7 workouts to stream so you don't turn into a depressed sloth
Exercise has a bunch of physical benefits, but I hit the gym largely for my mental health, specifically my anxiety, which has been pretty high amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Connecting with my body through movement has helped me cope — but recently, my gym announced it would close to comply with the shelter-in-place order in six San Francisco Bay Area counties, including mine, which allows only essential businesses to stay open for the next three weeks. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to stream workouts nowadays.
If your gym or fitness studio is one of the many across the country that’ve also closed, or if you’ve elected to avoid it for now, we’ve rounded up a list of workout streaming platforms to help you stay fit and sane while you're stuck at home.
Alo Moves
For a platform that fosters wellness inside and out, check out Alo Moves, which offers unlimited on-demand access to thousands of classes for all experience levels, and pretty much any device. You can take yoga classes in styles ranging from Vinyasa to Kundalini, plus fitness classes in everything from barre to HIIT. Other classes target specific skills, such as inversions or flexibility, while mindfulness classes help you center through breathwork, meditation, and more. Membership costs $20 a month, and allows you to log your workout so you link up with other users and share your progress with them. Or, watch classes for free on Alo Moves’ YouTube channel.
NEOU Fitness
If you swear by studio fitness classes, you’ll love NEOU. For $14.99 a month, or $99.99 a year (the annual membership allows you to pay half-off and get a 30-day free trial your first year), you can stream thousands of live and on-demand fitness classes for all experience levels, on most devices. The variety of offerings is dizzying, spanning not only classic at-home favs, like dance, Pilates, and bootcamp, but pre- and post-natal workouts, as well as stationary bike- and treadmill-based workouts, per Business Insider. You can browse by body region worked and class type, among other categories.
Nike Training Club
Available for iOS and Android, this app lets you stream more than 200, 15- to 60-minute workouts on-demand, with new workouts added monthly, from yoga flows to strength training sessions — all for free. A $14.99 per month Premium membership unlocks access to even more workouts, trainer-designed programs, and nutrition and wellness guidance.
FightCamp
Channel your inner Manny Pacquiao with FightCamp’s interactive at-home boxing system. For $39 a month, you can stream unlimited workouts on the FightCamp iOS app, and $995 covers everything you need to follow along, per Forbes. This includes a punching bag, gloves, quick wraps, and Punch Trackers that provide real-time performance feedback, allowing you to set minimum punch goals, track your progress, and see how you stack up against other users.
obé
Our Body Electric, a.k.a obé, grants access to live and on-demand studio fitness classes online or on an iOS app, for $27 a month or $199 a year, including 30 free days for new users, per Health. The classes have a fun, dance-party feel and a dreamy 80s aesthetic. They fall into four categories: strength-based, such as Pilates and barre; cardio, such as dance HIIT; yoga and stretch; and pre- and post-natal. Each lasts a very doable 28 minutes. All you really need is a mat for floor work, and, if you want a challenge, hand weights, resistance loops, and other accessories.
OMstars
Whether it’s your first or thousandth time stepping onto a yoga mat, you’ll find the instruction you’re looking for on OMstars, which offers more than 2,500 unlimited, on-demand videos for $14.99 a month or $149.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial to start. These encompass a variety of yoga styles, flexibility drills and other challenges, yoga philosophy, vegan cooking, and more.
DailyBurn
DailyBurn is another all-around solid at-home fitness option, allowing you to stream live classes every morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time from your TV or computer, or save them for later, CNET explains. Its vast library of workout videos has something for everyone, whether you want to sweat it out with some cardio kickboxing, or strengthen and tone with barre. Beyond offering streaming services, DailyBurn can also develop nutrition and workout plans custom-built to your fitness level and goals. After a 30-day free trial, membership costs $19.99 a month, per CNET.
