The Best Online Workouts: How to stay fit when you are stuck at home

By Stefan Hench Collaborator

In our best efforts to stay safe during outbreak of COVID-19, we have all adopted social distancing and abandoned some of our daily routines. This has disrupted every aspect of our lives, including our workout plans. With gyms, yoga studios, and group fitness classes cancelled, we need to turn to new solutions to get exercise. Afterall, exercise is not only good for your body composition but will also boost your immune system and help combat stress. 

Fortunately, there are many resources that make it easy to work out at home. The following are some of our favorites, but first, let's get organized:

Set Up a Home Gym

You will need a yoga mat for most of these workouts and a Pilates ring for some. Of course, it’s possible to substitute books for blocks, a belt for a strap, or a regular blanket for a bolster, but these items are generally inexpensive if you purchase them online. For around $50-$75, you can order everything you need to turn your living room into your personal workout studio!  Consider adding plants, candles, or motivating elements like medals and pictures, whatever helps you set the mood.  Having a dedicated space can also encourage you to stick to a routine.  (Side note, for barre classes, a counter stool usually works perfectly!)

Free Options

If your wages have taken a hit during this crisis, you are concerned about financial security or you just want to experiment with different types of classes there are many free exercise options:

  • YouTube--YouTube brings you workouts from thousands of content creators directly to your computers, smartphones, and living room TVs. These are some of our favorite channels:
  • ClassPass--You may know ClassPass as the service that allows you to sample exercise classes around your city for one flat rate. While this core service is unavailable during these times, their mobile app, with over 2000 video and audio workouts, is free!
  • Darebee--If you prefer to workout without a video, Darebee offers over 1,400 one-page exercise plans. (Great infographics!)

Paid Premium Options (with Free Trials)

  • Peloton--The manufacturer and provider of this popular living-room bike-and-streaming-video service offers its mobile and smart TV app (which has non-bike workouts) free for 90 days.
  • Jillian Michaels--The app which contains meal plans and workouts from this popular fitness expert offers a 7-day free trial.
  • Beach Body on Demand--offers a 14-day free trial.

Support Your Local Studio!

Like dining and public entertainment, the gym and fitness center industry is taking a huge hit from this crisis. Many small studios are offering virtual online classes for their members. If you can afford a subscription that supports a struggling small business, please consider joining! 

Heatwise Studio--one of our partners and our fav hot yoga studio, has had to temporarily close their two Brooklyn studios in recent weeks.  They are offering live stream classes and private instruction on their site.  Please check them out!

Bella Vita World-- a wellness community based in NYC, Bella Vita World is offering ways to connect online and ways to move with yoga, Zumba and cardio youtube classes.

Inscape Meditation Studio-- a Manhattan based meditation studio and curated retail experience. You can support them by shopping online and joining their livestream meditation sessions.

Fuller Yoga-- a CT-based independent yoga and Pilates studio, Fuller Yoga offers classes on their downloadable app.

Unite Fitness--a gym from Philadelphia offers free workout videos on it's instagram page. (Recommended by a Philly friend who swears by them)

 

recoup after you sweat!

We hope that this guide provides you with several options to break a sweat and stay fit through social distancing. After your workout, drink a recoup beverage for post-workout recovery and daily wellness. You don't have to leave the house to get one either, we are still shipping across the USA!

By Stefan Hench, Recoup Team Member