Staying fit from home during a pandemic
Published 9:55 am Wednesday, March 25, 2020
- Star Photo/Brittnee Nave Although Workout Anytime is normally open 24 hours a day, they are closed for the time being, like all other gyms in the area. Despite this, staying physical is still possible.
While the gym may be closed, you can still get physical with workouts from home.
In response to COVID-19, and the closure set by Governor Lee earlier this week, many gyms have taken to posting workouts people can do through streaming sites, like Facebook or YouTube, and mobile applications.
One of these is Workout Anytime. The nationwide gym launched their mobile application recently that provides at-home workouts, and are also posting daily workout videos on their YouTube channel as well.
Josh May with the Elizabethton facility said this is important for keeping momentum.
“For a lot of people it is an issue of momentum,” he said. “It takes a lot of work to get started and it is easier to get the ball rolling than it is to start from scratch again. So it is important to maintain some form of physical fitness during this time just to maintain that healthy momentum.”
In addition to keeping up routines, May also said that regular workouts can help mental health.
“It’s good not just for your physical health, but also for your psychological health and mental well-being,” he said. “You hear about the runner’s high, where you go for a run and feel really good afterwards, like with any exercise where it releases endorphins, it makes you feel happy, it makes you feel good. We can all use a little bit of happiness right now.”
May’s advice is supported by the Centers for Disease Control, who list physical activity and self-care as being some of the things to focus on while coping with stress during this time.
Besides gym workout videos to keep up with fitness, you can also do basic activities like squats, pushups and situps. As of this article, there is also no order against going outside to walk, run or jog, which are also classified as great physical activities.
If you are curious as to whether your gym is transitioning online during this time, be sure to check out their website or other social media outlets. Likewise, you can also search YouTube for workout videos, many of which are designed for equipment-free environments if you have none on hand, or do basic routines at home.
