With the new year comes lots of new beginnings. Many choose to start their health anew. Hundreds at the gym, salad options becoming scarce, and workout clothes sold out at Old Navy. However, this often dies off by Valentine’s day. Many can’t find the motivation or time to keep up with gym classes and workouts. It becomes a struggle to do those push-ups and get up early to use the gym equipment before it becomes crowded. No matter how much fitspo we look at, it’s just not enough. There’s only so much Jillian Michaels one can take. However, I have discovered, with my love for superheroes, sometimes just average people and average workouts aren’t enough to motivate me. And that’s how Darebee has changed my fitness life.
The Darebee Resource is “an independent fitness resource run and maintained by a small group of volunteers and fitness professionals”, according to their website. It is completely free and offers hundreds of resources. They even offer an android app you can download.
So, this website is absolutely amazing as a free resource. There’s no true replacement for a personal trainer or gym class, but as a college girl on a budget (and gym classes costing so much, both financially and time wise), Darebee is a godsend. Darebee has an entire index on how to start with the program. They give an introduction, explain their general layout, have a fitness test to see what level you are at, offer advice on stretching and warming up, and have a wide range of programs you can select from. Darebee offers these programs, 30-day challenges, and individual workouts. They have detailed meal-plans, articles on challenges you may face during or after a workout as well as general fitness advice, and recipes to go along with the meal plans and advice.
The most notable thing Darebee has to offer is the workout plans. They are all open to modification for fitness level and available equipment. The two coolest ones, to me, are the Hero’s Journey and Age of Pandora. The Hero’s Journey focuses on general fitness for 60 days and is based on RPG games. You go from basic exercises, as the new hero would, to facing your biggest enemy. Along the way you choose different paths, all with unique exercise options. Age of Pandora follows a similar pattern, but is based in a post-apocalyptic world. What is really cool is that the choices you make become harder and harder and it takes a lot of yourself to continue on, but the fun aspect and the desire to save Pandora keep you moving forward. Both allow you to exercise at home, in a controlled way, and have fun while you are doing it.
My favorite thing Darebee has to offer are the individual workouts. They are based off video game, movie, and comic book characters. They have Wonder Woman, Black Widow, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to name a few. These really motivate me as I feel like I am training to be like an Avenger and take on the world. Whenever I want to quit, I think of how strong Diana is, and force myself onward. Who doesn’t want Amazonian strength? The library changes occasionally, but you can find older workouts on Pinterest if you search Darebee.
Whether you are looking for some cool new workouts, fun challenges, or programs that push you to your limit, Darebee is a great free resource to meet your fitness goals. So, put your cape on, fire up those blasters, and go save the world. Or at least be ready for when the day comes.