Gen Z and millennials go for sober fitness first dates

On a recent first date, Alexis Amaral felt a rush of excitement when the guy she’d met online reached over and brushed her hand.

But, the two weren’t sitting next to each other at a movie or a café — they were in downward dog pose in a yoga class.

“[It was] sexy and different compared to just like sitting there just chatting with someone,” Amaral, a 27-year-old who works in tech and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, told The Post.

She proposed the workout as an alternative to going out to a bar for yet another drink. When the guy said yes, she was pleasantly surprised.

“It made me more interested because I want somebody who’s comfortable with trying new things and getting outside of their comfort zone,” she said.

“I loved getting to see how he faced not knowing what he was doing — and maybe not being great at something,” she continued, adding that they went out a second time before things “fizzled.”

When it comes to dating, younger singles are increasingly opting to work up a sweat, rather than running up a bar tab.

A survey conducted by dating app Bumble in April 2023 found that 46% of Gen Zer’s and millennials in the US have gone on an active first date, such as exercising, attending a fitness class or going for a bike ride.

The trend dovetails with younger people drinking less and less.

A report from Berenberg research revealed that Gen Zer’s and millennials consume significantly less booze than older generations did when they were young.

The dating app Hinge found that 30% of its users prefer sober dates.

Cutting back on alcohol has motivated Jake Emanuel, a 27-year-old yoga instructor, to opt for fitness dates.

He’s found that going out to a bar or restaurant with a potential mate and just not ordering an alcoholic beverage doesn’t work.

“It’s not helpful for the vibe,” the Upper East Sider said.

So, he recently invited a 20-something finance guy to take his class at Souk yoga studio in Flatiron. It didn’t lead to anything, but it was a nice time.

“He enjoyed the class and afterwards, I was able to kind of help him with some poses,” Emanuel said. “I think that was kind of cool to being able to share that.”

Another recent active date made the yogi stretch outside his wheelhouse.

A guy invited him to take a high-intensity interval training class at Barry’s, something Emanuel found “a little weird at first.”

But, he ultimately ended up loving the intense HIIT workout — which involves alternating intervals of sprinting on a treadmill and lifting weights.

“Barry’s was a good time,” he said.

He did purposefully opt to go on a treadmill that wasn’t right next to his date’s, lest it make things awkward or competitive.

“I could kind of do my thing,” he said. “So I think maybe a pro tip would be, ‘Don’t be right next to each other.’”

Emanuel, who is also the host of the “Spirituality in the City” podcast, which discusses Gen Z dating trends, said that such classes are a perfect preamble to a more traditional activity.

“[You could] get a smoothie or potentially even get brunch afterwards,” he said. “If it goes badly, you still got a nice workout in and you can go about the rest of your day.”

But, experts caution that these encounters don’t let you get to know someone the way sitting and talking do.

“A first date is a great place for two people to meet in person and see if there is chemistry and do a little vetting to see if values are in alignment,” Thalia Ouimet, a professional matchmaker and dating coach, told The Post. “If you are both working out in a workout class, this doesn’t allow you to do either of those two things.”

But, sometimes working out together really does work out.

Eight months ago, Sarah Strauss opted to hit the gym and then go on an ocean swim for her first meetup with a guy named Sumner Izak Healey.

The two, who met in San Diego, California, and recently moved to Las Vegas, have been together ever since.

They love hiking, traveling and yes, working out, together.

“He’s about to run a marathon on Sunday,” Strauss, a life coach, gushed. “Fitness is a huge part of our passion in life, and in our relationship.”