I tried at home Cardio workouts- what’s the best

So last week I owned up to the fact that I have a hip injury that has kept me from running. It’s been a tough time cutting back from running 20 to 30 miles a week to zero, but healing is the most important part of long term recovery, so I’ve been focusing on strength training, yoga, biking, and when I’m feeling a little cardio, at home cardio workouts on youtube. I remember trying a ton of different at home workouts at the start or quarantine last year, so I was actually excited to try some old favorites and some new ones to see what all is out there these days.

Because of the nature of my injury, I had to keep most of my cardio low impact, meaning I had to find high intensity low impact workouts or find workouts that were easy to modify. For me, this is hard because my resting heart rate is relatively low and I have a difficult time working it up into an aerobic or higher zone when I’m at home (I just really struggle with it, especially while injured and while I can’t go 100% out) so I was really focused on finding routines that got my heart rate up and gave me a goo workout (I don’t focus on how many calories I burn, I just focus on hitting heart rate zones and keeping my heart rate up).

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Caroline Girvan Low Intensity Steady State Cardio

This wouldn’t be an at home workout review without talking about the queen of at home workouts herself- Caroline Girvan. I have long been familiar with Caroline’s high intensity workouts and have even tried plenty of her low intensity steady state cardio workouts. These workouts keep you going for a half an hour at a time with each exercise lasting 45 seconds, steadily with no breaks as an way to keep your heart rate up for the duration of the workout.

For me, while I like the fact that these workouts are no repeat and go by fast, I never really was able to get my heart rate above an easy zone (that’s about 134 bpm for me). On her higher intensity workouts, I can get my heartrate up a little higher to an aerobic zone, but I don’t necessarily keep it there for long as some of the lower intensity moves lower it soon after. This might just be that I have a lack of intensity an motivation during these workouts since it’s a follow along style and not a coached training session, but it’s something worth taking note for.

I do love Caroline Girvan’s videos and she is always going to be my strength coach, but I’ve found some other cardio workouts that I might move into my mix beyond Caroline’s videos.

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The Body Project

I came across the Body Project youtube page when trying to find intermediate to advanced low intensity workouts since, as I said, I had a really hard time getting my heart rate up during some workouts I was used to. I figured a more advanced program might give me better results.

I won’t lie, I didn’t finish their video when I started it. I wouldn’t have called it intermediate and I was struggling to get out of the warmup zone with my heart rate (so it was below 114 bpm) and to be fair, I was kind of bored.

I think this would be a great low impact workout for someone who is knew to exercise, but it just wasn’t the one for me.

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Joey Tng

This wasn’t a series of videos I found when looking for low impact workouts specifically, but I stumbled across it when trying to find kickboxing workouts, which are some of my favorite types of at home cardio workouts. Joey is a small youtuber, but she has some amazing kickboxing workouts that are really energetic and fun! She is an amazing coach and keeps your motivated and working hard throughout the workout. I found that throughout her workouts I was able to reach and stay in the aerobic heart rate zone, even reaching into the threshold zone (above 152 bpm) once or twice.

While these workouts aren’t necessarily low impact, there were definitely ways to modify and even though I took out a lot of impact and jumping, I still felt like it was a great workout.

I highly recommend Joey if you like kickboxing and she has a ton of these videos on her channel!

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Sydney Cummings

I somehow missed the Sydney Cummings fad last year when I first got into at home workouts, but if you are a fan of at home workouts, you have probably tried a Sydney Cummings workout or two. She’s about as well known as Caroline Girvan these days. Well, when searching for low impact exercises, Sydney had plenty of them and I just had to give them a try.

I really do low Sydney and her workouts and I can see why she is so popular. She is extremely motivating and really encourages you to work hard during each workout. For the majority of her workouts I was in the aerobic heartrate zone and she kept me motivated enough to stay in that zone for the duration of the workout! And the half hour to 45 minutes that I spent working out with her absolutely flew by so fast I never really wanted it to end.

Sydney’s workouts are great for any level of experience and I’m actually excited to try more of her videos in the future.

I will say one thing I don’t like about Sydney’s videos is that she uses click bait titles like “burn 400 calories in 30 minutes” which is not necessarily true for many people (I burned about 150-200 calories per video depending on the intensity and my heart rate) so that is something I dislike because the number of calories burned shouldn’t be the focus!

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Popsugar Low Impact workout

I added a link to this workout because it wasn’t a channel so much as a specific workout and of all the workouts I’ve tried so far, this was by far my favorite of all the workouts I tried and I wasn’t expecting that from a Pop Sugar workout!

This video’s focus is on getting the heart rate up and elevated and keeping it up! And I absolutely loved that because that was my goal too! And they absolutely managed to do that and I stayed in the aerobic range almost the entire workout, with some time spent in the easy zone, by not much in comparison to other workouts I tried. These trainers were super motivating and fun and they really made the workout a ton of fun! It was definitely hard and I was dripping in sweat, but it was so much fun and I highly recommend this as a way to get the heart rate up (it was one of the only ones that got my garmin to tell me I had a productive workout) and get a really good workout in in just 30 minutes! I usually don’t get this without jumping at all, but here it was!

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What are your favorite at home workouts? Let me know what else I should try in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

Things I learned After 1 Year of At Home Workouts

It’s been just a little over a year since everything shut down on us and we were forced to see what the new normal brought for us. For those of us gym-goers, it meant figuring out the world of at home workouts. I’ve kept you guys updated on new programs and influencers I am following and what I think of different workouts I try. While I’ve learned a lot about myself through trying different at home workouts, and as I’ve mentioned here before, I have really found something that works for me, I’ve also learned a lot about the online space and the fitness community online. So today, I want to share with you guys some of the things I have learned about the at home workout world.

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Titles are made to make you click

For those of us who have been navigating the internet for awhile, clickbait isn’t new. We are bombarded with titles made for us to click and read or watch all the time. The online fitness community is no different!

6 pack abs! Fat Burning Cardio Workout! Get fit Fast! Burn 600 Calories in 60 minutes!

We see these titles all the time.

There has been some debate online about the toxicity of such titles and if they really belong in the fitness community. Are they doing more harm than good? After all, they are often lying (you aren’t going to melt away fat by doing a 15 minute cardio workout and you aren’t going to spot reduce fat to get a six pack by doing the same ab routine for 14 days straight). Should these titles be allowed or could they be damaging to body image and promote body dysmorphia and disorders related to workout addiction.

The important thing to make note of here is that influencers are going to continue to make clickbait titles KNOWING THEY ARE DOING SO because how else are they going to get views? (At least for most of them, let’s be fair there are some gems out there who do not do this bu they are few and far between). To go viral, get popular, and stay relevent click bait titles are one of the few ways to garuntee a paycheck is coming in so they are going to continue.

What’s important to make sure is that you keep in mind that they are clickbait! Thy are created to get clicks but their claims are outlandish. If those types of titles trigger you, then it may be best to avoid them altogether, but if you can get passed the title and think its a great workout that makes you feel like you have really worked yourself and makes you feel good, do it, ignore the title, and just get it.

One of my favorite workouts is titled: “This Killer workout Torches Calories- 500 in 45 minutes”. Do I know it’s a totally clickbait title so it gets the 23 million views it has? Yes. But do I really enjoy the workout and throw it in my rotation when I’m looking for a good cardio session? Totally because it’s fun, effective, and while I won’t burn 500 calories I’ll still feel like I got a good workout and that is more important!

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You aren’t going to burn the Number of Calories they say in the title

That brings us to our second point- you aren’t going to burn the number of calories the titles or captions say you will, you will likely burn less, but may burn more.

Why? There are two main reasons.

First, again, it’s about clickbait. Are you going to click a title that says “burn 200 calories in 45 minutes?” or “Burn 500 calories is 45 minutes?” Most people are going to go with the latter, so people are going to title their vidoes that!

Second, the number of calories you burn during a workout depends on a lot of factors including height, age, body fat percentage, muscle mass (muscle burns more calories than fat), gender, and intensity. What you burn during a workout is going to be completely different than what someone else, especially your “trainer” burns. You can’t judge your activity and burn based off of someone else and someone else’s body!

So I stress to ignore those titles or info boxes that say how many calories you are going to burn and just have fun with the workout instead. Aim to work hard and put your best food forward and don’t worry about the number of calories you are burning! Moving is good for the heart and the muscles and it also releases mood stabilizing endorphins, and that’s the most important thing!

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HIIT workouts aren’t always High Intensity Training

High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT, is all the rage and so many influencers are creating HIIT workouts all the time, but the important thing to note is that often times, these aren’t actualy HIIT workouts.

It’s important to realize that HIIT means that during active intervals you are giving 100% of your ability to the activity for the duration of time and you should be worked to exhausted by the time of the rep. (Think running 100 meter sprints at the track). I don’t know about you guys, but when I am doing a HIIT workout I am giving it a good amount of effort, but very little am I going so intensely that I feel like I am dying! In fact, I would never compare the fatigue I feel during a HIIT video to that of running sprints at the track.

More often than not HIIT videos online or Moderate Intensity Interval Training, which is a worthy activity in itself and should not be put down in anyway, but it’s just a little less intense than High Intensity and more than Low Intensity. You can still get a great workout in, but I think it’s important we talk about what the different intensity levels actually are because the spreading of false information can be damaging to the fitness community.

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A lot of influencers putting out workout content aren’t certified trainers

I have done so many actually really fun workouts from different influencers but I have come to realize in that time that so many of them, even the most popular of them, aren’t actually certified fitness trainers. Sure they might have backgrounds in certain sports and may actually have a good idea of what they are doing, but many of them do not hold a certificate as “trainers.”

Why does this matter? It means that their advise might not always be accurate and should always be taken with a grain off salt. You have to do your own research on who you are following and the advise you are being given. Does it meet up with what you have read and learned or does it seem too good to be true or outlandish?

For me, when it comes to lifting and resistance training, I try to only follow certified trainers (such as Caroline Girvan) so that way I know the exercise advise I am being given, the guidance I am recieving, and the technique I am being shown is accurate. For things like dance or kickboxing cardio, I don’t care if I am following a certified trainer as I have some background in both and feel my form and technique will keep me from getting hurt. When it comes to HIIT and cardio I mix it up a lot but again, I take everything I hear wiht a grain of salt and make sure I am following everything with good form and technique.

Be your own fact checker when it comes to navigating online fitness!

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Do Not listen to the nutrition advise of fitness influencers

The number of influencers I see put out workout challenges and “Nutrition guides” scares me so much! We’ve already discussed how many of them aren’t certified fitness trainers, but usually NONE of them are certified Nutritionists or Dieticians and yet they are claiming to have a nutrition plan that will work for you?

I have seen so many low carbohyrate meal plans that are suggested next to high cardio workout plans or low fat diets for slim down programs that I want to scream! Please, if you take anything away from anything I have ever said in this blog let it be this: DO NOT EVER FOLLOW THE NUTRITION PLAN FROM SOMEONE WHO IS NOT CERTIFIED! Especially if that nutrition plan is the same for everyone!

Nutrition should be individualized. What you eat to lose weight or change your body composition is not the same thing your next door neighbor or your mother or father needs! An individualized plan should be created for you, not something created by someone who has never met you or talked to you.

If you are following a seasonal fitness challenge or program, that’s amazing and if you enjoy it and it suites you go for it, but if that plan comes with a nutrition plan, please please please seek advise from a certified professional instead. It;s one thing to get meal ideas from a plan, but another to follow calorie or macronutrient suggestions from someone who is not trained in nutrition!

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So what is the take home message here? Take everything with a grain of salt. A lot of crazy claims and clickbait titales exist out there so people can make a living off of fitness youtube. Find the type of activities you like to do, things that you will be able to sticfk with, and as long as you are having fun, stick with it! Do background research on the types of training you should be doing, learn proper techniques, and stay educated. Track your own calroie burn based on your own biology ONLY if tracking is condusive to your progress. If tracking is not for you THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW AND JUST HAVE FUN!

Navigating the online fitness world can be overwhelming and slightly intimidating but there are a lot of great workouts out there to try and find what works best for you, so I say give it a go and see what you like!

Who are your favorite fitness influencers? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

Non-workout Fitness Youtube

So while I spend the rest of this week burried neck deep in literature reviews and powerpoint slides (one more week of grad school guys!) I thought I’d share with you guys some of my favorite people to watch on youtube who aren’t putting out workout videos but may be reviewing them, talking about nutrition, or discussing important things about the fitness community.

Like I said guys, one more week! Bare with me and I’ll be back in full swing soon.

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Taylor Woods

Taylor feels like she’s that girl you’ve known all your life and should be your bff even though you don’t actually know her. Her vlog style videos are very interesting, very relatable, and very chill. She reviews different types of workouts and shares her experience with them, attempts cooking sometimes, and just keeps the fitness community real! She also has a podcase “Don’t get it twisted” that you should check out!

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Jaime Fok

Jaime is the cutest thing on the planet! An ex-dancer she now reviews different online at-home workouts and measures them based on how effective they were for her, how much fun they were, and gives her overall opinions. She’s not afraid to tell it how it is, tackling those videos claiming to “burn 200 calories in 10 minutes” and putting the actual calorie burn into real perspective! She calls out the B.S. in the youtube fitness world while also remaining a complete ray of sunshine! She also has a series where she tries the most viral workouts (the most viral glute workouts, the most viral dance workouts, etc) and compares them and gives a rundown on what they all contain to help people find what works best for them!

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Kelti O’Connor

For all my over 25 year olds out there,Kelti is your girl. This 29 year old ex-basketball player hits it home with her workout reviews, challenges, and life vlogs while also keeping it 100% real (mental breakdowns included). Let’s be honest, being an adult is hard and doing that when you live alone (she’s in a long distance relationship) and trying to balance work, working out, and living a full life can be really difficult. Kelti’s content is funny and charming and real all at the same time and I always enjoy her uploads!

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HopeScope

While Hope doesn’t review workouts, she is your one stop shop for all things fit fashion! She is always trying different brands of activewear, reviewing what is out there and giving her opinions. She is the queen of determining if leggings are squat proof (and she even has a master list!). She even does a ton of give aways, so she is definitely one to be watching!

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Who are you watching on youtube these days? Who should I check out next? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

3 Reasons I’m not going back to the gym

I did it guys. I got vaccinated! (Well, I got the first dose). I’m a front line worker, in a pharmacy, so we’re now witnessing a huge roll out on COVID-19 vaccinations and life has gotten CRAZY (why this blog is late, sorry about that!) Anyway, now that I’m a little more protected, I can feel my anxiety beginnig to decrease and I feel a little more comfortable about the world around me. That being said, I don’t think I’m going to be rushing back to the gym any time soon and it’s kind of crazy for me to be typing that right now because I always thought I needed a treadmill to get a good workout. Turns out I don’t, and I’m not even sure I’ll be returning to the gym. Today, I want to tell you guys why I think home workouts are just as great as gym workouts.

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It’s way more convenient

I was NEVER a morning workout person. That was until I started doing home workouts and my gym became a place right across from my bedroom. Now, I wake up at 6am almost every day and get my workout in first thing in the morning before doing anything else. Why? It’s just so convienent. I don’t have to pack a gym bag, I don’t have to drive anywhere, I just roll out of bed, get dressed, and get it done right then and there. It’s made working out every day easy and convneient and I think that has become a large motivator in getting things done.

I learned in psychology that one of the best things to do to motivate people to workout is make their ability to do so easy, put equipment in an easy to see/access area, and make it so there are less excuses. Having my gym in my office is just what I needed to motivate myself to get it done.

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I’ve Learned about Variety

If you look back on the contents of this blog in years past you’ll notice that almost all my workout content had to do with running. And running is great and I still love it as my first passion, but I’ve also learned that there is a lot more variety out there and I don’t need a treadmill to get that variety. I have learned to love biking, cardio kickboxing, and even weight lifting now that I haven’t been to the gym. And for now, I am able to happily do all those things from home. I’ve slowly been adding to the weights and equipment I have at home (and honestly it’s more cost effective to do that than pay for a gym membership).

Plus, I get to try new things all the time. With there being so many different trainers on youtube, I am always trying something new to see if it’s something I like or something that gives me a good workout. And I get to report back here with my findings, which is always so much fun! Variety works out the body and the mind and so far, I’m really getting to mix it up.

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There are no people!

If you guys don’t know this about me, I don’t like people. Especially when I am trying to workout. When I’m running or working out, I’m there to get in my head space, maybe watch a movie if I’m running, and just get it done. I HATE WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO TALK TO ME AT THE GYM. I just want to get it done and do the thing in my quiet space. Plus, it ruins my flow if you interupt me. So not having people around is great.

Plus, not having guys around to watch me workout (for whatever reason they do it) is so much more comfortable than having to be aware that they are there. There’s nothing worse than that.

And of course, it let’s you focus on you and you alone. I know when I was running, I used to try to run faster and longer than the person nearest me and it really got to me after awhile. I was working out to show off more than I was working out for me. It became toxic and I don’t really want to rush back into that.

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All in all, I think this working out from home thing has really made me fall back in love with working out for the sake of improving myself and myself alone and to be fair, I’m not ready to jump back into a potentially toxic environment again. I like what I have going on here and while it is working for me, I think I am going to continue to work with it. The only reason I might go back to the gym is to start putting long miles back in for half marathon training, but spring is right around the corner, so I might not even need to!

What do you guys like about home workouts? Have you been back to the gym? Are you excited to get back to the gym? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks for you patience on this week’s late blog. School and work have both been insane this term and I’m having a hard time keeping track of time!

Until next time,

Kat

At home workouts I’m enjoying: December 2020

I think as I update my rotation of workouts this is becoming a regular type of blog post here. But since my gym is closed again (not that I’ve been going) I figured it was as good a time as any to update you guys on what at home workouts I’ve been enjoying lately. Especially with the winter weather (I don’t know about you guys but I hate running in the cold) and the holidays coming up, now is a good time to update the home workout routine.

So here are the workouts I have been enjoying lately. They are all available on youtube for free so you’ll have easy access to them!

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Popsugar Fitness

When I started the popsugar fitness videos online I was fully ready for them to be watered down, easy to do workouts, but I have found that I really enjoy these workouts. Sure, they are a little easier than some of the others on this list (I have some really intense ones for you guys this rotation), but they offer a wide variety of different things at different levels and every video offers modifications for every level. This was great for after my surgery and I couldn’t do a lot of jumping or bending. I find their weight lifting videos are a little watered down for my taste, but for someone just starting to get into weight exercises, they can be a ton of fun. They also have a lot of low impact type workouts, again great for those who aren’t able to hit it too heavy.

Some of the trainers they bring on for these videos are absolutely amazing and I tend to gravitate towards the same ones each time: Rainer Pollard, Jeannette Jenkins, and Jake DuPree are three of my absolute favorites. They push you but encourage you all at the same time and I love how they make it feel like it’s a little community.

Some of my favorites include that tabata workouts they have (they have a 30 minute and a 45 minute tabata lead by Rainer), the cardio blasts by Jeannet Jenkins which combine cardio, kickboxing, and sculpting all together for one killer wokrout experience, their kickboxing classes, their barre classes for my active recovery days, and their ab workouts (Jake DuPree is an ab workout master and I love his short videos).

Overall, just a really fun channel to check out with a lot of options for everyone!

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Caroline Girvan

How I stumped across Caroline’s videos I don’t even know, but it has changed my workout game completely. Caroline used to be a fitness trainer who worked out of her home gym, but when COVID hit, she had to shut down her business and she made the choice to begin instructing through youtube videos exclusively. Let me tell you, this girl is killing it! She knows what she is doing and she knows how to help you get results you want.

She offers a full online training program through her 10 week EPIC program, but also has a weekly workout calender she uploads every week. Now, while I like to change up my workouts and follow different people day to day, I am not kidding when I say you could just follow Caroline every single day and stil have amazing results and get a fully body experience. She uploads videos on everything from HIIT, tabata, cardio, to weight training of the legs, arms, and full body. And her workouts are intense. She knows what she is doing and she knows how to help you get results.

Her cardio classes are intense. I will tell you guys, I did a HALF HOUR of bupee variations this week (AND ENJOYED IT). She also has some high and low impact cardio interval workouts and some low and high impact weight training. She will give you the full experience and I have found that I do visit her workouts at least three or four times a week. She is exclusively the only person I use now for my weight training days as I feel like her workouts are the most effective.

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Les Mills Grit

Now, there are only a handful of Les Mills Grit workouts available for free on youtube, but of the couple you will find you will not be disappointed if an intense cardio workout is what you are looking for. For a quick half hour workout, I can nearly promise that you probably have never been so out of breath and tired in your life. There’s a ton of jumping, a ton of burpees, and the entire thing is go, go, go. But the trainers are the most motivating people I have ever witnessed in my life and they make you want to push harder, past your limits, and they call everyone in their class (at home or in person) an athlete, and that makes me feel so godo about myself!

Fair warning, I have never sweat so much in my life either, but the feeling of accomplishment you have after finishing one of these workouts is absolutely amazing and worth every second of hardcore work!

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Les Mills Body Combat

Another Les Mills type of class (more of these can be found on youtube). These are a little less intense than the GRIT classes, but this cardio kickboxing/mixed martial arts style of workout still leaves you out of breathe and dripping in sweat while feeling extremely powerful and accomplished.

I had dabbled in karate during my college years, but I gave it up because I found it a little dull. Now, cardio kickboxing is an entirely different game. I find this to be exciting, fun and really gets my heart pumping. I’m enjoying trying a different type of cardio and getting to work my body in a different way, plus Les Mills combines a ton of different types of fighting, choreographs it to certain music tracks, and makes it a super enjoyable experience. Again, the trainers are absolutely amazing and motivating and they make you feel like you are strong and powerful and give you a ton of encouragement and motivation along the way. These are definitely my favotire kickboxing type of workouts!

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The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade

I have talked twice before about Jamie and her workouts, but I am still regularly using her dance cardio workouts week to week consistently loving her videos. She regularly live streams live classes now and leaves them available for several weeks so you feel like you are taking class with her and her studio family even though you might be in an different state or different country. Plus she uploads theme videos (she has a half hour or so video up now to Christmas music which has been a regular for me, and it’s a good workout!). Overall, I think I will just keep raving about how great Jamie’s videos are and I highly encourage you to check her stuff out!

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What are some of the at home workouts you’ve been doing this year? Let me know if the comments below. I’m always looking to add something new!

Until next time,

Kat

Workouts I’m enjoying at home- an update

A while back I promised that I would update you guys on the workouts I am doing at home, and today I am going to follow through with that promise. I’ve found a great routine that works well for me and I want to share with you guys some of the videos I have been using to guide me through these workouts. With this I’ve updated some things I’ve already said about some workout channels, so keep in mind that opinions can change overtime. But since the cold weather is starting to sink in and a lot of gym are still closed or not as safe as some of us would like, the home workouts are becoming very important again.

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My routine

My routine isn’t always the exact same, but the general idea of it stays relatively similar.

Sunday- Either a long run or a cardio circuit

Monday- Dance cardio day

Tuesday- full body circuit

Wednesday- either a run or a resistance training day

Thursday- yoga

Friday- either a run (usually sprints or hill repeats) or resistance training

Saturday- Long run day or Pilates

I try to give myself options in case the weather changes on me or I’m not feeling like a run that day, but I do like to try to have a plan for my week at the beginning of the week so I know what I have ahead of me. I’ve found having a schedule helps me to avoid any added anxiety in my life.

Now, on to the sources I have been using lately.

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Cardio workouts

Some of my all time favorite cardio based workouts have come from “The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade” on youtube. These workouts are rigorous, difficult at times, but Jamie and her team are uplifting and out to make you feel empowered and strong, and that in itself is amazing.

At first, I thought these workouts were too hard. Her Ignition series, which is focused on making you feel like you are pushing yourself to new levels, can be A LOT. I mean, entire songs or high knees and burpees, but again, Jamie and her team are always there to make you feel like you can do it! And it always feels amazing when you are done!

She also has a series of dance cardio videos which are also amazing workouts that are extremely fun. I always comment that they end too soon (even if they are an hour long) because, even though I am alone and working out so hard, I always am having a blast.

I highly recommend checking her out, she is amazing and I am so glad I gave her a try again even after thinking she was “too tough”.

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Tuesday Circuit

Every Tuesday I hop over to Instagram and do one of @jackelynho’s sweat and shred videos (on her IGTV). These are full body circuits with 3 cardio moves, 2 leg moves, 2 arm moves, and 2 abdominal moves (and usually a little something extra at the end) for 45 seconds on, 15 off for 3 rounds. She includes warm up and cool down and it is an amazing workout from a certified fitness trainer!

She started doing these as livestreams at the start of quarantine for 10 weeks before stopping, but 8.5 of the 10 videos are still up on her IGTV for viewing. Trust me, I’ve been pestering her to get back at it, but she hasn’t made any plans to return to weekly workouts yet. For now, I still enjoy going back to one of these videos ever week!

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Resistance Training

I talked about some of the cardio dance workouts the youtuber MadFit had on her channel awhile back, but lately I have been getting into the resistance training weight workouts she has too. Anything from full body, arm and shoulder, abs, to legs, she has you covered. Her workouts all vary in type and length so you can really mix up what is there for what suits your daily needs and there are a ton of videos to choose. Maddie has a good focus on form and technique and I love that she usually sticks to 5 and 10 pound weights, because not only is that what I have at home, but it really seems like she is on a similar level to me, so I don’t feel like I need to compare myself at all to her or try weights that might hurt me just to keep up!

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Yoga

I don’t take any full break days, and I haven’t for some time, unless my body totally needs it, instead once a week I like to slow it down and focus on stretching and relaxing.

Usually I had back on over to jackelynho’s instagram page where she also livestreamed yoga once a week. Her yoga sessions are about 45 minutes long with a focus on deep stretching and hip flexors usually, but I also like to use yoga with Adrienne on youtube as well, especially if I am particular painful in a certain area and want to target that area.

Active recovery is very important and I highly encourage adding a yoga or stretch day into your routine!

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So that’s what I’m doing currently as my workout routine. So far it’s working great for me and I’m really enjoying it, but keep in mine, what I like you might not like and what works for me might not work for you.

Test some of these out for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below! Also let me know some of your favorite at home workouts!

Until next time,

Kat

I tried different at home dance cardio options so you don’t waste your time

Even though my gym is open again, I am far from ready to get back to the treadmill, especially because we have been seeing a rise in cases in my state and county. For that reason, I still have been making use of those at home fitness workouts, many of which I will be reviewing for you guys so that you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time muddling through a ton of bad workouts in order to find the best ones.

I’ve been trying to incorporate fun dance cardio workouts into my normal routine because the same series of doing burpees and high knees gets really boring on days I can’t get out to run. People swear by their dance cardio routines, saying they are a ton of fun and a great workout, so I tested out a few different options to let you guys know what works best. All of these workouts can be found on youtube and are easy to do at home without equipment.

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The Fitness Marshall

This is probably the most popular dance cardio on youtube, at least among the fitness pages I follow. Each video is a song long, usually from a popular song currently on the radio, and last about 3 to 5 minutes long. On the youtube channel, there are playlists available that offer multiple videos in a row so you can do a full workout. There are also a few full 30-minute workout videos on the channel.

Is this a good workout? I honestly don’t think so. I never really work up much of a sweat doing these videos and they don’t target any certain areas of the body. Are they fun? Definitely. The guy who runs this channel is so much fun to dance with and he is super body positive and encouraging! It’s 10/10 fun, but probably only about a 4/10 effective, at least at my fitness level.

How can you use these workouts? I think if you are a beginner at fitness, this is a great place to start. These videos are low intensity and fun and will get you moving! I think while it wasn’t effective for me, it would be effective for someone just starting their fitness journey.  For me, I like to use these videos as an active recovery in between resistance circuit training. It’s a great way to keep my body moving between circuits and a way to unwind and prepare for the next circuit.

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MadFit

The youtube channel MadFit is my favorite dance cardio page. She offers anywhere from one song of dance movement to 15-minute dance party workouts that are super fun to complete and actually feel like a decent workout. They often target certain areas of the body (she does a lot of arms and legs in her movements) while also incorporating fun dance moves. I work up a decent sweat doing these workouts though I don’t feel like I am fully out of breath and dying during the movements. She also uses current music and dance moves to make the workouts feel fresh and fun. She does not talk during the exercises, so you are really on your own when doing these, but it does allow you to just focus on the movement and the music, which I actually kind of enjoy. I give these workouts an 8/10 for effectiveness and a 10/10 for fun.

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The Studio by Jamie Kinkeade

Holy crap. That’s all I have to say about these workouts. They are intense and not for those who are new to working out in this way. These workouts say they are a dance cardio fun workout, but they are a lot of work! They target core areas and alternate movements like lunges and arms with cardio from song to song. It’s intense and keeps you moving anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. I don’t do a ton of these videos just because it feels like a lot of work and honestly, I didn’t find them that fun. When I’m looking for dance cardio often times I am looking for something that hits both the fun and the good workout category. I use these workouts when I am really looking to push myself and sweat. I give these workouts a 10/10 on workout and a 4/10 on fun.

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Eva Fitness

I don’t know how I got recommended this page, but these are supposed to be fat burning Aerobic Dance workouts lead by three women, who like Madfit, don’t talk during their routine, they just dance. Most of these workouts are about 30 minutes, though some are longer, and they are a slightly odd combination of movements that I wouldn’t actually consider dancing but I wouldn’t call body weights either. They have very repetitive arm movements and leg sways with a lot of ab crunching, so I can where the effectiveness of the workout comes in, but I would consider it something more like old school jazzercise than anything else. They don’t use current music, in fact, in most cases, the music doesn’t even have words, but it’s just a really heavy beat and bop type of music.

What did I think of it? I was very suspicious of this workout, I won’t lie. I didn’t know what to expect with it, but I went ahead and gave it a try anyway. For a thirty-minute workout it definitely went by fast and I wasn’t bored at any point. I had a hard time interpreting some of the moves, which made me struggle a little, but overall it wasn’t bad. I woke up sore the next morning, which felt a little odd for what the workout was, so I guess it did something, whether that was a good something or a bad something (soreness can also occur from muscles being worked out incorrectly). I think this again, could be very effective for someone who is new to working out or someone who needs a lot of low intensity. This did not include any jumping or movements that could be dangerous if you have bad knees are ankles.

Overall, I would give this a 7/10 for effectiveness and an 8/10 for fun. I don’t know if I’ll be jumping to try another one of these again soon, but we’ll see.

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Keep in mind, these are just my experiences and they will greatly differ from someone else’s. I encourage you to try these workouts for yourself and see if you enjoy them and if they are effective for you! We’re all different in our preferences, so don’t knock it till you rock it!

What is your favorite dance cardio workout? Let me know in the comments below! I’m looking to try even more out in the future! Also, let me know how you’re staying fit during these weird times.

Until next time,

Kat

Alternative workouts for quarantine

Well guys, this wasn’t the initial post I expected to write this week, but with how rapidly things are changing, this is information that I wanted to get out to you right away. Since now in most areas it seems that all nonessential businesses are closed, that means that gyms and health centers are also closed. It definitely makes it really hard to be motivated to work out and stay active. While getting outside is a great option for being active, at-home workouts are also a great alternative. So today, I wanted to share with you guys some of my current favorite sites and influencers who are helping out by posting at home, equipment-free workouts for you to do at home!

First and foremost though, I want to thank all those who work in places that are considered essential businesses. Thank you for showing up to work, doing your part to make sure everyone has access to food, health, and supplies, and taking a ton of crap from a lot of different people who are all panicking over COVID-19. Thank you! Please stay safe and healthy and make sure! And for everyone else, please remember that these people are putting their health at risk FOR YOU! So when you see them, ask them how they’re doing and thank them!

Now, onto the workouts.

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Blogilates

The youtube and Instagram channel, Blogilates, is pilates centered workout channel that offers hundreds of different videos with at-home workouts that you can follow. Almost all of them are bodyweight, so you can do them without any equipment, and they vary from full-body workouts to 10-minute ab videos. So whether you have all the time in the world, or just have 15 minutes you want to dedicate to working out, this is the place for you. Plus pilates is great strength training whether you are brand new to it or have been lifting weights for years! Check it out!

She also put together a 14-day quarantine workout plan that features a quick half-hour targeted workout (yesterday was arms) that is easy to do at home. She posted the plan on her Instagram and youtube and posts tutorials on the moves every day! It’s definitely a great way to feel like you’re not so lonely working out!

I also think she’s planning to do a Livestream on Instagram later this week for a “group, not group” workout!

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SissFit

Sissfit is not new to this blog and you guys know I love them! Their Instagram page is full of useful workouts that usually need to be done at the gym, but there are also a lot of bodyweight exercises you can do at home, or if you have dumbbells (I purchased a set right when all of this started) you can do any of their circuits at home too.

But the best news is that the girls launched an app recently (no, no one is paying me to tell you about this, I’m just really excited about sharing it). While usually, the app is kind of expensive, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the girls are offering a month for free! You can go over to their Instagram page @siss_fit to find a link to download the app. Not only are there a ton of strength training circuits, but the girls are also working every day to release outdoor cardio exercises for you (anywhere between 8 to 45 minutes long) so you can get outside and run! It’s definitely worth checking out, especially if you love running but find it boring sometimes. The app audio coaches you through each run which is a really great feature to check out!

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JewelNeverBroken

The non-profit organization Jewel Never Broken is offering online, Quarantine yoga twice a day that you can stream and follow along to. This is a great option because not only are you doing it in real-time with a teacher and other people, which makes you feel way less lonely, but yoga is really great for the mind and distressing.

Classes are held at 9AM PST and 5:30 PM PST daily.

E-mail jnbfreeclass@gmail to get signed up for the class and learn more!

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Other honorable mentions

The dancer, Briar Nole, has streamed some at-home workouts on her Instagram page @briarnolet. She’s a professional dancer, so I will warn you guys, her workouts can be intense.

Planet Fitness is offering free daily exercise classes on their app which also features hundreds of other exercises as well. I have personally not checked this out, but it does sound like there are many at-home options as well.

The app Charity Miles is doing a really fun #YouAreResilient Challenge which I will post here. You can win prizes too.

Any good workouts you guys are following while stuck at home? Let me know in the comments below, I want to check them all out!

In the meantime, stay safe, stay sane, and stay home. We’re all doing our part to try to get through this. If we work together, we can accomplish anything.

Until next time,

Kat