Online fitness coaching for people in the Memphis area
The Memphis metro reaches across three states, from the city into North Mississippi and across the river into Arkansas, with more than seventy days a year at or above 90 F, a lot of rain and about one in ten workers working from home. Diogo is based in South Florida and coaches online. Memphis is on Central time, an hour behind me, so your evening call is my later evening, which works.
How the Memphis area trains, per the CDC’s metro survey
In 2023, an estimated 43.5% of adults in the Memphis area reported muscle-strengthening exercises two or more times a week (CDC SMART BRFSS, 95% CI 38.9 to 48.1). In 2023, an estimated 26.4% reported no physical activity or exercise in the past month (CDC SMART BRFSS, 95% CI 22.2 to 30.6). Metro samples are smaller than the state survey’s, so read the range in brackets more than the single number.
Daily life in the Memphis area, by the numbers
From the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, published value and margin of error together: about 9.9% of workers who live here work from home (90% margin of error plus or minus 0.4); commuters average 24.3 minutes to work (90% margin of error plus or minus 0.2); the median age is 36.8 years (90% margin of error plus or minus 0.1); 89.3% of households have a broadband subscription (90% margin of error plus or minus 0.4). Metro-area figures: your own city may differ.
Training through the heat in the Memphis area
At the MEMPHIS INTL AP station (USW00013893, 6.1 km from Memphis' Census internal point), the 1991–2020 normal July high is 91.9 F, with 72.1 days a year at or above 90 F on average, an average January low of 33.3 F, and 54.94 inches of rain a year.
How coaching works from a distance
Diogo is based in South Florida and coaches online. Your workouts live in the Trainerize app, you weigh in twice a week, you send progress photos every two weeks, and we talk on a weekly call scheduled around your time zone. Between calls, you can message me with questions.
How do I train through a Memphis summer?
Indoors for the hard work and at the edges of the day for the rest. With more than seventy days a year at or above 90 F and a lot of rain, an afternoon outdoor session is the one that heat or heavy rain cancels. So the strength training stays indoors all year, walks and runs go to the first hour of light or after dark in the hot months, and a day of heavy rain swaps the walk for a short session at home. The cooler months are when outdoor training can sit wherever your week wants it. The weekly call moves the plan when the season turns.
I go into work every day. Where does training fit?
In the part of the day you already control. The figure above says only about one in ten workers here works from home, so the office sets most of the week, but the hour before work and the stretch right after it are usually yours. With an average commute under twenty-five minutes, a gym on the way home or a home session before you leave both fit. The plan picks one and keeps it, because a session that has a time is a session that happens. Weekends carry the longer session, and on the weeks when work takes the evenings too, two short sessions keep the habit alive.
Other metro areas
Up a level: Tennessee · Mississippi · Arkansas · How one-to-one online coaching works · The best time to work out · A 30-minute workout that still counts · Apply for coaching
Sources
- CDC, Division of Population Health — Behavioral Risk Factors: Selected Metropolitan Area Risk Trends (SMART) MMSA Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (j32a-sa6u). _TOTINDA: BRFSS SMART 2023; _PASTRNG: BRFSS SMART 2023. source
- U.S. Census Bureau (data.census.gov table API) — American Community Survey 5-year 2020-2024 (ACSDP5Y2024.DP02/DP03, ACSDT5Y2024.B01002). DP03 (0024PE/PM): ACS 2020-2024 5-year, published value and 90% MOE; DP02 (0154PE/PM): ACS 2020-2024 5-year, published value and 90% MOE; B01002 (001E/M): ACS 2020-2024 5-year, published value and 90% MOE; DP03 (0025E/M): ACS 2020-2024 5-year, published value and 90% MOE. source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information — U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020), v1.0.1, DOI 10.25921/wck8-er13. noaa-jul-high: 1991-2020 normals; station USW00013893, years of record July TMAX 30, January TMIN 30, 90 F days 30, precipitation 30; noaa-jan-low: 1991-2020 normals; station USW00013893, years of record July TMAX 30, January TMIN 30, 90 F days 30, precipitation 30. source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information — U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), DOI 10.25921/4ek7-fk11. noaa-days-90: 1991-2020 normals; station USW00013893, years of record July TMAX 30, January TMIN 30, 90 F days 30, precipitation 30; noaa-precip: 1991-2020 normals; station USW00013893, years of record July TMAX 30, January TMIN 30, 90 F days 30, precipitation 30. source
- Source: CDC. Materials developed by CDC; the data are available on the agency website (data.cdc.gov) at no charge. Use of this material does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government of Diogo Fitness or its services. Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- This product uses Census Bureau data but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau. ACS figures are 2020-2024 5-year published estimates and margins of error retrieved from data.census.gov, the Census Bureau's own server (keyless table endpoint).
- Palecki, M., Durre, I., Applequist, S., Arguez, A., Lawrimore, J. (2021). U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020), https://doi.org/10.25921/wck8-er13, and U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), https://doi.org/10.25921/4ek7-fk11. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Normals are 30-year station averages and apply less well with distance from the station.