Though we’ve seen a number of people protest by exercising outside of gyms—ironically, showing that it is possible to work out without being inside a fitness center—in pursuit of indoor fitness establishments reopening amid the global pandemic, a great number of us are, in fact, staying home and staying safe as much as possible. As colder weather approaches in much of the United States, however, public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have expressed concern about the virus spreading as people are less able to socialize or spend time outside. And, frankly, as we approach a longer and longer stretch of the global health crisis, many of us are getting bored and restless inside.
One thing to embrace? The beauty of moving your body indoors. Whether it’s yoga, guided stretches, meditation, jogging in place (especially if you don’t have neighbors downstairs), and more, there is possibly no better opportunity to try your hand at exercising your body solo than during the coldest months of a pandemic. At-home exercise tends to have a pretty begrudging reputation, but it can actually be an empowering, inclusive experience, especially for marginalized folks. Let’s explore why below.
First things first when it comes to any sort of exercise: Always talk to your doctor before changing up anything about your health regimen to make sure it’s safe and advisable for your individual circumstances. If you get the all-clear to do some fitness, you have a plethora of options to do from your home. Some options come with a price tag, but YouTube hosts a truly incredible number of free videos for all levels of fitness and ability—yoga, pilates, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), muscle targeting (abs, back, etc.), and so on. You can also find videos geared toward people with disabilities, such as seated yoga.
Aside from the obvious pro of avoiding contact with people, working out at home can do wonders for personal empowerment and comfort. Do you need to buy new gym clothes to work out in your living room? No. Do you need to suffer through thinly veiled fatphobic comments from fitness instructors? No (or, at least, you can quickly change the video you’re playing). Will you be tempted to compare yourself to the person in front of you or beside you? Unless you're doing a family or roommate workout, that’s also a no. If you get frustrated and really want to be outside, can you just get up and go for a bike ride or jog around your neighborhood? Provided you can distance from others, sure.
Personally, I have gone to in-person yoga classes at various points in my life and never quite got it. I struggled with form and speed, and I certainly did not feel relaxed or particularly connected to my body. While we’ve been sheltering in place, I’ve done a number of free yoga guides to start my mornings. Am I excellent at yoga? Honestly, no. But I do enjoy the process a lot more and actually have noticed a bit of improvement in my flexibility and balance. I also find that the routine feels much more attainable—instead of packing a change of clothes, getting to the studio, bringing supplies and so on, everything I need is right at home. While this is pretty obvious, I have found that the ability to pause workouts and examine form and posture has helped me learn the fundamentals that I pretty consistently fudged during in-person classes.
Of course, yoga is just one example. There are videos for just about anything, and provided you get the all-clear from your doctor on trying it, you can probably find a pandemic-friendly activity you enjoy. If you don’t have reliable internet access at home, you might have luck finding fitness DVDs or videos to rent at your local library. And if you’re trying to avoid spending extra money on supplies or equipment, there are many “hacks” for substituting equipment with items you might have at home already (like canned foods or jugs of water, for example) to keep costs down.
If you want to support small businesses, you can find online classes or videos that do require payment or operate on a donation model. You can also use this as an opportunity to seek out content from marginalized creators who might not ordinarily be available to you because of location, hours of business, or other barriers.
In a similar vein, the fitness industry has long faced valid criticisms about fatphobia, ableism, and racism on structural levels. With at-home workouts and virtual classes becoming more and more available, sheltering in place might serve as a new opportunity for people to connect with marginalized creators and find a safer, more inclusive community than what they’ve been offered before.