Staying active in lockdown

Are you finding time for fitness right now? The Zen team has lockdown fitness ideas to share with teachers and anyone working remotely.

With gyms closed and updated rules on outdoor exercise, many of us are searching online for alternative options. There has been a boom in digital fitness and the nation is turning to home workouts, for welcomed relief from too much time sitting down.

Idnaan, Zen Account Manager, helped our team discover a variety of free home workouts for many different abilities. Whether you’re supply teaching, still heading into schools or working remotely, we hope this collection of ideas will help you stay healthy and active.

Weight lifting, dance, yoga, cardio…what's your pick? Share with us on Facebook or Instagram.

YouTube

Beginner's guides

• Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home: The creator of the walking workout - from one mile to a listener friendly walk and talk.
• MadfitUK: Home friendly workouts.
• POPSUGAR Fitness has a popular beginner’s series and no equipment cardio.

Workout plans

• Body Project: A highly energetic exercise programme includes HIIT cardio, resistance training, pilates and yoga. Great for beginner's workouts too.
• HASfit: Their motto is “every Heart And Soul deserves to be fit” and they deliver exercise routines, meal plans and motivation to keep you moving forward.
• Fitness Blender offers free workout videos for every level and affordable programmes.

With equipment

• Peloton: Immersive, motivating cycling and total body workouts that fit your schedule, your goals and your mood.
• Tone It Up focuses on womens’ health, they have a 'Love your Body' series and indoor cycling routines.
• AfriFitness: Workout with African dance, resistance training and high-intensity interval training as you move to the powerful beats of African music.

Yoga and pilates

• Yoga With Adriene: Perfect for beginners with a free 30-day yoga journey.
• Sarah Beth Yoga: A mix of relaxing yoga sessions and guides to challenging poses.
• Blogilates: A certified pilates and fitness instructor can help you start your fitness journey with short workouts.

Dancing

• The Fitness Marshall: Energetic, music-focused dance workouts.
• HOT Hula Fitness: hula hooping classes.
• Mike Peele is a choreographer and focuses on hip-hop dances.
• Kukuwa Fitness:“Get ready to explore Africa without a passport and learn to move muscles you didn’t know you had!”

Apps

Running

• Couch to 5k: 8 Weeks, 3 Times a week, 30 Minutes a day.
• Strava: Track your running and cycling progress.
• Runtastic: Start an Adidas training plan, challenge yourself, and get stronger with every workout.

Workout plans

• 30 days fitness at home: Suited for anybody at home - each challenge has three difficulty levels.
• Nike training club: Free workouts, including HIT, invigorating yoga classes, bodyweight workouts you can do with minimum to no equipment and cardio.
• Kayla: Increase your fitness and strength with these 28-minute workouts.

Instagram

• The Muscle Marys: Fitness classes for the LGBT+ community in London.
• Thesculptsociety: Dance cardio workout, plus Yoga, Meditation and Stretching.

With the most recent announcement delaying the re-opening of schools, we hope you’re prioritising your mental health and wellbeing. We have shared some ideas on handling teacher stress and in our recent webinar, discussed coping strategies, self-compassion and ways to support our friends: Towards Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Still looking for the right job opportunity? Zen Educate is still looking for supply teachers in London, Birmingham and Manchester during this lockdown.