Your Gym’s Closed. Your Next Workout is Just a Click Away
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are getting used to spending most of their time indoors. But as we catch up on our favourite shows, adapt to working from home and wipe the dust off those old forgotten board games, it’s important to find a way to stay active. Fortunately, fitness centers all over Westchester are finding ways to serve their communities online.
Level Up Fitness in Yorktown Heights has been posting daily workout routines on Instagram, complete with video instructions. Pure Barre, and athleisure boutique in Mount Kisco, has kept their tight-knit community running strong with Facebook Live workouts and virtual happy hours.
And plenty of personal trainers are taking their sessions to Skype.
Molly and Tony Canu, the husband-and-wife team behind The Fit Inn in Tarrytown have taken a different approach to online fitness. With classes capped at 11 people, they’re able to give offer the one-on-one attention of a personal trainer with the social aspect of a group class.
With over a decade of experience as personal trainers in Manhattan, they opened their small studio in January of 2019. After a surprising great first year, they were expecting an even better turnout in 2020. Then coronavirus happened. Just like that, they were forced to take a new approach to training.
When news coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak became more and more alarming, they started to experiment with virtual group classes. Soon after, New York gyms were deemed unessential and shut down.
“We were fortunate, smart or lucky. One of those things,” Molly said about the decision to take classes online. “We just stuck one on the schedule, ran it for free, and had 8 to 10 people.”
While it might not be ideal compared to the in-person experience, having a live virtual trainer has its advantages. Popular fitness apps often have users performing complicated exercises with little instruction, which could lead pulled muscles, stuff backs, or even worse injuries. The combination of live video and small class sizes allow Molly and Tony to give their members tips, encouragement and form corrections in real-time.
When asked how the personal training experience translated online, Molly replied “we’re sticklers for form. But it’ll never be the same as it is in person.”
But with so many of us confined to our homes for the foreseeable future, staying active is more important than ever before. With more time on their hands, people can easily fall into a routine of binge-watching shows on their couch.
“Moving your body and your mental health are so intertwined,” Molly affirmed. “The days I get out for a run and really burn off some steam are the days that I feel the healthiest mentally.”
As we all struggle to adjust and adapt each day, let’s not forget to keep moving. It could be taking a morning walk around the block or on a trail. We can follow our favorite gyms and trainers on social media for daily lessons and inspirations, or join an virtual class. Whatever we do, we’ll be able to tackle our stress and anxiety and burn some calories in the meantime.
