Local fitness studio makes at-home fitness accessible for all

Exercising during a pandemic is tricky. For gyms and fitness studios, where droplets of sweat are inevitable and exercise mats are typically less than six feet apart from each other, COVID-19 has posed a massive challenge for the industry. In addition, the rapid pace at which the virus has spread hit a tipping point, and many have had to temporarily close their doors because of it. 

This sudden shift has studios like The Balance Culture seeking solutions to continue to support their clients. 

“We have been monitoring COVID- 19 for the last few weeks and started strategizing how best to service our clients if we aren’t able to host classes at the studio, and instantly started putting a game plan for MOVE into place,” says Kirstin Czernek.

Studio owners Kirstin Czerneck and Ruthie Tait took the setback as an opportunity to quickly launch a project they’ve been wanting to do for a while now – an online platform that brought The Balance Culture classes home. 

MOVE is something we always wanted to offer our clients. It has honestly been on the list for a couple of years,” says Tait. 

MOVE will offer similar classes to the studio. The website will launch with Pilates, barre, yoga, barrelates, meditation, stretch, HIIT, bootcamp, bootycamp, prenatal, and injury prevention videos. “We plan to continue to add more class types as well as muscle specific workouts,” says Czernek.

Classes will cost $9.99 per month or $99.99 for the year.

“Physically we love to feel our best and it is so important, but working out helps us reduce stress. It clears our minds, helps us to gain perspective, and see situations differently.”

Stressful times are often when people step up their workout routine, and The Balance Culture is trying to maintain a sense of community in the midst of it all. “For us, more important than the physical is the mental. Physically we love to feel our best and it is so important, but working out helps us reduce stress. It clears our minds, helps us to gain perspective, and see situations differently. So for us, exercising is just as much about the mental as it is the physical,” says Czernek. 

After announcing the launch of online classes, The Balance Culture instructors have been working around the clock to record videos that will be hosted on this new platform that launches today.  

“We believe people need our service more than ever, and we want to deliver on that.”

Many local businesses have provided similar solutions to continue to serve their customers. During an unknown time that poses many challenges, Czernek and Tait encourage business owners to get strategic. “This is the time to think outside of the box and get creative. Don’t see shutdowns as a roadblock; some of the best business moves come from moments where entrepreneurs choose to adjust and not quit. We believe people need our service more than ever, and we want to deliver on that,” says Tait. 

Classes offered by MOVE are available here.