It’s officially a new year! What’s your resolution for 2021? If you, like many people, are stuck sheltering at home in the midst of the pandemic, you may be hoping to boost your spirits by shifting your focus to new goals, such as eating better or working out more. Before COVID-19, gym memberships and fitness clubs, like Hancock Wellness Centers, were the most popular way to get in shape. Now, with so many Covid restrictions in place, you may be at a loss for how to keep your fitness goals when your refrigerator and a world of Netflix are just steps away. That said, our locations in New Palestine, McCordsville, and Greenfield remain open under current COVID-19 restrictions.

The hardest part of any fitness routine is showing up. Most of the work comes in the discipline it takes to commit to once a day or a few times a week, minimum. If you’re a busy parent with kids toggling back and forth between in-person school and remote learning, it’s easy to get off track. Add to that working and trying to maintain a household when people are constantly milling about said household, it’s safe to say that it’s complicated. Therefore, commitment is crucial. 

Step 1: Commit

Telling a friend or two to check up on your progress and keep you accountable can be really helpful. Penciling your workout into your calendar so that you have to check it off of your daily to-do list is useful as well. Committing to a workout routine at the same time every day provides a structure to keep the stress of making time at bay. 

Step 2: Enjoy

The best way to be successful in your workout endeavors? Do what you enjoy. Choose a class or a workout you’ll like. Enjoying your fitness routine will make you more likely to show up. It will also lower your stress and give you some of those wonderful endorphins for which exercise is known. If you love to dance, join an online Zumba class and get down with your bad self in your living room. If being outdoors sounds fun, take up jogging or cross-country skiing this winter. The happier your workout makes you, the easier it will be to commit. 

There are many options when choosing a workout to call your own. If you can’t get to the gym, here are some ideas to get you started.

• Obe Fitness is a great option because it offers many different online workouts in both live and on-demand formats. You can choose from strength training, Pilates and yoga, dance, barre, and many more.
• Daily Burn has a similar format to Obe but a different structure and pricing. You can access thousands of workouts from the comfort of your own home, and mixing it up daily will keep you on your toes.
• If you’re interested in something to help with anxiety or stress — aren’t we all? — check out Yoga International and YogaGlo. Both platforms offer an extensive library of yoga classes, and you can even choose ones to target certain areas of the body. Classes range in length, so no matter how busy you are, you can find something to fit your schedule.
• If live-session sweating is your thing, try Housework, a class held live daily on Zoom with instructor Sydney Miller. Using typical household items for props, Sydney guides participants through a workout sure to make you feel the burn.

If you’re more of an independent workout enthusiast, there are hundreds of brands of treadmills, bikes, and other workout equipment for your new home gym. Some equipment comes with workout programs programmed in, which can be helpful in keeping you accountable. 

No matter what you choose, make sure it’s something you enjoy doing so you’re more likely to keep at it throughout 2021. We wish you a happy and healthy New Year!