If you’re looking for a way to continue your workouts from home now that thousands of gyms across America are indefinitely closed, there are plenty of fitness companies offering online options.
One such company is Planet Fitness, which began offering online workouts streamed every Monday over Facebook Live after the closure of their gyms. If you have an exercise bike at home, or even just a yoga mat, you can reproduce much of your workout from the comfort of your own living room without violating any of the CDC’s social distancing guidelines.
The company is the latest in a string of brick-and-mortar fitness organizations to transition to fully online classes to cope with the dramatic amount of people currently quarantined across the United States. Other fitness chains offering online-only options include 305 Fitness and Corepower Yoga, which is running a personal subscription service for on-demand workouts from its website.
The disruption actually makes Planet Fitness classes more accessible, since they are free to anyone who watches on the Facebook page and are available even to non-members. Who knows, if you like what you see in an online class, that could motivate you to sign up for physical classes once the mandatory social distancing period is over.
Planet Fitness marketing director Jeremy Tucker issued a statement on the company’s decision to transition to online classes following gym closures. “Our daily routines have changed in unexpected ways, and we know that people may not be able to get to the gym. That’s why we’re offering a free, daily virtual fitness class for everyone on Planet Fitness’ Facebook page from Monday through Friday…the home workouts will offer tools to combat stress, while providing motivation and inspiration sure to keep us all physically and mentally fit.”
It’s a relief to know that even if so much of your life is on pause, there are still little things you can do to maintain your normal routine. You might have to workout in your living room instead of at the gym for now, but that’s better than nothing. There are many things that aren’t as easy to replicate from home.
Quarantining can also cause a significant amount of emotional stress that should also be accounted for during this time. Anybody who goes to the gym regularly can tell you what a rush it is and how good you feel after completing a really tough workout. It’s more important now than ever to be sticking to that, since the endorphins that come from a hard workout will almost certainly improve your mood during a difficult period of social isolation. Keeping the body active during this time is of paramount importance, so don’t forget to take advantage of all the amazing free online options that can keep you fit and ready. With a recommended quarantine period of two weeks at the very least, it would be easy for many of us to get out of shape and fall into snacking. Make sure to keep up your routine, and that way, when things do finally get back to normal, you’ll be back at it in the gym in no time!
