7 tips to help find an online exercise class you’ll love.

Have you found your energy waning since the summer? It’s getting colder, the days are getting shorter. It’s that time of year where we feel less motivated to go outside or to make time to exercise.

Our days are spent at our desk, crouched over our PCs, phones or tablets and our evenings increasingly spent snuggled on the sofa. At a time when we need to stretch and be active, we often find ourselves struggling to get into an exercise groove.

And the less we do the less we want to do.

Breaking this cycle and finding the motivation to stay active can be a real challenge. And it is compounded by the current pandemic, the availability of community classes and the concerns over safety of exercising in groups or being at the gym. 

However, now is a great time to consider our activity levels and consciously build good habits around staying more active – before the bad habits really set in…

Finding and developing a routine that encompasses gentle exercising and stretching is not only a great place to start, but can keep us physically strong, supple as well as help ward off stiff necks, bad backs, aching limbs and joints. And exercise boosts our mood too.

If you have been prone to injury, haven’t exercised in a while, or are not feeling your best self, getting started can be really difficult. And there is no limit to the excuses we can come up with to put it off! You may feel unfit, overweight, self-conscious, or even concerned doing exercise will do you more harm than good.

So where to start?

Going out for a really lovely autumnal walk is a great place to start. Meeting up with some friends, it is a great and accessible way to enjoy the autumnal colours, take in the sunshine and socialise. Walking will not only keep you fit but can help boost your mood, your vitamin D levels - as well as help you sleep. 

You may also want to consider taking up a low-impact exercise that minimises injury risk but can help with conditioning and flexibility. There are lots of exercise options, such as Pilates, barre and Yoga, and all increasingly accessible online since lockdown.

I’ve been doing Pilates for over 16 years. It is a versatile low-impact conditioning exercise that focuses on strengthening the core muscles of the body. It promotes good postural alignment, improving general flexibility and balance. Practising Pilates helps improve strength and muscle tone as well as body awareness and understanding of how your body moves. With its emphasis on mind-body connection it can also help you feel relaxed and refreshed after every session. And I love the fact you can take the session at your pace – and at your own level.

Since lockdown, live home-based classes delivered via Zoom, Instagram or Facebook live have taken off. As such, these exercises have become available to all. Needing nothing more than a mat, a small corner of the house and a laptop or tablet, you can join a class anytime, without feeling self-conscious, worrying about childcare or travelling times. 

It can take a little while to get used to the tech, to being on your own, and to joining people you’ve never met before. I know as I started lockdown trying different classes as part of my own fitness regime as well as for research for setting up my own.

I have been delivering classes via Zoom for over six months now. I have found in my classes participants form a lot stronger social bonds quicker due to the intimacy of the tech vs an in person class. 

My sessions are supported with a private members-only Facebook page, where I post snippets of different sequences for everyone to try at home and where everyone feeds back or comments, as well as a WhatsApp group that can get particularly lively from time-to-time! It helps form social bonds and a sense of community at this difficult time, as well as a motivator to attend classes when you may feel more inclined to flop in a chair at the end of the day.

With Zoom participants switch from gallery mode once classes start so they just see themselves and me. This gives a feeling of having a 1-2-1 lesson. In the summer one nervous joiner to my lockdown programme text me: ‘Your classes were so well delivered… it felt like it was just me and you in the room and I didn’t feel self-conscious at all.’ Win, win!

This could be the perfect time to try out an online class – without the pressure of performing in a large group or committing long term.

Here are my 7 top tips to help you get in the exercise groove and pick a class that is right for you:

1.     Do your research, speak to friends and family and find an exercise type and class that really appeals to what you want to do.

2.     Take time to speak to the instructor beforehand – or at least email and make sure they are clear of your fitness level, motivations for joining and are aware of any injuries you may have.

3.     Choose whether you would prefer to have instructor interaction – ie live classes where the instructor can see you and feedback in real time, eg Zoom or a one-way session such as Facebook live. If you struggle with motivation, or like to get feedback on technique or progress then a class where the instructor can see you and give you input may suit you best and keep you motivated.

4.     Make attending any session a habit. Clear time in the diary each week and make sure family members know they need to give you space. One of my clients does her Pilates in the kitchen and says ‘on a Monday and Thursday evening everyone knows they need to be out of the kitchen by 8pm’.

5.     Chunk up your attendance, for example into 4 or 6-week programmes, even if this is not how they are structured. This way you can see a beginning and an end - and then create milestones that you can celebrate your hard work and discipline.

6.     Don’t beat yourself up if you miss one or two sessions. Instead, diarise the next session you are able to attend. Exercise is a habit and we’re good at making all sorts of excuses to avoid picking it back up so you need to make sure you get back in the groove as soon as you can.

7.     And enjoy it! Set mini goals, celebrate the wins, and make it social - invite other friends to join you. And keep challenging yourself and having fun!

So, what have you got to lose? Do what many in my sessions have done - give it a go and see where it takes you!

If you want to find out more about Pilates and current Pilates programme, click here for more information.