By Elizabeth Dubos
Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional, licensed fitness instructor, or licensed nutritionist.
Before COVID-19, I was going to Planet Fitness five days a week, for two hours a day. I did a mixture of cardio and weights. I wanted to lose weight to improve my health, have my clothes fit better, and improve my self-esteem. Then, quarantine hit, the gyms closed, and my fitness goals were halted. When the gyms partially reopened, the atmosphere was completely different. People were not social distancing nor wearing masks, therefore I could no longer go because it wasn’t safe. I gave up on working out because I lost my motivation. Home workouts are hard because it’s more than watching a video. You sweat easily because it’s not air conditioned like a gym, you don’t have the proper equipment, and you can get sidetracked with other things like laundry. Fast forward a few months, I gained weight, felt sluggish, and I didn’t like the way I looked. This was crushing because I lost 40 pounds and gained 15 pounds back. I was so close to achieving my 50-pound weight loss goal.
I helped myself get back on track by having a food journal to monitor my food and water intake. I also dedicated time to researching and watching fitness YouTubers. I watched numerous channels to find which ones I liked the best. I looked for weight loss and low impact workouts. Plus, I wanted to have fun to encourage myself. Here is a list of my favorite fitness YouTubers that have helped me on my journey.
The Fitness Marshall. Caleb Marshall creates original dance workouts with popular songs like “I Love Me” by Demi Lovato, “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo, and “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max. Each of the fitness videos are labeled as warmups, main workouts, and cool down videos. You can choose your favorite songs to create a playlist of your favorite dance workouts. The videos feature three people to demonstrate beginner, intermediate, and expert levels; So, anyone can follow them. The Fitness Marshall is a great fitness channel if you’re looking for a different kind of workout. I have a dedicated Fitness Marshall workout playlist with over 30 of Caleb’s videos.
Blogilates. Cassey Ho is a certified Pilates and Fitness Instructor. One of my favorite things about Blogilates is the monthly workout challenges. If you’re subscribed to the Blogilates newsletter, then each month you’ll receive a calendar that features different workout videos. This was super helpful because it’s organized and time efficient. Each of the days are playlists on the Blogilates YouTube channel. Additionally, Cassey features nutrition recipe videos with breakfast, dinner, dessert, and snack options.
Chloe Ting. Chloe offers numerous free workout programs for beginners, intermediate, and novice participates. Initially, I didn’t watch Chloe’s videos because I thought they were click bait. Her titles seem misleading, however, the YouTube algorithm is tricky, so unless she features certain keywords, her videos will not be recommended. Afterwards, I started watching her videos and thought they were a lot of fun. Chloe makes it very clear that you need to stick to a program and have good nutrition to see effective results. I enjoy watching Chloe’s videos because once you’re done with a certain exercise move, she immediately moves on. Thus, her videos feature 10+ different exercises in each video.
Natacha Océane. Natacha’s fitness channel features workouts, nutrition guides, and the science behind her videos. For example, “Bloating, digestion, anxiety + fat loss: THE SCIENCE OF YOUR GUT.” I enjoy watching Natacha’s variety of content because it’s not the mundane, “you have to work out to be healthy.” She explains while working out is important, nutrition is a key player as well. Her nutrition and science videos explained why I needed to stay away from certain foods even if they were considered healthy.
Yoga with Adriene. Adriene’s channel is dedicated to creating high quality, free yoga videos for all levels and body types. There are yoga videos for beginners, stress relief, weight loss, and more! I love watching Adriene’s videos after a hard workout because it helps my muscles decompress. Plus, I’ll watch her videos if my day is more stressful than usual to help relax my mind, which in turn produces better sleep.
My health journey is far from over. I put away the scale to avoid the temptation. I don’t know if I’m losing weight, but I feel less sluggish, so it’s a start. Everyone has different fitness goals, so it’s important never to judge anyone because you don’t know what they’re going through. Stay strong, I believe in you.
Edited by: Emily Stewart