I haven't written a good work out post since my 30 Day Challenge, Juice Cleanse, and Fitness Trends series. After covering "How I lost the Baby Weight", I thought it was time to share again what I'm working out to lately. For me, being active has to be fun. I know what my body likes, and I know that I mentally need to work out as an outlet for stress. Over the last year I've had to get creative with my fitness since my little wasn't old enough to go into child care at the gym. Here is the result of my search for best online work outs, and what I'm doing lately.
First of all I just want to point out that I am not a beach body coach and am in no way affiliated with them or compensated for recommending them. After having London I was looking for good at home work outs to do especially when it came to using free weights. I had heard that the 21 Day Fix was awesome and I figured 21 days sounded pretty reasonable. I also liked that I could stream the work outs. This was important because we don't even have a DVD player anymore (Yes we are that Millennial). The package I signed up for came with a coach who involved me in a facebook group challenge which lasted about a month. I liked that there was community and I wasn't just doing home work outs on my own. This especially came in handy with eating clean and making sure I was fueling my body enough (sometimes momma is the last to eat). During my challenge I got to know Beach Body's new On Demand website more and really enjoyed the Challenge Du Jour which is a curated weekly mix of different work outs from Beach Body's long list of work out programs (you know, the ones you see on all the infomercials). I was surprised to discover that a lot of the instructors are really funny (see Tony Horton, and Shaun T), which helped me get through feeling kind of ridiculous at home. All in all this site is very motivating and helpful and you can get your first 30 days free as well as stream it on your phone through their app, which is perfect for travel!
I found Adriene when I was stuck at home for my work outs when London was too little for the child care at my local gym. I love her yoga videos because she is not only extremely friendly and relatable, she is also very knowledgable. Adriene's down to earth delivery, disarming charm, and "do what feels good" methods made yoga my favorite work out. As my body was recovering from a c-section and my core was in need of a lot of therapy, yoga was a gentle way for me to ease back into my fitness routine. I started with her 30 Day Yoga Challenge and loved that she began gently and added more challenges throughout the 30 days. Most of the videos were around 20 to 30 minutes but some were as brief as 12 minutes, yet you still felt like you did your body good that day. I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene for both beginning and advanced yoga practice, she has a great variety to choose from. Doing Yoga with Adriene is kind of like doing yoga with your best girlfriend.
I discovered Caleb Marshall when this video of Meghan Trainor's song "Me Too" went viral featuring Caleb and his crew dancing it out. He just seemed to be having so much fun and I was missing my fav zumba class at the gym, so I gave it a try. So so addictive. I had tried other zumba you tube channels but they just didn't measure up. I love the trendy latest hits music he chooses, and his choreography is easy to follow but challenging enough to still be interesting. I like that he gives great guidance but doesn't repeat the moves over and over in the slow learning process a lot of dance videos do. I just want to dig in and do the song, not practice the same eight steps over and over. Caleb does a great job rotating a diverse group of dancers including all ages, shapes, sizes and genders so literally anyone can relate and feel comfortable dancing it off at home.
I randomly happpened upon Keaira while scrolling through my other youtube favs. I was interested in her dance work outs and instantly fell in love with her passion and enthusiasm. She does a great job mixing up the type of music she uses and does a lot of isolating movements to work the abs and glutes. She's also a mom so I could relate with what she had to say about getting back in shape and this really encouraged me. She has work outs for all levels so you don't have to feel intimidated getting started, but know that as you learn you can also challenge yourself more. Last but not least, Keaira makes working out fun, and for me that is a priority. I want to be smiling when I'm working out, not miserable and grumpy.
5. BeFit
BeFit is another great free resource. Featuring a diverse range of work outs with celebrity trainers. You can do 10 minute abs, dance it off with the above mentioned Keaira LaShae, or experiment with partner yoga plus lots more. I found this channel to be similar to Beach Body with the bonus of being 100% free.
6. Spin
Now that London is over a year old I've returned to the gym where she can go in childcare. I have tried spin before in the past but it wasn't my thing previously. Trying to branch out I decided to give it another try, this time being taught by my favorite instructor (see zumba below). What a difference an instructor can make. My girl Kim rocks it out with a great song list and upbeat motions to keep the hour interesting. It's a challenge to get through, but the best way I've found to start a Monday. After class I always feel ready to take on the world. Definitely look for an instructor that's right for you and make sure to get help setting up your bike the first few times so you avoid injury.
7. Zumba
Zumba is probably my all time favorite work out. I am extremely picky about instructors though. I'm not really into classic zumba or anything that borders on jazzercise. I want a song list that makes me feel like I'm out with the girls. I take Zumba mid week and it's the ultimate way to escape the weeks stressors and burn a ton of calories. I love that our class sets the lights low and turns on the disco ball. It feels like we are at the club, not the gym and the details are fuzzy in the dim light making me feel like a rock star, not an awkward white girl. I can't live without it. I've been taking classes under Kim for around two years now and she has a faithful following. We feel more like a dance troupe than a work out class. Definitely my favorite.
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What work outs are you into lately? I'm always on the look out for something fun, and challenging. Fill me in below in the comments.
Until then...
Enjoy the Journey!
xo- Amy West
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