A seemingly never-ending global pandemic pushed us into the world of virtual workouts and a few years later, we’re loving teaching from our Virtual Studio! Our members love it also - they keep showing up to our live, online classes week in and week out, with more consistency than ever! We’ve continued to tweak our schedule and classes to fit well with an online format and to be sure we’re doing something that our members still want and need. There was a learning curve for our business, that’s for sure! But, we’ve definitely figured out the best format for our classes, which times and days are the best to set our members up for success and which technology gives everyone the best online experience. Now that we’ve sorted all of it out, we feel that it’s only right to share with you some of our favourite tools that make our online workout experience the best it can be!

Most of these are budget friendly items that will certainly pack a big “punch” for not many of your dollars.

1. Wireless Headphones

We all use Apple AirPods and they’ve seriously changed our online teaching and workout experience! When we’re teaching, we no longer have to shout so our computer mic picks up our voice over the music. Even better, our families are SUPER happy that they don’t have to hear us yelling for an entire 30 minutes of teaching classes! When we’re working out, we can tune out lots of the little things that are going on right around us. For instance, with our AirPods in, when our families are making normal living noises, they are far less distracting - our earphones really cancel out a lot of the noise (and we have the least expensive non-noise cancelling ones!).

We bought our Apple AirPods for a slightly lower price, at Costco. Some of our members use over the ear, noise cancelling wireless headphones, which can be found somewhere like Best Buy. It’s all about personal preference and budget.

This is the most expensive item on our list, but we agree 100% that they’ve made the most significant difference for us!

2. A stand/tripod for your phone or tablet

If you’re using a tablet or phone when doing a live, online workout, you might want to consider investing in a tripod/stand that allows you to tilt your device more easily and provides flexibility in where you’re able to place it. An independent stand also gives you more options for where you’re able to set up your workout area. The bonus is that your instructor isn’t looking at your ceiling and can help more easily with slight adjustments to form:)

3. A Stability Ball

While Jen loves her loop bands, Sue adores her stability ball! We try to teach a ball class every month or so. They are just so great for our core! The first time Sue ever used one, she found it pretty hard to get used to, but eventually found her groove and has loved it ever since. Using a stability ball challenges us just a little more than we might be used to.

You can buy a stability ball in many places: Canadian Tire, Walmart and Winners all sell fitness equipment, or you can often pick one up from your local physiotherapist.

Sue bought all of hers through Ottawa based Kinemedics and loves the Theraband brand. If you’re Ottawa based or want to order online, you can find them at the Fitness Depot.

The size of stability ball is based on height, so be sure you’ve selected the right sized stability ball for you.

4. A set of Loop Bands

Jen’s jam is to teach a kick butt (no pun intended!) loop band workout. Not everyone has loop bands, so she doesn’t do it all that often, but for those of you who have them, there are some great loop band workouts in our content library (all of our unlimited passes provide free access to our content library of pre-recorded, on-demand workouts!). We promise you’ll love the burn you feel when doing them!

Well.ca sells these Loop Bands or you can find some at the Fitness Depot. If you’re looking for a set of good non-slip loop bands, try these ones from CIK Strength.

Loop bands are probably the least expensive workout tool you can own. As a bonus, they are light and GREAT for travelling. You can easily combine your loop bands and an on-demand workout while you’re on holidays!

5. A Foam Roller

Foam rolling helps your body recover after your workouts and eases tension of the tight muscles we all experience due to repetitive movement (sitting, carrying/holding babies, sleep positions etc). Foam rolling addresses soft tissue by targeting trigger points and other areas of tension in your body. It’s a form of self-massage and is known to help reduce pain, improve range of motion and increase personal comfort. Every so often we try to include mobility training and foam rolling classes on our schedule to help our members recover and care for their bodies.

Foam rollers come in various lengths and gestures/firmness. However, we think a longer one is most versatile. You can buy the same one that Jen uses at home, at the Fitness Depot.

So there you have it. Five of our favourite items to add to your workout toolkit! Are there any that we’ve missed? Leave a comment and let us know!

Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Online has been operating classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.

We offer Prenatal Fitness classes, live from our virtual studio. Our series of Prenatal classes includes On-Demand Prenatal Yoga classes. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes our our On-Demand library of pre-recorded workouts are a favourite for busy mamas who enjoy consistency in their workout regime.

If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try one of our 3 Class Passes! You can use them at our postnatal Express Strong and Express Elevate classes. It doesn’t matter if your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all postnatal members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Grab a monthly membership and keep moving:)

Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness through our Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!

We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Find your Fitmama Strong Location!