Body by Design is not the only gym switching up workout regimens in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In an era of social distancing, area fitness studios are finding new and innovative ways to help clients sweat—all while in the digital space.
Both Travis and Williamson counties issued shelter-in-place orders on March 24, effective at 11:59 p.m. that same evening, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The county mandates follow an executive order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott on March 19 that limited social gatherings to 10 people and called for the closure of gyms, among other businesses. The order, effective at midnight on March 20, will stay in place until at least midnight on April 13.
In an effort to maintain business and attract new customers, Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto fitness studios have utilized online streaming tools to share workout classes with clientele.
Love Barre, a personalized fitness and nutritional coaching studio in Round Rock, has shifted gears and is now offering one to two online classes each day, as well as focusing more intently on its nutritional program offerings.
“Just because you are at home doesn't mean you can stop thinking about your health and wellness,” owner Kristin Crawford said in an email to Community Impact Newspaper. “And I think we can still help, even if we don't get face to face.”
Bodies by Design comprises body transformation coaches who have been catering to its clients through live workouts on Zoom, a video conferencing app. In a March 21 post to the gym’s Facebook page, staff reported virtually training more than 50 clients in one day.
“We are stronger today than we have ever been, and we will continue to get better, and we will all get through this as no storm lasts forever,” the post stated.
The Hutto Yoga Room has begun streaming daily yoga flows for its patrons each day, posting them to the Hutto Yoga Members Facebook group. The virtual studio space is available to those who have been a student at the studio in recent months, along with those new to the community and interested in a membership.
At Burn Boot Camp in Round Rock, manager Anne Townsend and studio trainers release an online class schedule each week, which includes at-home live workouts, yoga flows and kids camps. Each of the workouts is archived on its community members page to help accommodate clients’ schedules.
As part of the studio’s community-oriented approach, Townsend posts a Women’s Wednesday video to Burn Boot Camp’s Facebook page each week, providing tips and messages of support to clients during this period of time.
“It may take some time to figure out what your routine is going to be like during this time, and that’s okay,” Townsend said in a video posted March 25. “The strength and the progress that you have gained in camp, you didn’t get there overnight, and you are not going to lose it overnight, either.”
