By Chris Price
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to threaten the world and impact people’s daily lives, their mental and physical well being. We have been told by government leaders to stay home and physically distance from our friends and neighbours. However, staying at home can lead to low levels of activity that can seriously impact our mental and physical health.
A lot of businesses including gym’s have been forced to close to stop the spread of Covid-19. Gyms, personal trainers, fitness and yoga instructors have turned to zoom and social media accounts to make a living and to reach out and connect with former students and perhaps people working from home – a new target audience. They are now using zoom, video conference calls, and Facebook live stream to reach out to their target audience and to perhaps attract new clients.
The challenge of working-out at home is to stay motivated. At home, there is limited access to gym equipment (weights, treadmills, elliptical machines) as well as facilities such as saunas, whirl pools and swimming pools. Also, there is the huge loss of personal encouragement and social inter-connection with classmates and instructors. Virtual classes are not the same as attending classes at a gym because it is harder to stay motivated to continually work-out by just watching a fitness instructor on a TV, computer, or mobile device. It is important that physical fitness instructors keep their audiences engaged and motivated by incorporating new routines and ideas into their work-outs. Some trainers and yoga instructors have reached out to their target audiences by taking their classes outside to keep in touch with their clients in this trying time of covid-19. However, this can only be done if the weather is good. Some fitness blogs have included hiking and cycling trails into their workout videos. This focuses on interesting out-door activities to encourage and motivate their target audience to promote a healthy life style.
It is important to stay active. Other ways for keeping active is to go outside daily for exercise and a mental health break- This could be brisk walks, runs, bike rides, and in winter months skiing, skating, or snow shoeing.
But – Quarantining or Staying at home with low levels of activity will cause stress. It will have a negative impact on one’s mind and body. Physical activity and relaxation can be a valuable tool to help protect peoples’s physical and mental health. Exercise can lead to a decrease of depression, stress, anxiety and help manage chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Reference:
Home Workout and Fitness Tips: Exercising without the Gym
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 