👟 Put yourself in their exercise shoes
You should provide participants with the same information as you would when delivering a normal class – what they can expect, when there will be a break, what kit they will need, class length, intensity, etc. If technology is involved, you could provide guidelines on its use and troubleshooting.
During this time, Activity Alliance notes that we need to be mindful of disabled people in our communities who may feel more isolated or less active during this time. You can easily adapt activities using the STEP tool so everyone in the household, disabled and non-disabled, can take part together. The STEP tool, which stands for "Space, Task, Equipment and People", is one of the most effective ways to use household items to be active. With a few simple tweaks, you can make activities quickly become a part of everyone’s daily routine. You can read more advice from Activity Alliance on adapting activities here and check out these STEP tips for organisations and activity providers.
You should always make sure your class can be done safely by those who might have limitations on space - people might be in a living room, garden, or maybe even a bedroom. Maybe remove the shuttle runs from your workout for the time being! Ask people before you start the class to make sure the surrounding area is free of obstacles and hazards - a space about 2m² should be fine. See the section on safety and insurance for more information.
Many people may not have access to the fitness equipment that you have. Some might have dumbbells or fitness bands; others might have nothing. So, can you do a workout without equipment focusing on bodyweight exercises? If participants will need to use equipment, can you be creative and help people safely use common household objects? If this is the case, do please bear in mind the earlier information on carrying out a risk assessment.
If people will need equipment for classes going forward, then you can send a link to the online retailer from which they can order for delivery (but remember - people are watching the pennies at this difficult time!).
There is plenty of highly polished recorded content out there. But understand that you might be the only person that people have interacted with all day. Try to engage with them in such a way that, regardless of whether they are a first-timer or a regular, they want to come back. You may want to limit class space to only as many as you can give feedback to, to maintain high engagement and quality levels.
This is very important: can people see your entire body? When you go down to do a press-up, do people lose sight of you? People need to be able to see what you’re doing at all times. So make sure your camera is pointing in the right place and you are far enough away to incorporate all of your movements. For more detail about this, see:
