My Favorite Workout Channels Currently
I am on day 45 of my version of the 75 Hard Challenge, and I have surprised myself with how consistent I’ve been with this whole thing. For those of you that haven’t heard of the 75 Hard Challenge, it was created by Andy Frisella in 2019 and includes the following five rules that must be completed for 75 days straight:
- Follow a diet that aligns with your goals with no cheat meals or alcohol
- Drink 1 gallon of water per day
- Read 10 pages of nonfiction that focuses on personal growth and development
- Complete two 45-minute workouts per day, one of which has to be outside
- Take a progress picture every day
The challenge was actually not created to be a fitness or diet program although working out and dieting are a big part of the experience. Instead, this is what Andy Frisella had to say about the reason he started this challenge:
“I don’t care how good looking you are, how much your mom loves you, or how good your GPA is; at some point, life will kick your a–, and put you in a choke hold. Only mental toughness will save you.”
“That’s why I created 75 HARD, a free program that will build mental strength and discipline within you.”
So this challenge, popularized on social media, is intended to be a mental toughness challenge. And that IT IS!
Before starting the challenge myself, I sat down and considered the rules of the challenge and whether or not I wanted to make any adjustments. The friend I started the challenge with planned to make some changes for herself, so I felt the freedom to do the same. Honestly, I tend to be a black and white, follow the rules kind of gal, so it’s surprising that I allowed myself to do anything BUT the exact rules of the original 75 Hard Challenge. But I decided that I’d feel alright making a few changes as long as most of the original challenge tasks were still there. Otherwise, I knew I’d feel like a fraud and a fake!
Here were my personal 75 Hard Challenge rules:
- Follow an intermittent fasting (IF) lifestyle with a focus on a whole food/plant-based diet
- Drink 120oz of water per day (It's just easier for me to track three 40oz Stanley cups)
- Complete two 45 minute workouts with one of them being outside (weather permitting)
- Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book per day
- Read daily Bible reading plan chapters
- Journal daily
- Take progress pictures, body measurements, and video 1x weekly
So for the past (almost) 45 days, I have been completing these tasks consistently, and I have been LOVING the entire thing. Is it tough to keep showing up everyday to workout, read, hydrate, and journal? In ways, YES! It takes quite a lot of intentionality, planning, and time management especially as I also have to manage my home, kids, homeschooling, appointments, events, etc. But the benefits and results are so worth it in my opinion!
As you could imagine, having to workout twice a day for over a month now has helped me to learn what workouts I like and don’t like and what my favorite workout channels are. I’m all about keeping things simple and FREE, so I pretty much use YouTube for my 45 minute workouts that don’t have to be outside. I have three main channels that I love and alternate through, so the rest of this post will be about sharing those and what I specific like about each one.
Workout Channels I'm Loving
Grow With Jo
I’ve been doing Grow with Jo workouts since before I started the 75 Hard Challenge, and I have been incorporating them into my weekly workouts over the past 45 days. There are so many workouts to choose from at various difficulty levels, but regardless of the workout I choose, I always finish with such a positive mood. Jo looks so happy during her workouts, and I can’t help but smile as I follow along. I love that many of her workouts help to strengthen the core even during standing workouts and that they are generally easy to follow. I get in a good sweat, but I don’t feel totally worn out by the end. My body just feels energized and happy!
Other things I appreciate about following Grow with Jo is that she is a mom to two young kids and has stretch marks like me. It’s encouraging to see strong moms love their bodies and look beautiful and fit. She is also a person of color and a believer which is just a nice bonus.
If you want to check out her channel and don’t know where to start, here are some of my favorite workouts from her currently:
Sydney Cummings Houdyshell
I hadn’t heard of Sydney Cummings Houdyshell until I started my challenge and shared a reel on social media. One of my friends commented on my post and recommended her workouts. I told her that I’d look up the channel and try one of the videos. To be honest, as soon as I looked her up, I felt SO intimidated! I hadn’t been doing a lot of strength training prior to my challenge, and I knew that I’d probably get my butt kicked so bad if I attempted 45 minutes of strength training. But because a friend recommended her workouts, and I was determined to start incorporating more strength training into my weekly lineup, I gave it a shot. And I’m SO glad I did! I LOVE these workouts and feel so strong when I complete them!
One of the things that I enjoy about Sydney’s workouts are that they are paced and timed for me. Because I’m not super experienced in strength training, I can tend to waste a lot of time at home or at a gym just trying to decide what exercises to do and for how long. Do I count reps? Or do I do as many reps as possible for a certain amount of time? Pressing play on one of these videos eliminates the decisions I have to make and simply just allows me to follow Sydney’s cues. I feel so much more productive than if I were to try to do something similar on my own, and I feel like I’m also pushed to do more in a healthy way.
Another thing I appreciate is that I can work alongside the video at my own strength level. I don’t have to lift heavier than I am able to, and I can focus on form as I’m learning. I feel like I’m constantly growing in my ability to lift correctly, and the results are slowly but surely revealing themselves. I can physically see my body changing and looking stronger, and I couldn’t be happier!
If you want to try to incorporate more strength training into your routine, don’t feel intimidated like I did. GO FOR IT! Here are some of my favorite workouts from her currently, but I truly have loved them all!
Move with Nicole
Before starting my challenge, I was beginning to explore Pilates during my occasional workouts. I was left with diastasis recti following my last two pregnancies, and I knew that Pilates could be a good way to continue healing my core after some work I had already put in to reconnect my abs. In my search for free beginning Pilates workouts on YouTube, I came across Move with Nicole, and I have not looked back.
First of all, Nicole is beautiful, feminine, and incredibly strong. When I see her physique, I see a level of fitness I’d like to work towards. As a person with a background in studying dance, I am drawn to that strong, dancer frame for myself that I see in Nicole. Secondly, her voice is really pleasant and soothing to listen to. Pilates is not necessarily easy. But it should be relaxing and focused on the breath. I think Nicole does a wonderful job providing challenging workouts that feel like a treat instead of like torture because of her calming presence. Well, maybe sometimes they feel a little like torture…but in the best of ways! Lastly, I just feel good after finishing one of her Pilates workouts. If I feel tension in my body, I choose to do Pilates instead of a different type of workout. By the end, even though I worked hard and challenged my body, my aches and pains are gone. I feel stronger, more relaxed, and stretched out. It really is an amazing form of exercise!
Move with Nicole also has a lot of yoga and some barre workouts on her channel if that’s your thing. If you need a place to start, here are a few of my current favorites:
I hope this post gave you some ideas to kick-start your fitness journey or to add something new into your current routine. I’d love to know if you check out any of these channels and what you think!
Help introduce me and your fellow readers to new channels to check out! What are your favorite workout channels currently? Why do you like them? Please share below…
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