With so many of us at home at the moment, we are more than likely not moving quite as much as we normally do. We are not only missing the gym we but also lacking motivation.
We caught up with presenter and fitness fanatic, Kathryn Thomas to find out how she’s keeping herself motivated and active whilst in lockdown.
What are you currently doing to stay active whilst we’re all stuck at home?
I’m doing my own online fitness program (Pure Results) we’ve got over 500 people in the community who are training three times a week and doing yoga. That’s actually held me to account because I have to turn up to the classes at half seven every morning and say hi to everyone. We’ve had to mobilise it so quickly but it’s actually meant that I’m telling people to turn up to class, so I’m turning up to class.
What we’re finding so interesting is how innovative everyone has become, and it’s great to see how quickly people can adapt their businesses and be so resourceful.
That’s been a real eye opener for all of us, I would be the least technical person on the planet to mobilise and move our business online in the way that we did. Especially as I have never set up stripe payments, I’ve never done a webinar before, as well as moving people online, getting all our trainers up to speed. In fairness to them, they were much more capable than I was at the beginning so it was a real learning curve. I think even the first week for all of our clients, all our Pure Resultors, they were all downloading Zoom for the first time.
Something that may put people off is having no workout equipment at home, how would you get around that?
What we decided, even in our own community, you’ve got to be able to work out with no weights. So none of the classes that we’ve been doing have required any sort of weights whatsoever. It’s all bodyweight, and all you need is a mat and I think that’s really important. Especially because there are people who, if you work out and you’re in a gym, you’re going to be able to order and you know what to order, whether it’s kettle bells or resistance bands or anything like that.
I would suggest for people, and it’s not too late now, because I think there could be seen as maybe an overload in the beginning of classes and workshops. It’s not too late to take things slowly and at your own pace as well. So my suggestion for people is, find a class or a trainer that you like, that will give you the motivation. Make sure it’s class that you don’t really need a whole lot of equipment for.
In terms of working out at home, it depends on what people want as well. There’s so many great videos on YouTube, and there is so many amazing trainers on YouTube giving away free content and doing free stuff. So flick around and try to find something that you like and then maybe subscribe to it when you’re a bit more comfortable.
How would you advise those who feel they don’t have a moment to workout, even though they’re at home more than normal?
Because this is ongoing now, and we know that we’re probably going to be inside for a little bit longer, it is really important that we make fitness part of our weekly plan, not daily, three or four times a week is loads.
It also has to work around your day as well. If you don’t have an hour a day because you have three kids, a husband, two dogs and a fish you have to look after as well as doing the shop, doing the cooking and everything else, make sure that any of the classes that you can do, even if you want to do them live, that you’ve got an option to record them. That means if you get 20 minutes, you do 20 minutes, and then do the rest of the workout whenever you get a chance.
I think we’ve got to be flexible, I normally would say take an hour out for you, or take an hour and a half out for yourself and prioritise your exercise. But right now, that is not necessarily possible for a lot of people, so you’ve got to take and do what you can. I think it is important to take time out, but for some people, some days of the week it’s just not possible. So have a little system or structure in place that, without too much pressure, you can go back and watch it at your leisure.
This is a great time to maybe try some different workouts, is there any you would recommend?
I think it is a really good opportunity, there’s so many great classes out there like boxercise, particularly cardio box has been a real hit for us because boxing is maybe not what a lot of women do but in terms of relieving and releasing tension, and also imagining possibly your partner or the boss who won’t leave you alone on Zoom!
I workout, I go to the gym, I run, and I’ve got really tight in the hips, I’m really not flexible. But I made a commitment at the beginning of all this, that I was going to do yoga, so I’m now doing yoga three times a week. And with our own wellness community we do yoga once a week as part of our plan and then we do three workouts, but I’ve actually gone back and watched the videos and then I’ve gone online and I do Yoga With Adriene, as well.
I really noticed my flexibility has improved massively because I’m really bad at warming down after my workout and stretching and all that. I need to take some of my own medicine because I keep telling everybody else what to do!
It’s hard to keep a fitness routine at the best of times, but how would you suggest people stay motivated when it’s so easy at the moment not to work out?
The feedback that we’re getting, is that they can hold themselves accountable. So they know the classes are at seven thirty, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. If they can make those classes great, and if something happens they can go back and take part at eight o’clock, nine o’clock, ten o’clock. It’s actually created a community I think from a motivation perspective, particularly around now. when you have a community of support, whether it’s online like what we were doing, or a friend who you could work out with together, whether you do face FaceTime or you do your own Zoom work out together.
I do think in terms of motivation, you have to have support, and you’ve got to have somebody who’s going to hold you accountable and that you can hold them accountable. So I really believe if there’s somebody in your house, whether it’s a partner of your kids or whatever, great. But I do think you’re gonna need that little somebody to say ‘come on’ when you don’t feel like it that just gives you that push that you need.
For me, I know my clients are all getting up for me, they’re turning up for me. So, there’s no way I’m not turning up for them.
The next round of Kathryn’s Pure Results Wellness Community kicks off today and you can join for €19.99 a month and get access to live workouts, meal plans, as well as an online community to motivate you.
