If you're anything like me, the idea of walking into a gym and picking up weights is not something that sounds particularly exciting and it's certainly not something I'm likely to stick to. And the one thing I've picked up from my extremely fit friends and family is "consistency is key" and "little and often" works.
I've tried joining gyms in the past and only found any sort of satisfaction and joy from the fitness classes but at the end of the day the investment hasn't really paid off as I've still not managed to sustain any sort of fitness routine.
So in a bid to try and commit to moving my body everyday and build some strength, but allocate absolutely zero personal finance to, I've scoured YouTube for a collection of varied, entertaining and feel good fitness channels and have developed a loose structure that puts no pressure on me and draws on the "just show up" philosophy.
I have followed Tim Senesi for a while after accidentally stumbling across his channel and I can, hands down, say he's the best YouTube Yoga instructor I've found. He posts a mixture of challenging yoga workouts that build strength and gentle stretching classes that allows you to take it easy but still get on your mat. And, similar to other fitness channels, he posts 30 days challenges in January to try and help you develop a habit.
My absolute favourite class of his is a morning stretch that is only 10 minutes long and helps me stretch out all the tension that builds up in my shoulders after a day at the desk.
If you prefer something more strength focussed, my recommendation has to be Move with Nicole. She does some challenging Pilates classes that will really get your heart pumping and your muscles aching, but she’s encouraging and finishes each class with a good stretch as well!
The most recent class I’ve done was a very satisfying full body work out that got me breaking a sweat and left me feeling strong. And all in 30 minutes!
I find cardio quite hard as I have the lung capacity of mouse but I do recognise the importance of it for a well rounded fitness routine. I tried running but it's awful so if you need something more engaging and fun to get you on your mat and working your heart, this is the channel I use. They have dance workouts that really bring the fun and you don't feel like you're working out. The best bit is, it's over before you know it and it really doesn’t get easier the more you do it so you're heart and lungs will really feel the benefit. And if you're feeling brave and committed, they have HIT so you can change it up as you feel, the instructors are super helpful and have an advanced and beginner adaptation of most of the moves so you the classes are ALWAYS achievable.
From browsing their channel a bit, they do have range of other classes including ab sculpt, jump rope, kick boxing and zumba so you can really change it up depending on your mood. But I've never tried these classes so can't recommend them.
If you are looking for a proper fitness coach who posts proper targetted exercises to tone and improve strength, I find Growingannanas to be the best. Anna is a great trainer who focusses on being happy and healthy rather than perpetuating an ideal figure and training for aesthetic benefits, which suits me. I'd love to have toned body with no wobbly bits but not enough to motivate me to exercise. But I am all about health and hapiness so her brand suits me! Don't get me wrong, I have to be in a very specific mood to want to do work outs like this, but I do appreciate her encouragement and holistic approach to fitness.
For those days you really haven't got the energy or motivation to move, I find meditating to be enough to keep the habit of getting on my mat and I often feel motivated to do a work out afterwards anyway.
I love Calm for this. I think Tamaras voice is so soothing and it's not too hippy dippy, allowing me to connect with myself and embrace mindfulness without getting distracted by some ethereal things I don't reallyt understand. There is a paid app which I fully recommend but, in the spirit of this post being about free resources, they have kindly posted a lot of their meditation practices on their youtube account too so there you are.
Right, I'm off to practise what I preach with a Pilates class by Move with Nicole. I hope I've inspired some of you to try moving your body everyday with one of the above classes. Good luck on your journey everyone!
Comments