WHEN the Covid-19 crisis forced gyms to close and lockdown put limits on outdoor activity, home workouts soared in popularity.

Fitness instructor Lauren Kelly, who leads classes at gyms in Tollcross and the Gorbals, had been anxious about the impact of the shutdown.

She often gets “narky” on holiday after just a few days without exercise.

So, when online sessions were launched by Glasgow Life, she immediately said: “Count me in.”

And virtual classes have proven to be a hit – with more than 70,000 people joining workouts via the Glasgow Club app since March.

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Fitness sessions, delivered on social media, have been viewed nearly 1.5 million times.

While going online has been “so strange” for Lauren, she’s “really enjoyed” teaching her Body Attack and Legs, Bums and Tums classes.

On her first night, she was shocked to see 200 people taking part. “People were desperate for their body attack class,” she said.

“I was just trying to create an environment and experience. My view is people who come to my class, that is their release.

“For 30 minutes or 45 minutes, they’re not a mum, they’re not a lawyer, they’re not a teacher. They can switch off.”

She believes online sessions have “massively” helped people’s mental health during the pandemic, when anxiety levels rose.

And it has not only been regular gym-goers who have benefitted from the classes.

Glasgow Times:

Lauren said: “People have said they started watching on the couch and two seconds later they have joined in. I take my hat off to them.”

Others have said: “I would never have done a dance-based workout.”

Her classes have reached a wider audience than Glasgow too, with people signing on from Chile, Spain and Canada.

Glasgow Life is planning to continue online classes for those who prefer to exercise “on demand”. There will be a 30-day free trial for those who sign up.

And it hasn’t just been exercise classes which have been popular.

More than 5000 new members have joined Glasgow libraries and almost 160,000 e-books, e-magazines and e-audiobooks have been downloaded.

Glasgow Museums has seen a 400 percent increase in engagement on its social media platforms, which have been showing off the city’s collections, since April.

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Councillor David McDonald, the Glasgow Life chairman, said: “Our mission as one of the biggest charities in Scotland is to inspire people in the city to lead richer and more active lives through culture, sport and learning, so I am delighted such large numbers of people have accessed our online services during lockdown.

“These figures underline the love for and the value of services we provide. Despite current challenges, we are committed to ensuring Glasgow remains a vibrant and fulfilling place to live, work and visit, during and importantly post Covid-19.”

Seven libraries, two museums and seven Glasgow Club venues have now reopened.

At Kelvingrove Museum, all available tickets were reserved on 37 of 42 days since reopening.

More facilities, including the Gallery of Modern Art, are scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks.

Lauren, an instructor for 18 years, is set to return to the gym soon, but she will be recalling her lockdown experience for years to come

She expects people to say: “You did what in your living room? For how many weeks?”