Staying home isn’t an excuse to let your fitness routine slide. The opposite is true. Exercise produces endorphins that act like natural painkillers. Regular aerobic activity decreases tension. It elevates mood. It improves sleep. We all need that right now.
When gyms closed, trainers went online. They did it to survive, yes. But also to help clients stay moving. Home workouts aren’t new. You just need to adjust. Melissa Feldman, an exercise physiologist in Sarasota, Florida, says start with what you have. No weights? No problem.
“Usually when you try something else, your body responds very positively,” Feldman says.
Using different muscle groups triggers new benefits. Here are programs that keep you moving.
Get Out Those Workout Videos
Jane Fonda led the charge decades ago. Today, the options are vast. You can find classes for bodybuilders or ballerinas. TMAC Fitness offers twenty-minute no-equipment sessions. Pilates Anytime has over 3,400 classes.
Most charge a monthly fee. Many offer trials. YouTube is free if that’s all you need. The best part? Availability. You work out when you want.
Join a Livestreaming Class
Recorded workouts work for some. Others need group energy. Feldman says schedule your sessions. Pick live participation.
“Put them in your calendar,” she says.
Motivation comes from commitment. It also supports the studios. Look at gyms you already know. They likely moved to virtual formats.
The virtual world lets you try instructors anywhere. ClassPass lists livestreams. The Mindbody app has a virtual search feature. You can connect with people globally.
Hire a One-on-one Virtual Trainer
Personal trainers boost results. They teach new exercises. They help you push past plateaus. They give feedback. Social distancing doesn’t block these benefits.
Contact your current trainer. Set up virtual sessions. It might be pricey. Try semi-private lessons on Zoom. Team up with a friend. Accountability increases.
Platforms like Caliber pair you with a trainer. They create a program. They check in regularly. They aren’t there for every single rep. But the structure remains.
Dust Off Your Home Gym Equipment
Treadmills. Rowing machines. Ellipticals.
These pieces fit into any home routine. Smart technology changed the game. You don’t feel stuck alone. The Peloton Bike or Tread brings motivation. An on-demand library is at your fingertips.
Live classes feature real instructors. Sometimes DJs join in. It feels like a club. You can high-five other members. You are connected, even when apart.
The Cost of Connected Fitness
High-end smart systems promise everything but demand a heavy price tag. Mirror offers an interactive display with live classes and on-demand workouts. It features an embedded camera for feedback and connects to Bluetooth heart-rate monitors. Tonal takes resistance further. It delivers 200 pounds of weight for strength training and acts as a virtual personal trainer. Both save floor space. Both drain bank accounts.
If these futuristic gym setups are budget-busters, the solution might already be in your pocket. Fitness apps offer a way to plan, track, and improve routines without the hardware markup. They are not just for casual movers.
Apps for Every Lifter
Smartphone applications handle the heavy lifting of organization. Sworkit lets users customize programs based on fitness level and specific goals. It includes extras like a community feature and the option to ask a trainer questions or get personalized coaching.
Heavier lifters are not left out. Digital Trends compiled a list of the best apps for those who find standard routines too casual. The market covers nearly every style. For the time-crunched, there is the J&J Official 7 Minute Workout. These are just a few examples in a vast landscape of digital fitness tools.
Following Celebrity Coaches
Celebrities are stepping into the coaching role. Some are certified. Many are not. They provide advice or lead live workouts to help fans stay in shape. Vogue asked fashionable yogis for guidance on building an at-home practice.
Emmy Rossum invited Instagram followers to join IG LIVE sessions. She worked with instructors from Erika Bloom Pilates and Natural Pilates. You could also choose to work out with Dwayne Johnson. It is a choice. The certification status of these influencers varies widely, but the engagement is real.
Creative Outdoor Solutions
Indoor connected activities are abundant. If you crave the outdoors, you must get creative. Elisha Nochomovitz ran the length of a marathon on his balcony. That is an extreme example. Most people will just jog in place or back and forth, depending on available space.
When group classes are impossible, people maintain social distance. A personal trainer in Spain led a workout from a rooftop. Students followed along from their balconies. In Utah, a backyard Zumba class allowed safe separation. For a quick routine anywhere, outdoor HIIT workouts offer a flexible alternative.
Multitasking Your Movement
Why split your time? Combine workouts with language learning. Try a yoga class in French. Do Pilates with a German instructor. It is a way to kill two birds with one stone.
