the division poorly for years.
Unfortunately, Air Boom only lasted a few months before Bourne suffered an injury and got suspended for violating the wellness policy. Kofi teamed with R-Truth afterwards and treaded water until forming New Day. Bourne never wrestled in WWE again after the injury timetable led to his release when recovered.
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan had a great tag team run in NXT that created huge expectations for the main roster. American Alpha had an outstanding debut moment as one of the first draft picks in the 2016 brand split draft to get selected from the NXT brand.
The in-ring work of American Alpha was always great, and they won the Smackdown Tag Team Championship later that year. However, WWE lost interest by booking a quick title change losing it to the Usos. Jordan moved to Raw for a storyline as Kurt Angle’s son to end American Alpha before they crafted a legacy together.
Paul London and Brian Kendrick were not the typical wrestlers that WWE pushed at the time to make it even cooler that they got over together in the Ruthless Aggression Era. The exciting matches of London and Kendrick saw them holding tag gold for almost a full year.
WWE didn’t book many great rivals for them to add a flaw there. A tag title loss to Deuce and Domini saw Kendrick and London struggling afterwards. WWE barely did anything else with them before a breakup to make their tag title reign feel like their entire stint of relevance.
Joey is a writer with a decade of experience writing about sports, entertainment, and pop culture. Pro wrestling is his strongest passion with a lifetime fandom and countless live shows attended.

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