Coronavirus In Minnesota: Free, Virtual Workouts Offered After Gyms Closed
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Gov. Tim Walz issued another executive order Wednesday to clarify which businesses must close, and the order now includes gyms and exercise studios.
In order to stay connected to their clients, possibly gain new clients and keep fitness instructors employed, several gyms and workout studios started offering virtual classes on Instagram, Facebook and Zoom.
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Makenna Pechumer took a barre class from her home this week while quarantined.
"I loved having a little bit of normalcy to my routine," Pechumer said.
She is a regular at Barre3 in Edina, which is offering free classes on Instagram Live, so the classes are in real time.
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"I loved that I could see who was joining the work out," Pechumer said.
Lucy Gardiner, one of the owners of Barre3, teaches that class from her home. She's sharing what's normally a $24 class for free to anyone who wants to join while quarantined in their homes.
"It wouldn't feel right to exclude these live classes from anyone and everyone who wants to join in on them," Gardiner said.
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Once Barre3 goes live on Instagram, the class stays posted on their Instagram page for 24 hours, so people can take the class at the time that works best for them.
Even though the studios are closed, instructors like Noa Leigh Myers-Beck from Pure Barre Twin Cities are still getting a paycheck to teach these virtual classes.
"This is my full-time job, so this is huge for me just to be able to have an income during all of this," Myers-Beck said.
The Twin Cities Planet Fitness franchises are also offering home workouts Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on their Facebook page.
Kids are also staying active and up-to-date on their extracurricular activities. Instructor Laura Van Riper at Dance Art Centre in Chanhassen is coaching her kids through Instagram by leading them through classes to keep them dancing and safe at home.
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