Southport Magazine

By, Brian Tully of Better Together Fitness

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 timeline seems to be filled with considerable precautions ahead of us. I hate to say it, but I don’t even see us being halfway through this thing yet. So, it is best to start making plans for keeping some level of health and wellness in your life while keeping the proper precautions in place. For some of you this may mean continuing to wear a mask, wash your hands and clean the exercise equipment before and after use at your local gym. That is assuming that the local gym is still open. But for others this is not the path, you need to be more cautious for the sake of friends, family members, other loved ones, and your own personal health. 

Exercise and fitness have tremendous benefits to our overall well-being. It really should not be neglected, even during events like we are currently experiencing. In fact, it is more important than ever. It helps counteract depression, create an opportunity for social interaction, boost immunity, and improve overall health.

If you are one of those that need or want to be more cautious as the COVID numbers continue to rise, but still continue to exercise, there are options available to safely train without returning to the traditional gym setting.  Below you will find several ideas to help you stay healthy and fit during this pandemic. 

Pay attention to some important factors like your own level of exercise experience and your level of self-motivation. If your level of workout experience is low, you will want more interaction with the trainer to ensure you are performing the exercises correctly and that they are the right ones for you. This will help you work around any physical limitations you may have, decrease your risk of injury, and make sure you get the most from the workout.

Stream workouts on demand or on DVDs – pre-recorded, no accountability or interaction, guided workouts; can offer a lot of variety, can be a wide range of price points from free to over $100 based on the program and level of complexity

Workout Program from a Magazine or Social Media Account – countless number of fitness magazines with monthly workouts or social media fitness accounts that provide daily workouts; you should already have a pretty good idea of how-to workout and no physical issues or limitations; looking for some variety; no accountability or interaction; up to you to decide if it is the workout right for you

Join an Online Challenge – weekly workouts sent to you to perform on your own; usually lasts for a set period of time (28 days, 6 weeks, etc.); may have a private social media group of others going through the challenge; low level of interaction with trainer; usually a lower price point

Home Equipment with Guided Workouts – recorded and live workout sessions; a good example of this would be the Peleton (spin bike with large video screen attached that is connected to the internet for live or recorded instructor-led classes); can be expensive; classes can be very large leading to little to no interaction with instructor or other class members; typically one primary source of exercise, in this case the spin bike; it can track your progress for some form of motivation, but no one is holding you accountable

Virtual Group Workouts – these can be live video workouts on a Zoom Conference Call, Facebook Live, or other online video medium; these groups can be very large; you follow along live online or perform the recorded version of the workout on your own time; size of group can vary greatly; usually low cost; no accountability unless you are doing it with friends that hold you accountable; 

Virtual Small Group Workouts – same as a virtual group workout (above) but the number of attendees is limited to a small enough group that the trainer can not only lead the workout, but instruct, correct, and interact with individual attendees; higher level of interaction and accountability at a lower price point than the below options; since everyone in virtual it provides a safe way to interact in a group

One-on-One Virtual Training – basically the same as in person private personal training; you and your trainer interact via a live video feed; you and your trainer are virtually both in the same room; high level of accountability, interaction, detailed instruction and technique guidance; workout is designed specific to each individual’s goals and needs; at the higher end from a price perspective due to the level of customization and interaction

Hybrid Training– mix of in-person instruction and virtual training; allows you to only be in-person for program changes and assessments (as needed) while still doing the majority of your workouts in a one-on-one virtual manner or following the custom designed program on your own; allows for the detailed instruction and accountability but still puts some of the ownership on you when performing workouts in between sessions

Private In-Person One-On-One Training Studio – very similar to the One-On-One Virtual Training mentioned above, except it is all done in person; the same level of precautions would most likely be in place as regular gym (face mask, equipment cleaning, hand disinfecting, etc.), but it would be just you and the trainer in the space; easier to maintain safe distance and insure that you are not sharing equipment or air with a bunch of other exercisers; high level of accountability provided; low level of starting exercise experience needed

As you can see there really are numerous options for keeping up with your exercise and health, even in the midst of this pandemic. Everyone is truly different, find what is right for you. But please don’t neglect your health. Use this time to come out the other side stronger and healthier. If you have any questions or other thoughts to share, I would love to hear from you! 

Brian@BetterTogetherFitness.com

BetterTogetherFitness.com