Gyms, yoga studios and CrossFit centers around
the country are fueling the drive to stay active
by offering online classes, some free of charge,
or extending trial periods for at-home workouts.
Studio owners and fitness instructors are
having to adjust too as they make the shift to
teaching online. The Coalition of Health and
Fitness Leaders, a group of fitness, nutrition
and wellness industry representatives recently
formed in response to the new coronavirus,
hosted an online panel Thursday to provide
guidance for instructors.
Countless people around the country who
have been cooped up inside as their companies
mandate work-at-home policies and their fitness
centers shut down are getting creative with their
workout routines.
Many are turning to online classes, grabbing
bleach bottles as makeshift weights, or taking
cues from YouTube challenges showing how
to do crunches with furniture or turn a kitchen
floor into a treadmill by soaping up the tiling.
LaTart’s yoga and warrior sculpting instructors
at Life Time in Minneapolis are still teaching
classes. They’ve just moved them from the gym
to cyberspace, where they are livestreaming
instructions from their website. LaTart says
knowing he can still participate in the classes is
keeping him sane.
“I like the idea that this is something that’s
normal,” the 38-year-old radio producer said.
“This is someone I know. This is something
that’s familiar.”
Beth Berglin, 40, a director at a charity in Miami,
was used to going to boot camp-style classes
four mornings a week until authorities began