The fusion of technology into fitness has made exercise exciting and easier than ever to find inspiration and guidance. 

Virtual coaches, online streaming, fitness apps and wearable technology has made it simple to track your progress and to find a workout routine for any person, place and time.

On the internet alone there are an infinite amount of videos available on various social media websites.

I typed in “Zumba videos” into a search and there were nearly 27 million videos on just that topic!

On YouTube, there’s just about any exercise routine you can imagine including the standards like yoga and circuit training.

There’s almost too many options to choose from; are you going to do the 4-, 6-, 8-, or 10-minute ab workout, or how about the 10- or 20-minute total body workout for the morning, afternoon or while you’re sitting in your car?  

No P.E. classes at school or you haven’t worked out in a while? No worries, there are videos for all ages and fitness levels too.

Don’t forget about the convenience and influence of Facebook and Instagram. These two sites provide infinite options and have forever changed the way fitness professionals inform and inspire not only locally but globally.

For those looking to make a real financial investment into today’s fitness technology, you can always go in the direction of the Peloton bike, which offers a subscription service with a catalog of classes along with the streaming of live classes.

Their instructors are very popular and get great reviews. There are also similar and cheaper options like Echelon’s offerings of various bikes and recently I saw a commercial on television for the VeloCore Bike by Bowflex that provides a core workout as you’re riding.

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Similar to the online fitness videos, there are fitness apps for all occasions that you can download onto your mobile device and have conveniently ready to go.

Many of these apps include nutrition guidance and ways to track your exercise habits and progress.

They usually work well too with your wearable technology like your Apple watch.

Beachside personal trainer Annie Hacker recommends MyFitnessPal for its calorie counter and diet tracker and the RunKeeper app for the runners out there.

Some of the other highly-rated fitness apps worth checking out include Blogilates, Shred, 8fit and Kelo.

Thanks to Zoom and Facebook Live, your local fitness center or personal trainer can also offer online classes and workouts.

Club Performax in Rocklege  provides free classes for their gym members through their Facebook page and Colleen Tokarz of Cocoa Beach Health and Fitness offers virtual coaching even when she’s on vacation.

Also, most of the big chain gyms have members-only access to online programming.

Though technology may not fully replace the social interaction, the encouragement and the camaraderie of your favorite class, trainer or gym, at least try some of these avenues during these isolating times to help keep your routine going. 

Just don’t forget to remove any trip hazards like your throw rug or coffee table!

Stay safe and healthy.

Jim McCormick has been the owner of Cocoa Beach Health and Fitness since 2008 and has been a resident of Brevard County since 1970.

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