Growing up, I was never athletic.
For short while I wanted to be a WNBA player, but my career ended quickly once I realized that I am not as aggressive as basketball requires. In middle and high school, I dreaded gym class.
Outside of gym class, working out was always hit-or-miss. It took a lot of experimenting with various programs and styles to find what I like and what keeps me motivated. Today I'm sharing five of my favorite workout YouTube channels. These channels keep me inspired and challenged!
Blogilates
Funny story -- I don't remember the first time I did a Blogilates video, but I remembered saying to myself, "This lady is wayyyy too perky for this." Fast-forward some time later, I rediscovered Cassey's channel and loved her cheeriness and her combination of HIIT and pilates. Now, Blogilates it my Number 1 Go-To for workouts.
Cassey makes it so easy! Every month she releases a calendar with the videos for the day. She occasionally hosts challenges and workout series as well. This month she's hosting a "21 Days to Toned" challenge. Cassey also has a paid program called PIIT28. I did levels 1 and 2 this summer and almost completed level 3 before NaNoWriMo took over my life. It's a challenging program, but it was exactly what I needed.
What I love most about Cassey is her workout philosophy. She encourages you to not work out for vanity's sake but to become the stronger and better version of you by doing workouts that make you enjoy. The majority of her workouts are also equipment-free!
It was super hard to pick just one of my favorite routines but I loved her TikTok songs series!
Yoga with Adriene
(Disclaimer: whether you believe Christians should do yoga is a personal choice. I am picky about my yoga practice. I try my best to avoid videos that focus heavily on the spirituality of yoga, such as chakras, etc.)
I've been following Yoga with Adriene for a long time. Her gentle and goofy tone of voice and "find what feels good" philosophy makes her one of my favorite yoga instructors.
This routine is 6 years old but it's one of my favorites!
Kyra Pro
I have to confess I've only done one of Kyra's videos, but it was so good I have to recommend her. I got my sweat on to her Hamilton cardio routine, and boy, was it fun! Dancing to your favorite songs makes working out so much easier. It almost makes me forget I'm doing cardio. Almost.
Kyra's channel is full of dance workouts backed by popular tracks, including Disney, High School Musical, Christmas, and your favorite pop artists.
POPSUGAR Fitness
POPSUGAR Fitness has everything you could ever want in a fitness channel. They have all types of workouts, from HIIT to kickboxing, from yoga to pilates. I go to this channel when I want to switch up my routine and find something new.
I recently did this video and it made my triceps so sore!
Sarah Beth Yoga
I enjoy Sarah Beth Yoga's practice because they are often quick and tightly focused. There's no extra chit-chat -- just straight to the workout. I also like how she encourages you to count breaths over reps.
This arm workout is one of my to-gos of hers!
What's your favorite workout style?