Durham mom and personal trainer mixes in kids while staying in during the coronavirus pandemic

Karen Gilbert has been working in fitness for 18 years.

Now a personal trainer, the mom of two toddlers had been offering in-home "mommy and me" training sessions, but then COVID-19 happened.

Now she's pivoting. Gilbert's turning to social media to show moms, particularly those who are postpartum at home, workouts they can do with their little ones.

"Especially for new moms maybe are just able to start leaving the house theoretically and now they are being quarantined even more," Gilbert said over a FaceTime call. "I think kids pick up on a lot more stuff than we give them credit for and kids are also picking up that there is something different going on, you know, the routine has been disrupted."

Dr. Alexa Miesis with UNC Health agrees: routine is key and exercise helps. "One of the things that is really important is staying active. Staying active as a family can produce a sense of normalcy, but also help relieve stress and also has other health benefits like boosting your immune system."

For Karen, fitness not only a chance to teach others, but to bond with her kids.