Ten, twenty years ago, I would never have imagined myself saying this: I like working out! I love discovering the limits of my body. I love discovering my strength, I enjoy breaking into a sweat.
I haven’t tried a lot of workout classes, but I do love yoga classes. I’m not too fond of going to the gym, but I do remember my weight training for women PE class back in college, and I remember really enjoying it.
Clearly going to the gym is not really an option right now, so I find my teachers on YouTube. YouTube is kind of a bottomless pit of yoga instructors, workout videos, dance fitness and everything in between. I’m very sure there are tons of channels, teachers and videos that I haven’t tried, but among the ones I have seen, these are my favorites.
Yoga with Adriene
I really like Adriene. She’s kind of dorky, and she’s really funny. Her YouTube persona seems like someone I’d hang out with after work. It might have been Denise, a friend, former colleague and yoga teacher, who first mentioned her to me.
I really like Adriene’s teaching style. I love the constant reminders about checking on what your body needs. I love how she encourages you to push your boundaries but gives you permission to scale back or to modify the pose as needed. I love her corny jokes. I even love her dog Benji!
These are the videos I like best:
- 40 Minute Vinyasa Sequence
- Yoga For Neck, Shoulders, Upper Back
- Yoga For Weight Loss | Fat Burning Workout
HASfit
Sometimes I feel like exercise that’s a little more active than yoga. I rather enjoy using my kettlebells, and I’ve found a lot of interesting kettlebell workout routines. But I’m never sure if I’m doing enough reps, if there is enough variety in my workouts, and if I’m doing too much or too little.
I appreciate the HASfit workouts because it feels like they have a video for pretty much every fitness level and goal. There are videos as short as 10 minutes, and as long as a full hour. There are beginner workouts and advanced workouts. There are workouts with no equipment and workouts with kettlebells or dumbbells. They have HIIT and low impact, workouts that target legs or arms or abs, and even prenatal and post-natal workouts.
I also like the fact that there are always two of them in the video: Claudia and Kozak. One of them always does a modified version of the workout, so you can choose which one works better for you. They also explain why one version is more difficult or more challenging than the other, and they remind you to watch your breath.
I think I’ll try one of their resistance band workouts next.
Here are some of the ones I’ve tried and survived enjoyed:
- 25 Min Beginner Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss for Beginners Men & Women
- 25 Min Standing Low Impact Cardio Workout for Beginners
Live Love Party
I actually really like dancing, but I don’t know how!
A few years ago I tried a Zumba video on YouTube, and OMG I nearly died. It felt like everything was moving so fast, and I didn’t have time to learn any of the steps, much less actually move to any sort of beat.
A few months ago, I decided that I would try again. I figured, maybe I just need to look for Zumba videos that use songs I actually like, or maybe there’s a beginner Zumba workout I can follow.
I found LiveLoveParty on YouTube, and they had so many videos where they were dancing to Bruno Mars! They had a couple of videos featuring 90s hits! They’re really a lot of fun, and they look so happy when they’re dancing. Check out this one, where one of them is dancing while pregnant!
I suppose you could say this channel was my gateway drug to Zumba. I was so happy to find a cardio exercise that I actually enjoyed. Dancing did so much to lift my spirits, even if I couldn’t always follow the steps or if I got tired after a few videos. There were nights when I was dancing for over an hour, and my clothes were soaked with sweat, but I was so happy! I danced so much that my shoes broke, and I finally had to buy new ones, haha!
POPSUGAR Fitness
For a little while I got bored with Zumba and I tired looking for other dance fitness videos. That’s when I found POPSUGAR Fitness!
I really like this channel because there’s interesting variety in their videos. This 20-Minute Kettlebell Workout looks easy but it’s a real killer. This 30-Minute Hip-Hop Fit Workout features such diversity of physicality. And then I tried 30-Minute Cardio Latin Dance Workout! My gahd, it’s so tough but it’s so much fun.
Like the HASfit videos, there are options for modified movements and advanced movements, reminders about safety, and motivational talks–which are actually really nice, and not corny at all!
Who are your favorite fitness instructors?
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