My Workout Routine & Favorite Fitness Resources

So it's been almost a year since I have strictly been working out at home due to the pandemic and I'm surprised to say that I really don't miss the gym. The thought of hopping on a treadmill or touching weights that someone literally just used, drenched in sweat does not appeal to me. Although Orange Theory, pilates, and hot yoga are some things I do miss.

Back in March 2020 it was a little more difficult to find workouts to do at home because I didn't have a ton of space in my apartment and I had zero equipment. I was used to splitting time between my apartment gym and taking local Orange Theory Classes with my friend from work so I never really thought about my workout routine because it was just part of my normal schedule. Once Orange Theory locations and my apartment gym closed down, I was determined to focus on other areas of fitness that I rarely practiced, such as barre with lighter weights, yoga, and long walks. My strict fitness routine quickly shifted focus to more mindful movement, which has actually changed the way I see working out and moving my body on a daily basis. I definitely had to come up with my resources such as finding podcasts to listen to while walking multiple loops around my apartment complex and taking my yoga mat up to the roof of my apartment just to I had enough room to do plank jacks.

Now I have more equipment than I did 6 months ago, but still really not much. I have 5 pairs of dumbbells, 15lbs and 10lbs from amazon and 5lbs, 3lbs, and 2lbs that I found at Target, a pair of 2lb Bala Bangles, 3 Booty Bands, and gliders that I found at Target for $5. It took me the start of quarantine until now to acquire all of that equipment because workout equipment can be very expensive! I recommend looking at Target and Walmart.

For my workout schedule now, I still follow the same influencers, use the same apps, and take the occasional group fitness class as long as I know they are practicing COVID-19 safety policies advised by the CDC. Here are the influencers I follow, apps I use, and what my current workout schedule looks like on a weekly basis.

INSTAGRAM WORKOUTS

BRANDS

You can find so many free workouts on Instagram these days, in fact I think it's completely changed the platform for me. Brands are doing live workouts with different influencers constantly, trainers are posting workouts in their feed, and fitness apps have stepped up their game by providing more at home friendly options. The virtual fitness world has become a complete game changer. Some of my favorite accounts that are constantly pushing out hard core fitness content are @carbon38 because of their HIIT and weight workouts, @imwellthy for their pilates, yoga, and barre workouts, and @vuoriclothing for their yoga flows, cardio sculpt classes, and total body workouts with different trainers each week.

INFLUENCERS AND TRAINERS

I follow a lot of fitness influencers and trainers on Instagram solely because of their uniquely programmed workouts. Here are some of my favorite influencers and go-to's for fitness content!

Top of the list is miss Aubre Winters who is the founder of Sweat Sessions and recently just launched her new website. This chicka's energy is so contagious and her workouts are incredibly unique, fun, and never the same. She's known for her killer playlists of continuous throwbacks, which I vibe with so hard, and her random spur-of-the-moment dance parties that have you jamming out alongside her. She teaches 3 main types of workouts: Sweaty Sculpt that is full body work and involves heavier weights, Barre workouts that uses lighter weights with lengthening movements, and her unique Dance Cardio workouts. She has a monthly membership available or you can purchase single classes through her website. She also occasionally does free classes with Free People Movement, which I recommend taking if you want to see if her workouts are for you!

Rachael DeVaux is another one of my favorite influencers to follow for all fitness and healthy lifestyle content. She does free live workouts consistently twice a week, if not more, focusing on a mix of circuit style weight training and cardio. On her blog she has a list of the 6 hardest live workouts she's taught during quarantine and I can vouch for them by saying they are intense workouts. She also has an e-book and an app called Good Sweat that you can purchase, which is a 6 week workout program designed for you to build on strength. As a former athlete, I vibe with her workouts because she always includes a proper warm up, focuses on muscle growth, incorporates athletic moves, and does a cool down to harp on proper recovery.

I love Lindsey Harrod for her intense circuit style workouts that focus on every single body part. She focuses on a different body part each day of the week, which is typically Upper Body Blast, Lean and Lifted Legs, Full Body Fire, Slow Sculpt, and HIIT Cardio & Core. When I do her workouts the weights I use range from 5lbs-15lbs and then I use booty bands and my gliders for her slow sculpt workouts. Lindsey's programming is the definition of consistent variety– you know exactly what you are going to get on a weekly basis so you can build muscle and get stronger, but each workout is a variety of different circuit style moves so you are never bored. You can sign up for her workouts on her website individually or purchase a class pack.

Lastly, I am a huge fan of all of the Tone It Up Trainers, but specifically I love Katrina Scott's live workouts because she's always doing something different. I look to her for cardio sculpt workouts using light to medium weights and for her de-stressing yoga flows. Being a business woman, mom, and lifestyle and fitness influencer, she prioritizes her workouts and makes you feel really good for doing the same. She is so relatable and constantly encourages you to love yourself and your fitness journey. I also love Tori Simeone's barre, pilates, and cardio sculpt workouts. Most of them are 30 minutes so I usually do them on lighter days if I'm not feeling like pushing myself too hard, but still want a burn. Her fitness content is #goals and she is always promoting different activewear brands, which I love to see!

NOTEWORTHY WORKOUT APPS

As I mentioned above, I love all of the Tone It Up trainers and I follow each of them for their own reasons because aside from the TIU brand, they also have their own unique brand. The TIU App is a loaded library of so many different style workouts all taught by the trainers you know and love. It has everything from weight training to pilates, booty band workouts to barre, HIIT to dance cardio, and even yoga and stretching routines. Their videos range from 5-45 minutes each and they even have Daily Moves you can complete in addition to any of the videos. Sometimes I will do a quick 10 minute ab sequence, 20 minute dance cardio, and then a 15 minute yoga video and I am done for the day. The app doesn't just have workouts on it; you also get access to their nutrition plans and their workout programs that range from 4-8 weeks. Once you commit to a workout program they also recommend an optional nutrition plan, so you will be feeling your best in no time. Their app is also one of the cheaper ones out there, especially considering how much you get in the package. I pay for the yearly membership, which is $59.99/year, which is only $5/month. You could also opt for the month to month membership, which charges you $14.99/month. The year membership is definitely worth it!

I have been following Madeline Moves for many years now and she is widely known for her transformative strength training workouts on her Moves App. The breakdown of her weekly workouts are focused on lower body, upper body, back and butt, chest and glutes, full body, and a conditioning cardio style workout. She also offers personal macro consultations if you are into that, but they are designed to make sure you are properly fueling your body to support her muscle building workouts. Her Tighter Together challenge is very popular, which is a 4 week program where you are given a mini macro consult designed for fat loss and then she gives you a new workout each day on the app. I have done 3 Tighter Together challenges with her and all of them have given me the most amazing results and my body has changed the most when I properly fuel my body and do weight training. Her community is insane and very supportive! The pricing of her app offers a monthly rate of $20/month or a yearly rate of $16.99/month in the form of a $200 one time payment.

The Peleton app has really stepped up their game lately! I used to only think that their app was useful for cycling classes if you had a Peleton, which I don't, but recently I have been using it weekly for their outdoor running workouts, walks, yoga, quick ab burners, and the newest edition of their pilates classes. When I do their running workouts consistently even 2-3x a week, I notice a significant difference in my cardiovascular health. They are challenging, have good music, the instructors are encouraging, and I can get a solid workout done in 30 minutes or less! Their digital app subscription costs $12.99/month and offers a lot more than cycling.

MY CURRENT WORKOUT ROUTINE

HOW OFTEN I WORKOUT:

I try to move my body with some type of physical activity every single day, whether that's a long walk, yoga, or a HIIT workout. Since I have been active all of my life from being an athlete, I do crave movement, challenge, and physical activity, but I don't hold myself to a standard schedule or minimum number of days I need to workout. I try to tune into what type of workout my body is up for and what I feel like doing that day. I also value recovery so if I feel that my body could use rest or a lighter type of movement, I prioritize that.

MY WORKOUT SCHEDULE:

My workout schedule depends on my work schedule. Recently I have been enjoying longer walks in the morning before coffee and my first meeting, usually ranging from 30-50 minutes. If I am feeling a more intense form of cardio, I will do a run workout on the Peleton app. I am in meetings all day, so if I do a class or a more intense workout, it's usually in the afternoon when I am done working for the day, which ranges from everything I listed above.

I do like to strength train 2-3 days a week focusing on lower body, upper body, and back or full body in order to maintain muscle. In no way am I a body builder or lifting to hit PR's, but I do think lifting weights has so many benefits such as improved posture, better sleep, gaining bone density, boosting metabolism, lowering inflammation and decreasing risk of chronic disease and pain. Other than that, I love cycle classes, runs, barre, pilates and HIIT workouts that use lighter weights, booty bands, and resistance.

MY FAVORITE WORKOUTS

I thrive off of a variety of workouts, changing it up, and working different muscle groups in each workout. I like circuit style, using a range of weights, mixing in cardio, and good challenges. My favorites are live barre sculpt workouts with Tori, a sweaty sculpt workout with Aubre and FPM, a pilates workout on Carbon38, a booty band workout on the TIU app, or one of Rachael's intense live workouts.

WORKOUT CLASSES

In terms of going to workout classes, the only 2 studios I have been going to are Hot Yoga Plus for an occasional hot yoga class and CycleBar. I don't have memberships for either place, but instead I take advantage of their promotions and seasonal discounted class packs. I try to do a Cycle or Hot Yoga class once a week to switch it up and do something different.