I haven’t been training for any races in particular of late. After getting through Cappadocia last fall and then all the moving and traveling of December-February, I’m trying to just enjoy running as an opportunity to de-stress and think again. At the same time, I’ve been diving into other forms of fitness. It’s fun to shake up my routine, and I can see the gains when I do go running! Focusing on building up muscle and working out different parts of my body will help protect me when I do get going on longer distances again.
In this hunt for new stuff I’ve come across a few workouts that I am IN LOVE with, and I thought I would share them with you lovely people! These range in difficulty and in amount of time required, but can all be done in less than an hour. They require no equipment (I don’t even have a yoga mat right now, I just do my yoga on the rug in my room!) and I love these resources because they do a great job explaining how to follow along.
First is my yoga source, Sarah Beth Yoga on YouTube. This is a channel I started using probably about a year ago. I began with the Warrior Strength Level 1 video, and now I regularly cycle through the Warrior Strength Level 2, Cardi-yoga, and Beach Bod videos. This screen shot of my recommended videos on YouTube totally gives away my obsession (and also how much I loved the credit song from the new Beauty and the Beast movie).
While we’re enjoying the riches of YouTube, here is the next YouTube workout I’ve had on repeat: this high-intensity treat (?) from trainer Jeanette Jenkins. That question mark is there because this will definitely leave you feeling like you worked hard, but is a struggle to get through unless you are already super-fit. I like it because the trainer is upbeat without being annoying. And did I mention it’s a killer workout?
When I’m in a rush, or want to jam a lot of work into a little bit of time, I’ve been turning to these circuit workouts from livestrong.com. I especially love the booty-kicking circuit and the sumo-jack circuit… can you tell that I’m avoiding the lunges? Writing this post is inspiring me to try out the other two as well. If you give them a shot let me know what you think!
I hope these are helpful if you’ve been looking for challenging, equipment free workouts. If you have any good workouts, I would love to hear about them! It’s easy for me to get bored doing the same thing week after week, and I want to keep my body guessing to, so I’m always open to new resources.
What’s your favorite way to stay fit? What are your workout recommendations?