5 best online exercises to keep you fit and mindful in Shanghai
Shanghai may not officially be in a state of lockdown, but many compounds are still restricting access to the joys which lie beyond our gates. The biggest worry for many is ensuring food and household provisions are plentiful when this happens. However, as the number of days slowly mount up, keeping healthy bodies and healthy minds becomes a higher priority.
Whether you’re looking to break the boredom, try something new, or want to shake loose and burn some calories, read on for fitness ideas to try at home.
Practice yoga
Mindfulness, stress management, flexibility, balance... whenever we think of yoga, we often focus only on the spiritual benefits. Though yoga is not a high-intensity exercise, this doesn’t mean your sweat won’t look shiny and beautiful. Yoga improves cardiovascular fitness and builds strength through a series of stretches and held positions. And yes, there are many mental advantages of practising yoga too.
As a community of Yoga lovers, STAY is dedicated to making yoga accessible to everyone, providing more accessible variations of challenging poses with a gentle, bilingual introduction. Their use of pop-up locations around the city offers a unique way to experience new venues in the city. However, these great journeys are currently beginning from home.
Sessions typically run for one hour, with online prices reduced to around 30-40RMB each. A yoga mat and two yoga blocks for some classes are all you need to prepare in advance, though folded towels and firm cushions can also work equally well.
📲 Follow 'STAY202088' on WeChat.
Learn Zumba
For those looking for something more upbeat, Zumba has the rhythms to quicken your pulse. These energetic dance sessions blend a mixture of musical styles into a fun and engaging interval workout. This means the tempo swings throughout the class, providing calmer moments between some high-intensity hits.
The ZNB team currently offers two live streams of Zumba, plus streams of other exercise classes, bringing you feel-good movements for an hour (check here for the full schedule for this week).
Under normal conditions, ZNB Fitness operates four dance studios and two gyms here in Shanghai. As with many gyms and workout classes across the city, a negative Covid-19 report within 48 hours must be presented for entry into studios. Likewise, capacities may be curtailed in accordance with local guidelines, so please check with studios for current updates.
📲 Follow 'ZnBfitness' on WeChat.
Try Capoeira
While many people try to maintain their lost routines during a lockdown, it’s also the perfect opportunity to try new things. When such new experiences come at everyone’s favourite price, they can’t be ignored.
The Movement Family are currently offering a free introductory session into the world of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art with a difference. Online classes currently take place from 8-9pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, with children’s sessions planned to launch soon. Beginners will learn how to Ginga (Portuguese for ‘sway’) and imitate some of the common basic movements while building up fitness and coordination levels.
In case you’re unfamiliar with this martial arts form (pronounced ‘cap-wearer’), Capoeira is more like a dance-off than a standard fight through a mix of music, acrobatics, and artistic flourish.
📲 Follow 'MovementFamily' on WeChat.
Hit your HIIT goal
True to their core value of making fitness a thing for everyone to enjoy, FitFam are now HIITing up a sweat online. These Zoom sessions are free to join, hosted by volunteers eager to welcome you into the arms of this health-conscious community. Daily virtual sessions of their infamous High-intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts are easily relocated to your living room thanks to their practice of equipment-free, physical training.
Group sessions primarily focus on bodyweight strength and conditioning, which is directed at high-energy cardio work and fat burning. While this may seem like a dive into the deep-end, rest assured that your sofa will always remain close at hand if you need a short break before going again.
📲 Follow 'FitFamShanghai' on WeChat.
Dance it out
Always want to try dancing? Over the weekend, creative dance studio Dance Flow will host an online open day, streaming some of its signature classes from 11.30am to 6.16pm, free of charge. Courses include modern ballet, contemporary, modern jazz and the Gyrokinesis Method (also known as Yoga for Dancers). Most of them are designed for beginners, with other classes for more advanced dancers like Improvisation and Choreography as well as Modern Ballet.
📲 Follow ‘danceflowstudio’ on WeChat.
More from Time Out Shanghai
Confession time: Tell us what you really think about Shanghai
Pudding to pie: 4 delightful dessert shops to treat yourself