Quarantine has been rough for those wanting to get involved or stay involved in fitness. Even before quarantine, fitness wasn’t always accessible or easy to get into. Especially for plus-size people, fitness can be an exclusionary practice. From gyms being expensive and judgemental places to personal trainers being costly and uncertain investments, finding a way to exercise that fits your needs can be difficult. One of the silver linings of quarantine is the abundance of free fitness workshops and videos being hosted on the internet. With access to WiFi, people are able to workout from home with the help of professional resources. While some of these resources were available pre-quarantine, the necessity for remote fitness due to gyms being closed has driven those who visit the gym to seek refuge online.
At-Home Resources
Whether you’re just starting out on a fitness journey, returning to regular fitness, or are a regular fitness buff, the internet is teeming with new resources for at-home fitness. Let’s take a look:
DAREBEE
DAREBEE is an organization that publishes free workouts and diet plans as convenient PDFs.The site is 100% add-free and is funded completely by user donations. (If you enjoy DAREBEE, I highly recommend donating to them. They’re non-profit and provide amazing resources.)
Nerd Fitness
Looking for something a bit more pop-culture-based? Look no further! Nerd Fitness blends pop culture and workouts to make getting active more fun. They have tons of free fitness resources, but also offer a paid service with more personalized support.
Fitness Blender
Offering both low-cost and free programs, Fitness Blender believes in accessibility for all. Most of their fitness videos are completely free, and they range from beginner to intensive programs.
YouTube
That’s right! The #1 video streaming service offers fitness videos that are free! While this may come as no surprise, it can be difficult to find helpful resources on YouTube. I recommend HASfit for slightly more intense beginner workouts; Holly Honjo for plus-size-, disability-, senior-, injury-friendly workouts; and Yoga With Adrienne for fantastic yoga routines.
A Smartphone
Most modern smartphones come equipped with a fitness tracker! Check out your phone and the default apps to see what’s already downloaded! You can also download a fitness tracker from your device’s app store if you don’t like the default one.
Foundations
The resources above are just a very short list of what’s currently available. But now that we’ve seen some broad resources, let’s get into the foundations of at-home fitness:
- Start small. It may be tempting to try and go all-in from the very beginning, but remember that your body needs to get used to exercising before starting a stringent routine!
- You don’t need equipment. When I first started working out from home, I kept seeing fitness instructors using things like resistance bands, dumbbells, and yoga mats. Looking into them online, they were surprisingly expensive. I was disappointed in the pricing and felt like I was stuck. What was I supposed to do if I couldn’t afford what fitness gurus considered basic equipment? The answer was body weight. Your body has its own weight, whether you’re plus-size or not. There are tons of workouts online that don’t use equipment but the body instead!
- Fuel your body properly. If you don’t fuel your body well, whether that means eating enough of the right things or changing your diet, it won’t grow and get stronger.
- Hydrate! Drink water! Your body might be 70% water, but it needs more!
- Forgive yourself when you stumble. Sometimes, it’s tough to stick to a routine. Sometimes, things happen and you miss a workout. Sometimes, you aren’t in the right mindset to tackle a fitness session. That’s okay. You can always pick yourself back up and start again the next day.
- Warm-up and wind down! Your muscles are a little bit like clay. They need to be warmed up before use and cared for before they can be fully sculpted. Stretch or warm-up before exercising, and massage your muscles after working out to make sure they don’t tear.
Are you a beginner looking for some inexpensive equipment recommendations? Then look no further! Here’s what I use:
- Small weight set
- Yoga mat
- Yoga Cushion
- Foam muscle roller
- A chair from my dining room (or any flat-backed chair)
The biggest part of fitness, whether you’re just getting into fitness or continuing your journey, is having fun. So get out there and get moving!