FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) Steve LaTart in Minnesota is thinking of installing a space heater in his basement to recreate the atmosphere of his hot yoga classes now that his gym has closed due to coronavirus fears.

LaTarts says its part of the new, weird, strange workout plan he has devised during a nationwide trend of self-isolation and social distancing as the government recommends limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people.

Gyms, yoga studios and CrossFit centers around the country are fueling the drive to stay active by offering online classes, some free of charge, or extending trial periods for at-home workouts.

Studio owners and fitness instructors are having to adjust too as they make the shift to teaching online. The Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders, a group of fitness, nutrition and wellness industry representatives recently formed in response to the new coronavirus, hosted an online panel Thursday to provide guidance for instructors.

Countless people across the country who have been cooped up inside as their companies mandate work-at-home policies and their fitness centers shut down are getting creative with their workout routines.

Many are turning to online classes, grabbing bleach bottles as makeshift weights, or taking cues from YouTube challenges showing how to do crunches with furniture or turn a kitchen floor into a treadmill by soaping up the tiling.

LaTarts yoga and warrior sculpting instructors at Life Time in Minneapolis are still teaching classes. Theyve just moved them from the gym to cyberspace, where they are livestreaming instructions from their website. LaTart says knowing he can still participate in the classes is keeping him sane.

I like the idea that this is something thats normal, the 38-year-old radio producer said. This is someone I know. This is something thats familiar.

Beth Berglin, 40, a director at a charity in Miami, was used to going to boot camp-style classes four mornings a week until authorities began urging residents to avoid gatherings and she her husband decided to stay at home as much as possible. Her gym closed earlier this month, but she is staying active through online classes from Burn Boot Camp.

Part of the reason we exercise is to have that mental break, she said. I cant imagine getting through this without having some form of physical activity.

In Fort Lauderdale, LA Fitness members were told not to return as they left the gym last Monday night. That scene has played out across the country as state governments have ramped up containment measures. Planet Fitness, Equinox and Life Time Fitness have all said theyre closing outlets for several weeks or indefinitely in response to the coronavirus.

To make up for it, Planet Fitness started Home Work-Ins, a series of free, 20-minute classes that dont require equipment. Erica Lugo, a trainer on the reality television show The Biggest Loser, was scheduled to lead one of the workouts.

National chain CorePower Yoga closed its 200 studios, but is offering online classes free until May 31. Taryn Toomey closed her New York studios, but is offering two weeks of free streaming as a public service, which she said has drawn participants from around the globe.

Lebanon, Germany, Spain, Italy. Its overwhelming, Toomey said.

Fitness operations whose core business has always been online or home-based are also stepping up their game, using the opportunity to capture new clients. AloMoves, an online fitness service linked to the popular apparel line, has seen a 40% increase on its YouTube channel, where it is offering some free workouts.

The at-home workout company ob has had 10 times the number of sign-ups this month compared with last, according to co-founders Mark Mullett and Ashley Mills. They said the company also has received tons of requests from desperate parents now that schools are being canceled. Last week, ob launched four 10-minute dance and strength workouts for kids 10 and under.

Peloton, a company that sells high-end stationary bicycles and treadmills featuring instructors who give live and videotaped classes, has extended its free trial period to 90 days.

For most people, coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

Still, good diet and exercise can be crucial for the young and old alike to maintain sanity and keep the immune system strong against COVID-19. In addition to taking online courses, gym rats might now consider getting outdoors to exercise if they can, said Dr. Joe Khabbaza, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic.

Simply walk outside in nature, Khabbaza said. People can use this as an opportunity to exercise in other ways.

Toomey encourages those filled with fear over the virus to use exercise as both a physical and spiritual balm. One of the best ways to fight the stagnation of home quarantine, she says, is to continue to breathe and keep moving and use the medicine of that.

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Fitness enthusiasts think outside the gym during coronavirus - WIZM NEWS

And if you're an introvert, quietly excited about the prospect of more alone time, we've got a separate guide on how you can make the most of social distancing.

Your "usual habits are going to be disrupted," said Gretchen Rubin, the author of "Outer Order, Inner Calm" and host of the "Happier" podcast. An important strategy is to "reimagine what you want and get out in front of it."

In terms of social connection, "nothing can beat real life," she said, but the second best way to interact can be through images. There are plenty of apps offering video chat or live broadcast functions, ranging from Skype to House Party. You could use one to connect with a friend you haven't seen in awhile.

She recommended"lots of touches" virtually, of course including writing physical cards to your friends, hosting a virtual family reunion and even basic lifestyle hacks like sending more voice memos rather than text messages.

"People have more time, and they want to hear your voice," she said.

Or you can create more group text message threads with friends and family, knowing that at any given moment, somebody on the thread might be free and able to write back.

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The extrovert's guide to social distancing - Quad City Times

On March 18, Bryan Majors, a personal trainer specializing in basketball, sent 5,000 subscribers an email message with the subject line I am Corona-positive.

Majors was trying to say he was being proactive and simply keeping an optimistic attitude about dealing with the virus and pandemic. The balance of his email made that clear.

But the subject line caused some to freak out. Understandably, some readers assumed he was actively battling the virus.

Two days later, he sent a follow-up message called Positive Mindset.

Don't be scared or worried, he wrote, I do not have Covid19. I apologize if you did not understand the previous email. I'm talking about how we ALL should be during these trying times of the spread of the Corona VIRUS! POSITIVE!!!''

It's something of a metaphor for the personal training and fitness industry during the pandemic getting knocked sideways, then getting back up and finding new methods that may outlast it.

I don't regret the wording one bit, said Majors, who has counted former McCaskey High School stars Kobe Gantz, Jerry Johnson, Dustin Salisbery and Lamar Patterson among his clients.

Now Majors is pumping out workout videos to clients.

I am surely going to remain in business, he said, and maybe get better.

Gyms are closed throughout Pennsylvania and most of the country. That means trainers who work at gyms, generally independent contractors, are taking a serious hit.

It's going to have a huge financial impact, Dan Cless, a trainer at Hempfield Rec Center, said last week.

If we have two weeks of down time, obviously, we don't make any money.

But as much as any profession, trainers are embracing online technology to take their service to the client.

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Cless uses training software to connect with his clients and create workouts for them. He also does at-home training.

Lancaster's Solid Rock Fitness and Health does almost exclusively in-home training, but that business has mostly dried up during the past couple of weeks.

So it has turned to online training, posting videos to a Facebook group.

The community aspect of it is really beautiful, said Solid Rock's owner, Valerie Petersheim.

Petersheim has engaged a nutritionist and yoga teacher to provide videos. The Facebook group is made up of mostly Lancaster County residents, although it includes members from as far away as Arizona and Florida.

It's a week-to-week thing, but I think it can sustain, Petersheim said. The mental and emotional benefit, right now, is as important as the physical.

Crunch Gym in Lancaster is offering a variety of workout videos to members, and also offering a 45-day free trial membership.

Universal Athletic Club in Manheim Township is offering a library of video workouts, many of them open to non-members, and live workouts utilizing the Zoom video teleconference software.

A week and a half ago, we were scratching our heads, wondering how we were going to pull this off, said Sheldon McBee, Universal's personal training director.

Now, we're thinking that when this is over, we're going to continue to use this technology.

Petersheim went a step further.

People are going to want this model, she said. It's a lot less germy than a gym.

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In the wake of COVID-19, the fitness industry goes remote - and some of it might stay that way - LancasterOnline

In response to Utah Governor Gary Herbert's "Stay Safe, Stay Home" directive announced Friday, The Bear River Health Department issued a public health order on Saturday that includes mandatory closure of all fitness centers, spas, entertainment venues and specialty surgery centers.

This public health order is for communities within the BRHD's coverage area including Cache, Rich and Box Elder counties.

According to the press release, the order to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people is effective immediately, while the changes in the following list will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 30.

Gathering Places: All museums, gyms, exercise studios, spas, fitness centers, health clubs, indoor recreation facilities, and all entertainment venues, including without limitation music performance venues, live stage performances, and lectures, shall be closed to members, guests, patrons and the general public.

Surgical Centers: Surgical centers that are not located within a hospital shall be closed to preserve valuable and scarce Personal Protective Equipment.

Hair and Nail Salons; Tanning Salons; Body Art Studios: Efforts to protect the public such as hand washing, social distancing and sanitization will be required by the order.

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Physical Therapy Clinics and Services & Child Day Care Centers: Screening, hygiene along with spacing and distancing will be a priority.

The order outlines recommendations for individuals which are effective immediately including many that have already been encouraged for the past couple of weeks including social distancing of 6 feet from others, refrain from visiting nursing care facilities and other similar assisted living facilities, avoid discretionary travel, nonessential shopping trips and social visits, and individuals over the age of 60 and those who are immunocompromised should avoid contact with others.

More details about business protocols and more specific details about what is or isn't restricted, go to brhd.org.

The order will remain in effect until April 13 at which time the BRHD Health Officer will re-evaluate and either end, modify or extend the order as needed.

According to the order, an initial violation of the order is punishable as a Class B Misdemeanor. Subsequent violations are considered Class A Misdemeanors

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Bear River Health Department orders closure of fitness centers, spas, entertainment venues, surgery centers - The Herald Journal

POMONA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 29: Doug the Pug attends the 2020 Beverly Hills Dog Show at the Los Angeles County Fairplex on February 29, 2020 in Pomona, California. (Photo by Sarah Morris/Getty Images)

Animal Crossing: Tom Nook isnt a raccoon? by Wesley Coburn

Eoin Mackens Instagram has become a tribute to a pup and a stuffed animal by Kimberley Spinney

We all know that Doug the Pug is a star and whether he is walking the red carpet, starring in a commercial, or gracing us with his presence on social media, he knows how to draw attention. And now it seems he is also getting into the world of health and fitness.

According to People Magazine, on March 27, Doug the Pug hosted a workout session on the Facebook page for Planet Fitness. But thats not all, as he even has a Tik Tok video that he shared on Twitter showing off even more workout options that involve our furry friends at home.

Basically this is one health-conscious Pug and we are here for it. With so many of us practicing social distancing, some people are finding it hard to get in a good workout while at home. And with the help of Doug the Pug and other online fitness gurus, it looks like there may be some options for how to get in a solid workout even while you are at home and away from the gym.

The nice thing about these workout sessions with Doug the Pug is the fact that it reminds us that we can still be healthy and active with our dogs around. And while some of us might be walking our dogs more than ever, with these videos, we are reminded that there are more ways to workout with a pup around than just going for a walk.

Honestly, these workout videos are an awesome way to stay active, while also reminding us that our pups can help us out with some of these exercises.

In fact, I think these are a great way to be inspired and get active.

What do you think of Doug the Pugs workout videos? Are they inspiring you to stay active? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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Doug the Pug is all about fitness as he hosts different workout sessions - Dog of the Day

Dr. Gordon Grado established a new program for the treatment of prostate cancer while Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Department of Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. Tomotherapy is now used for several cancers, and Southwest Oncology Center in Phoenix is the longest freestanding radiation therapy center in the Valley.

Conventional radiation can be delivered from only a few directions. Tomotherapy allows better imaging and it targets the tumor while protecting the surrounding area. Technology is not sufficient in itself. The experience to deliver the treatment makes the difference and, led by Dr. Grado, Southwest Oncology doctors have a combined experience of 100 years at Radiation Therapy.

Dr. Grado pioneered the use of ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance to place seeds of tiny radioactive sources directly into the prostate. Tomotherapy is now being used in other cancers where targeting of the tumor and protection of the surrounding tissue is essential.

Dr. Grado came to Arizona from Iowa to develop and head the Radiation Oncology Center at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. He later founded Southwest Oncology Centers, with four locations in Arizona, two offices in the Midwest and four centers in Latin America. He teaches and has developed brachytherapy (seeds) programs worldwide.

Dr. Grado holds academic appointments at several institutions, including Mayo Clinic, the National Cancer Institute in Mexico and the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. He served on the governors task for Prostate Cancer and is a Fellow of the American College of Radiation Oncology and a Fellow of the American College of Radiology. He serves on the board of Adelante Healthcare and formed the first center to support cancer care in the underfunded and uninsured community.

SaddleBrooke Health and Wellness is pleased to host Dr. Gordon Grado, Monday, April 27 at 7 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom.

Health Night Out is a free educational presentation for residents of SaddleBrooke and is brought to you by SaddleBrooke Health and Wellness. It offers a unique opportunity to learn from highly skilled local doctors and practitioners about a wide variety of health issues.

The MountainView Bar & Grill offers a special limited menu on Monday night, so you can enjoy a casual dinner and then join the group down the hall in the ballroom. For more information about the schedule of Health Night Out and other health-related events in SaddleBrooke, go to our website at http://www.sbseniors.org.

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Targeted Radiation for Prostate and Other Cancer - Arizona Daily Star

This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, yellow, emerging from the surface of cells, blue/pink, cultured in the lab.

An Omaha police officer and Omaha firefighter have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Omaha city officials.

The Omaha World-Herald reported Thursday that the officer, who had recently traveled to Hawaii, said on his Facebook page that he will be treated at Nebraska Medical Center.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, who confirmed the case Thursday evening, has ordered any officer who recently traveled to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Schmaderer said the officer has not worked a police shift and has been in self-isolation since returning from Hawaii.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that one Omaha firefighter also has tested positive for the coronavirus. The man has been on furlough and recently traveled to Colorado, she said.

"He wasn't in any station; he hasn't exposed any firefighter at all," Stothert said. "No one that he works with in his station has to be considered exposed."

The Douglas County Health Department said Thursday that it had four new coronavirus cases, bringing the county's total to 44.

The Sarpy/Cass County Health Department also confirmed two additional cases in Sarpy County on Thursday, bringing the county's total to eight.

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Omaha police officer and firefighter test positive for coronavirus - Lincoln Journal Star

Cut-price smart home company Wyze has branched out into the health and fitness industry with a pair of new products announced this week.

Wyze caused a stir last year with its budget-priced smart home security camera, sensor kit and light bulbs, and also recently launched its first connected door lock. Now, the company has entered the fitness industry with equally low prices.

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The Wyze Scale is priced at $20, while the Wyze Band is $25 before shipping.

Much like other smart scales produced by the likes of Withings, the Wyze Scale has a digital display for showing your weight, body fat percentage, heart rate, lean body mass, BMI and muscle mass. The scale also shows your bone mass, protein level, body water percentage, and estimates your metabolic age.

This is clearly a huge range of readings - more than is offered by most rivals - so we are keen to find out how accurate they all are once we have tried out the Scale for ourselves.

The Wyze Scale takes 12 measurements and costs $20Wyze

Data collected by the Scale is sent to the Wyze app over Bluetooth and is plotted against time to show how your vitals change over a period of days, weeks and months.

As well as appearing in the Wyze app, the data can also be sent to your Google Fit app, and Wyze says it'll soon be shareable with Fitbit, Samsung Health and Apple Health, helping you keep all of your health and fitness data in one place.

Up to eight users can use a single Wyze Scale, with the device recognizing them based on their readings as they step onto the scale. The Scale is available to pre-order now.

Also announced this week is the Wyze Band, a fitness tracker that costs $25 and is intended as a cut-price alternative to similar devices from Fitbit and Garmin.

The Wyze Band has Alexa integrated and costs $25Wyze

Open for pre-order now and available from April, the wearable has Alexa voice integration built in, meaning you can ask the Amazon voice assistant to adjust your Wyze smart home devices.

Its core features include tracking steps, sleep and heart rate, and its color touchscreen can show information like the weather forecast, along with the time, date, and of course your health and fitness data. As with other wearables like this, the Wyze Band can show notifications from your phone, like incoming calls and text messages.

The Band is water resistant to 50 meters, so is safe to swim with, and Wyze claims the better lasts between 10 and 14 days depending on how much it is used.

Wyze Smart Home Starter Pack

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Smart home firm Wyze moves to health with scale and fitness tracker - Gearbrain

For Tay, that passion was realized early on, and was fueled by her love of soccer. Before reaching the age of 23, Tay had already started multiple businesses within the soccer world, including a company called Cleats Count, an initiative where she and her brother would collect soccer cleats and deliver them to communities in Ethiopia and Kenya. But her biggest entrepreneurial opportunity came to her while on a trip to the Tumaini orphanage in Kenya for Cleats Count, and she started thinking about how she could make a larger positive impact on the world.

"Like many other communities in poverty, they needed a school built so their kids can receive an education, a key in breaking the poverty cycle," she said. "So we came up with an extremely sustainable way to fund school builds through business." Right then and there, her new chapter was born founding Crossbar, an organization that uses 100 percent of its profits to fund the building of schools in underprivileged communities around the world.

Crossbar's mission is simple: supply high-end soccer goals to leagues across the country, then use 100 percent of the profits to build schools in underprivileged communities. "I'm sure you're thinking, 'Why soccer goals?'" Tay said. "For as long as the game has existed, there have been at least two goals on every field." This basically means that as long as the game is played, there will always be a demand for goals.

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How Soccer Helped This College Athlete Realize Her Potential and Set Her on a Path to Doing Good - POPSUGAR

Call it the Quarantine 15.

The spread of COVID-19 has us all quarantined, locked down, confined to our homes, eating everything in it.

Snacking is the new pastime.

The only exercise I get is going back and forth to the kitchen, says Jen Belanger, 32. I bought snacks to last us a week they were gone by the second day!

And a handful is never enough. I go for a couple of chips, and back again, and before you know it Im opening a new bag of Miss Vickies! says Belanger, adding that shes cooking more for herself and her partner.

Leftovers of mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and even lasagna are looking good for breakfast!

Shes not eating alone. According to Jennifer Powter, a weight loss and fitness expert in Calgary, theres increased temptation to eat and drink to cope with the situation.

Jennifer Poyter

Unfortunately, that extra five pounds can soon become 10 and before you know it, youre carrying around an extra 15 pounds of unwanted weight. And its not going to be due to the fact that people are eating more veggies! says Powter, author of Diet Disruption: The Weight Loss Solution for the Chronic Serial Dieter.

Boredom, loneliness, stress and fear can be huge emotional eating triggers, even for people without eating disorders, says Powter. But if you dont get on board now, with creating healthy self-isolation habits, its likely your weight will go up.

Consuming high sugar, high fat, calorie-dense foods and alcohol day after day while were housebound will make people feel lethargic, bloated, tired and needing to size up in their jeans, says Powter, a clinical exercise physiologist, and health and life coach at jenniferpowter.com.

When youre energetically drained, you have less emotional resiliency to cope with stressful situations which means youll rely on comfort foods, even more, to help you cope. It becomes a vicious cycle, she adds.

Our bad habits can impact us long after the COVID-19 health crisis is over.

Instead of looking at what you cant do, you need to get creative and figure out what you can do, says Powter. Get proactive and the easiest, most widely available activity is getting outside to walk. Join a free online fitness class.

Its important to create non-negotiables in your household like not eating in front of the TV, putting parameters around screen time, making sure youre nourishing yourself with adequate protein, vegetables and water, she says.

And stay connected to people, even if its virtual.

Create small goals that allow you to win. Remember, starting is the hardest part, and something is better than nothing, says Powter. Start by doing something you enjoy or trying something new. Consider joining an online community or using a fitness app that will give you some support, accountability, and guidance to keep your motivation up.

Dr. Cortney Warren

Be prepared for weight gain struggle

Clinical psychologist Dr. Cortney Warren expects many people are going to struggle with weight gain in the coming weeks. Its easy to do when we cant engage in our typical routine.

If you notice changes in your eating that you do not like, and it leads you to feel worse about yourself, pause, says Warren, of choosehonesty.com.

For example, if you are emotionally eating in an attempt to feel better and not because you are hungry. Try to explore and understand what you are feeling sit with that feeling and try to work through it away from food, says Warren. Then, as you understand your emotion, be as deliberate as possible about what and when you want to eat.

The goal here is to make choices that help you get through this without gaining weight or feeling emotionally worse, and that is a journey that each of us needs to figure out for ourselves, says Warren, an associate professor of psychology a the University of Nevada.

She says it may be very useful is to think of this period as a big experiment. Start each day without judgment or self-criticism, as an observer of yourself. Try to notice your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

As you do, change something; try no sugar for a day, exercise by stretching in a corner when you are triggered or fearful, call a friend instead of reaching for the chips. See how it affects your day, recommends Warren.

If you act in a way that makes you feel worse, that is OK. Dont beat yourself up. This is information that you can use to help yourself in the future, she adds.

Stay healthy with fitness expert Jennifer Powters tips:

Plan out healthy meals the night before so you can feel prepared and in control. Get a water/hydration app and aim to consume three litres of water a day. Limit the amount of juice, coffee, pop you drink. Get outside and commit to being active a certain number of minutes a day. Even 10 minutes of physical activity can have positive health benefits, mentally and physically. Weigh yourself once a week to keep yourself honest. If youre now living in your comfy pants, weight creep can go undetected. Its easier to nip weight gain in the bud and stop it than it is to muster the energy to lose 20 pounds down the road. Dealing with two to three extra pounds is simply more manageable, both mentally and physically.

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Blame the pandemic if your pants get too tight - Toronto Sun