April 8, Miramonte Weight Room Supervisor, Track and Field Coach, and Orinda Fitness Founder Tristan Tool launched a virtual at-home workout program for all Miramonte students called Mats Fit. The program consists of a Google Drive folder with many workout activities, biweekly Zoom workouts, and weekly challenges on social media. 

Tool shared the Google Drive folder titled “Miramonte High School At Home Fitness” with all Miramonte students through their school email. The Google Drive has one folder for each day of the week plus a “Daily Routines” folder. The folders for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, referred to as primary workout days, consist of exercise videos with three different intensity levels for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, videos demonstrate a variety of core and mobility techniques. The “Daily Routines” folder is geared towards activities that can be completed any day of the week and include things such as stretching and mobility drills, bedtime stretch routines, and neurological priming tasks to help students retain information better and be more focused when studying.

“Tristan’s fitness program contains a balance between strength workouts and workouts for recovery. For anyone trying to get fit, I think that it’s worth trying. This program is also a fun way to connect and work out,” sophomore Claire Nolet said.

In addition to the Google Drive, Mats Fit offers live workouts on Zoom every Monday and Friday at 4 p.m. Each Zoom session features a different instructor, including Kinesiology expert and Miramonte Weight Room Supervisor Dylan Gunn, ATMA Yoga Instructor Liz Graham, Miramonte graduate Samer Mathkour, and more. The link to each Zoom meeting is posted in the Mats Fit Instagram bio @miramonte_fitness and is also emailed to students before each session. These videos range from yoga and stretching to high intensity interval training, strength work, and activities that can be done with items around the house.

“I think [the Zoom workouts] are a great way for people to stay connected and healthy during quarantine. I get to see teammates and continue to be a part of the community at Miramonte,” freshman Maddy Morris said. 

Finally, Mats Fit provides weekly challenges on their Instagram account. Inspiring students to post pictures of their favorite hiking trails using the hashtag #MatsFit and motivating teens to try the #BalanceChallenge using bosu balls are examples of the challenges. Students of all fitness levels are encouraged to participate in these activities.

“I especially like the yoga sessions because it helps me stretch and relax my body after a week of playing soccer, running, and working out,” junior Simon Stein said.

April 7 Miramonte Principal Julie Parks posted a YouTube video on her channel in which she discussed with Tristan the opportunities available to students to continue to stay active and connected during distance learning. “With the help of the fitness coaches at Orinda Fitness, we are offering students a way to maintain their fitness during the shelter in place,” Tool said.