WESTFIELD – Westfield resident Salina Sarat has been on a fitness journey for more than 20 years and teaches small, group workout classes from her home. Now, while she’s unable to welcome people into her home for workouts, she’s bringing area residents a way to stay in shape while they’re stuck at home.

Sarat said while she lives in Westfield, she serves clients from all around the Western Massachusetts area. She said while she’s been working in the fitness industry for a long time, it was only four years ago she began offering classes from her home.

“I decided to stop working for a little while, and instead of going back to the gym I wanted to see if I could do it on my own, do it from my home,” she said. Typically, Sarat said, her classes are small and have between 10 to 15 people.

When Gov. Charlie Baker announced limitations on gatherings and restrictions for businesses, Sarat said she found a lot of her clients were disappointed, so she decided to offer classes for free online. “I just figured I have so many clients that were coming, and so bummed I was closing,” she told Reminder Publishing.

Sarat explained that while she saw a lot of people in the industry using the video conferencing website, Zoom, to offer their classes online for a fee, she felt her clients would be able to access workouts on Facebook a lot easier. “A lot of my clients aren’t internet savvy,” she said. “I wanted to do something for everyone to stay active, I just thought it’d be nice to click something and have me there with them. They’ve been clients for a long time.”

She said she’s been trying to find ways to make workouts exciting, including involving her son and daughter. In addition to using equipment such as a TRX suspension system, she’s also “going to try to use some household items” that everyone may be able to access.

Sarat said the workouts are not just for those who have been working out regularly, but those who wish to start working out. “I’m trying to do it for everyone, I’m trying to accomodate all fitness levels,” she explained. During one of her workouts, Sarat and her children each took on a different version of an exercise to demonstrate a variety of modifications that can be made depending on one’s fitness level.
While her first video was on the longer side, Sarat said she’ll probably keep them a little shorter as it will be “easier for people” and “easier to upload.” Additionally, she said she’s started a channel on YouTube as another way for people to access them.

While stuck at home, Sarat recommended people try to stay active, even if just for a few moments. “Try to do even five minutes a day, I’m going to try to post a plank challenge every day,” she said. “Just do a little something, it changes your outlook so much.”

Sarat’s videos can be accessed online on her Facebook page or on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaRhmQNcOamhOGMU6RLuoFQ). Additionally, she said she would be offering online coaching.