Are you finding it tough to stick to a workout routine these days? Don’t worry, you are not alone. As we approach a year since we first entered lockdown, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise and reach our fitness goals. Gyms have remained closed, many of us have no access to equipment, and like me, you have probably walked every possible route within your 5-kilometre radius at this stage! Our current exercises seem repetitive and boring, leaving us uninspired. Thankfully, social media has made it easier than ever before to access home workouts and fitness information, and in this blog, I will share some accounts, both on YouTube and Instagram that you should follow to change up your fitness routine, adding variety and hopefully enjoyment to your day!
MadFit
Maddie Lymburner is a Canadian youtuber who’s channel (MadFit) grew exponentially throughout the pandemic, she currently has over 5.52 million subscribers and has been named as the “Top Canadian Creator” for 2020 by YouTube. Her channel boasts content that appeals to a wide audience, including no equipment workouts, low impact workouts, yoga, and ab workouts. Some of her most viewed videos include dance workouts to popular songs, which I found thoroughly enjoyable, I didn’t even feel like I was exercising!
Natacha Océane
Natacha is a fitness influencer based in London, she has 1 million Instagram followers and 1.28 million subscribers on YouTube. She graduated from UCL with a degree in biophysics and uses this knowledge to explain the science behind health and nutrition to her viewers, which I found extremely interesting as often there can be lots of misinformation online when it comes to topics concerning fitness. Her content is varied with videos ranging from HIIT workouts to “What I Eat in a Day”.
Yoga with Adriene
If you are looking for something of a lower intensity, Yoga with Adriene is a great place to start. Her channel offers yoga flows for almost every possible situation including, yoga for stress, yoga for uncertainty and yoga for upper body strength. Her videos range in length from under to ten minutes to an hour, depending on much time you want to dedicate. She also creates a new playlist each month, which is ideal if you prefer a more structured approach and eliminates the need to pick a new video every time you want to do some yoga. Yoga is also a great way to unwind and focus on your mental health, which is especially important during lockdown.
Rozanna Purcell
Rozanna Purcell is extremely active on Instagram (@rozannapurcell) and she has been a great source of positivity throughout the various lockdowns. She often does Instagram live workouts which are great if you like the structure of a real time workout, however these are also saved on her Instagram page for anyone that is unable to watch them live. She showcases multiple recipes on her food account (@naturalbornfeeder), which is great for getting new ideas for what to cook and bake during lockdown when everything can seem very repetitive. Roz has a keen interest in the outdoors, and both her main account and @thehikelife highlight some of the best locations around Ireland for hiking, which serves as excellent inspiration for when we are free to explore around Ireland again!
(https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpcDYaJh4B/?igshid=15o1lswi6f01z)
These are merely a sample of the various fitness accounts that currently exist online, and there are plenty more to be discovered! The beauty of online workouts and fitness content is that you can find a style of workout that you enjoy without the financial commitment of paying for classes or a gym membership for example, as well as being able to take the exercises at your own pace.
What are your favourite fitness accounts? Make sure to leave your recommendations in the comments below.
If you would like to read some more fitness content make sure to check out the blogs written by my team members David, Daniel, and Ronan, which will be linked below, and give us a like on Facebook to stay up to date with our content!