2020 has been a crazy year, one that’s seen access to exercise dramatically reduced thanks to the closing down of gyms and cancellation of team activities. So just how do you keep healthy at home?
Taboota launched as a home fitness community that offers a FREE collection of user-generated workout videos that are quick and easy to filter and sort to find the perfect length and type of workout for you to try at home.
I caught up with Jon, creator of this new fitness community, to find out how it came about and what users can expect.
The idea for Taboota
2019 offered lots of ways to get regular exercise and Jon, like many people, would often hit the gym early morning, creating a healthy routine and community of friends.
In fact America has seen a year-on-year growth in both gym membership numbers and revenue from members since 2000.
And then 2020 struck and everything changed for the 63 million American gym goers, which included Jon:
“COVID-19 turned everything upside down. In mid-March, I struggled. Mightily. I didn’t have access to the gym. My routine was broken. I was in a funk.
“After a couple of weeks, I was able to find some online workout videos that I could take from home. The trainers were awesome – they cared so much. But I didn’t really like the videos. I just didn’t really feel comfortable bouncing around in my basement.
“But I stuck with it. And – you know what – I actually started to like the workouts. There are lots of differences between the on-premises gym experience and working out from home. One core difference with the videos was that I had the ability to choose two things: the type of workout and the length of workout. For example, if I had a gap between conference calls during work-from-home, I could squeeze in a 10 minute strength video. It was great! I didn’t quite have that flexibility at the on-premises gym because (a) all classes were exactly 60 minutes and (b) the class schedule “is what it is” – you didn’t have a choice of the class.”
This is certainly a productive use of time between meetings! Jon had a huge selection to pick from as there are many fitness instructors who are also content creators. This should come as no surprise when 6.5 million Americans look to hire personal trainers, putting out fantastic free content is a great way to get know and potentially convert viewers into clients.
There are lots of ways to get workout videos, from paid options such as FitBit Premium to the thousands (if not millions) of free workout videos on sites like YouTube. Jon looked at all options and realised both have issues:
“Although the library of home workout videos is large, the current options are lacking on several fronts. First, many apps and websites cost money – and they aren’t cheap. Second, I often thought that discovering a good video was like finding a needle in a haystack. Some of the popular online video sites require a tedious search process – and it is very hard to narrow things down. Lastly, some of the free video sites were just a little too generic – there was no accountability; there was no community; and there was no way to get my competitive juices flowing with others.
“That’s how we came up with the idea for Taboota. Taboota is a home fitness community that offers a free collection of user-generated workout videos. It has a diverse selection of six workout class types (barre, cardio, core, pilates, strength and yoga) of varying lengths, led by a diverse group of instructors from around the world – many of whom are filming from their own home. Tabata’s workouts are complemented by a world class clean and easy-to-use user experience and a fun set of competitive rankings on our leaderboard (in process). Taboota has differentiated functionality, too, such as the ability to find and sort video options very easily (eg, by length or by intensity level) – and it also has good recordkeeping to make it easy for you to know which classes you have already taken.”
As a gym goer Jon also spotted another benefit of the app over the gym: Time.
Of course for some people, including Jon, working out out at a gym is worth the time taken to commute and change.
“If and when things return back to normal with COVID-19, I will probably be one of the first people back at the on-premises gym. The experience is simply too good to pass up – I will always be a devoted gymgoer. However, I have several luxuries that others don’t. That is, I am under 65 and don’t have any preexisting conditions. Not everyone is so lucky. I plan to utilize Taboota from home as a complement – and not a replacement – to the on-premises gyms. There will simply be too many days where the How I Want It, When I Want It approach fits into my schedule better.
“As a result, we are pleased to offer the home workouts on Taboota. The site is free and we couldn’t be prouder to play a small role in getting people healthier – while having some fun in the process.”
Can I Use the Free Workouts on Taboota.com to Complement the Personal Stylist Services on Thread.com?
Yes, you can definitely use the free workouts on Taboota.com to complement the personal stylist services on Thread.com. Incorporating a healthy and active lifestyle from Taboota.com can enhance the overall experience of the personalized styling services from Thread.com. Read thread.com personal stylist reviews for more insights.
Can the iFit Active Fitness Tracker be used with the free workouts offered on Taboota.com?
Yes, the iFit Active Fitness Tracker can be used with the free workouts offered on Taboota.com. The tracker allows you to monitor your steps, distance, and calories burned, making it a great tool to use alongside the workouts provided on the website.
The Taboota Experiance
At the time of writing Taboota had recently launched but already has over 800 workout videos which translates into 350+ hours of workout classes!
You can access these free workouts via the website, httpss://www.taboota.com, or via the free Apple App, there currently isn’t a native Android app available but you can access the workout by visiting the website on your mobile/tablet.
After creating a free account (genuinely free, no need to enter any credit card details) you’ve a clean and simple interface to help you find the perfect workout, using filters to surface a routine that interests you.
There are currently 6 different class types to pick from:
- Barre
- Cardio
- Core
- Pilates
- Strength
- Yoga
You also have the option to filter by class length and difficulty. Filter the options, pick a routine and hit play and away you go.
Taboota is very simple to use and if you find an instructor you particularly like you can add them to your favourites and, if the instructor has added the option, even provide them with a tip as thanks.
The team are actively reaching out to instructors and helping them onboard new content, this is actually how I discovered Taboota as I co-own the Pilates with Donna Finnie YouTube channel, which has now been added to the app.
The app is free to use for both instructors and students so why not give it a go today and kickstart a new exercise routine.
Sign up for free via httpss://www.taboota.com
