NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — On Sunday, Governor Bill Lee signed an Executive Order shutting down dining areas for restaurants, and closing gyms and fitness centers. It has people itching to find ways to exercise and stay active while isolated. Now, several fitness instructors are moving their classes online.
Instructor Cheryl Kimball is teaching her dance classes online, through Zoom. She's offering her classes free to get people through this time of quarantine.
"We really want to see people moving and not eat snacks for quarantine," Kimball said. "Every second counts and it'll keep that cabin fever from setting in."
There have been challenges. Instructors are trying to find ways to still be engaging and deal with glitches.
"If you don't have a good connection it will make the virtual class glitch," Kimball said. "Those following along, it can make things more difficult to work out."
Fitness coach Ariella Bocian with Camp Gladiator says the last few weeks they continued working outside, standing 6 feet apart.
"We had to make some adjustments," said Bocian. "Within our group of 10, I would put cones to make sure everyone was 6 feet apart."
But after this executive order, they've decided to move their sessions online, finding ways to cheer each other on from the other side of the screen.
"Right now, we're only doing Facebook Live so it's hard to have that personal face-to-face connection," said Bocian. "We are finding other ways to keep them engaged like sending high-five emojis."
Bocian says although there have been challenges, she doesn't feel like there has been a huge downside in moving virtually. She says right now, more than ever, we should be getting active.
"I think that exercise is important in every day life and in times like these it can be more important," she said. "It relieves stress, helps with mental health and it's something to look forward to. It also gives people a routine and allows you to know you're not alone."
To join Kimball's Zoom meeting you can click here. Meeting ID: 264 703 2266
