During the first quarantine, like many others, I picked up some new hobbies and habits. As someone who lives alone, it’s important to keep busy and fill my schedule with engaging and productive activities to keep myself happy. I was finally given the clear by my eating disorder treatment team to exercise again, so I was eager to try out some new workouts. I hate working out, and I’m not very good at it, but I like keeping active and feeling strong as someone with a ballet background. I love yoga and am a huge fan of Yoga With Adriene, but I also wanted to add something fast-paced. However, with many fitness enthusiasts focusing mainly on weight loss and appearance, I had a difficult time finding people who encouraged exercise as a way to clear your mind and have fun, which is what I was focused on.
With the current pandemic, YouTube workouts are likely a safer option than the gym and also an opportunity to de-stress from the comfort of your own home. This article will share my favourite fitness YouTube channels that offer fun and effective workouts to try during the quarantine.
- Blogilates
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Blogilates, ran by fitness instructor Cassey Ho, is a program mainly focused around pilates and strength workouts. However, Blogilates also fosters a lively community centered around self-love and feeling strong. Cassey is the most enthusiastic fitness instructor I’ve ever watched, and her energy and positivity are contagious. Her anecdotes she tells throughout each video always makes me smile even if every muscle in my body is in agony. I like this series, where she gives pieces of life advice while leading a quick workout, and her stretching exercises.
- Chloe Ting
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Although her videos often make annoyingly bold claims like “Get abs in two weeks!”, I enjoy Chloe Ting’s workouts. Most of them are short yet intense, and I always feel strong as hell afterwards. They’re a great option if you don’t have a lot of time, but still want to squeeze a workout into your schedule. Chloe is also very genuine and sweet, and films fun vlogs as well as workouts. I love this ab workout and this apartment-friendly HIIT.
- emkfit
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Do the thought of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts make you want to cry? I felt the same way, thinking HIIT workouts were all difficult and anger-inducing until I found emkfit. Emily, the creator of emkfit, films HIIT workouts, but with a twist. Instead of burpees and crunches, Emily’s HIIT workouts come as dance moves to popular music. She encourages having fun and not worrying about getting all the moves right, which is a great de-stressor as I often feel silly dancing poorly in front of my TV. My favourites are her Taylor Swift HIIT Workout and Latin HIIT Workout.
- MadFit
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While this channel includes loads of strength and HIIT workouts that I love, my favourite videos on MadFit are the dance workouts. Maddie Lymburner, creator of MadFit, films fun, easy-to-follow dance workouts to popular songs. She also does “dance party” workouts, where she compiles multiple songs into one longer video. I have a dance background, so I love getting back into dancing whenever I can, even if it’s just a 15-minute dance party with MadFit. My favourites are the 2000’s Dance Party Workout and the One Direction Dance Party Workout.
- Popsugar Fitness
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Popsugar Fitness has a wide variety of fitness videos, from Zumba to strength training, to dancing. They often feature popular fitness trainers and creators of niche workout programs. As I mentioned, I love workouts that incorporate dance, but thanks to Popsugar, I’ve gotten into cardio kickboxing. It’s a great stress reliever, and it makes me feel stronger and more energetic. They even have a few videos that incorporate dance and kickboxing together. I love Popsugar because of its wide variety of fitness categories and trainers and because they always offer low-impact modifications in their videos. As somebody who lives in an apartment with downstairs neighbours, as well as someone with incredibly weak ankles and knees, I always appreciate having this option. I enjoy the Rumble cardio boxing, the all-levels cardio dance, and this cardio dance workout.