Healthier Together: Benefits of hybrid-remote fitness

One of the trends that developed during COVID is proving to have legs: virtual fitness. It's where people work out with a trainer from home rather than heading to the gym. In this week's Healthier Together, we hear about ways to enhance your fitness regimen with virtual classes.

A lot about fitness has changed since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

"My job was to try to figure out how to create a personal connection. How do I create community? How do I create exactly what I had before, but through Zoom?" said Marisa Mancke, owner and instructor at Happy Hour by Marisa. "The interesting thing is that I think people who never thought in a million years they can work out from home because they wouldn't be motivated to do it have now become work out at home people."

Mancke says having remote fitness as an option saves people time and helps avoid excuses.

"Now they can squeeze in whatever they can squeeze in and they don't have to calculate a commute," Mancke said. "My goal is that people feel like they're here when they're not here, and that they feel part of something and they feel seen."

"I think it's important that people know that there's a space that they can come in and just be and whether they're just starting out or they've been doing it for years, " she said. "My goal is that they all get a challenging workout, but more importantly, they become stronger emotionally and mentally to go through life stronger."

Virtual workouts give people connection but also saves on time.

"I honestly think that virtual workouts have created this idea of personal connection, which is awesome, but it's about flexibility and convenience and time," said Mancke." "And time, as we all know is one of the biggest excuses people have for not exercising. So you take that away. Now they don't have that excuse. It might not be for an hour a day, but it doesn't need to be for an hour a day. Clients that I used to see one or two times a week or who travel for work, I wouldn't see them for a month, they are working out four or five times a week now and that’s a win."