In the midst of juggling life in the new normal with WFH routines and the kids’ HBL during the circuit breaker, most of us have put our plans to keep up with a regular exercise routine on hold.
That is, until things started to regulate just a little and we realised that the change in our new lifestyles has left us feeling sluggish and a couple of kilos heavier.
My fitness routine pre-circuit breaker was pretty inconsistent to start off with. On days that I’m feeling slightly energetic after the kids have gone to bed, I’d complete a few rounds of exercise routines using various fitness apps on my phone.
And then, the stay home advisory happened, our daily routine did a 180° turn. In the midst of it all, I found the motivation to start exercising again. It was also around this time that home fitness exercises gained their appeal and popularity as families all over the world stayed home to keep themselves safe.
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The Start of a Healthier Routine with Home Workout Videos
Starting with a simple search for “lower abs exercises”, suddenly I found tons of Chloe Ting workout videos staring back at me from my screen. Curiosity led to a click and more of her videos, as well as sites and social accounts that claimed how effective or ineffective these videos were.
Still, after watching a couple of Chloe Ting workout videos and learning more about her challenges, I was intrigued to try them out. Along the way, I discovered several other fitness influencers whose exercise routines were designed in a similar way and gave these a try too.
So here, I share my reviews of my top three go-to fitness influencers whose routines gave me the flexibility to choose a video to workout with every day or follow their fitness challenge programmes which last from 2 weeks to 30 days.
Home Workout Videos: Chloe Ting
The 34-year-old Bruneian who is based in Melbourne has earned the recognition as the most popular fitness influencer this year. With a YouTube subscriber base of 13.1 million (as of today), she’s known for her “Get Abs in 2 Weeks” video which has caused quite a stir within the fitness community.
What I tried:
It had been a while since I last exercised regularly, and so, I picked the easiest challenge among all – the 2 Weeks Shred Challenge.
This is a great video that makes you feel good about working out. Not only is the music catchy and upbeat, but Chloe was also very encouraging and cheerful throughout the whole exercise routine – yes, even during the challenging ones.
The exercise moves in this video were mostly familiar to me, with all the basic functional movements such as lunges, squats, planks and push-ups with a 20- to 30-second rest in between. There was also a good variety of down-facing and up-facing movements, as well as standing exercises.
However, I found that she could have demonstrated how to maintain the right posture for certain movements better, as I only realised much later that I was doing some moves incorrectly and working the wrong muscle group.
Any Results?
As this was the first home workout video that I tried out after being inactive for quite a while, I lost a bit of weight initially and my core started to look more toned and defined. However, I found that the exercises somehow got “too easy” and comfortable after doing it more than 2 weeks and I craved for something more challenging.
With this, I’ve concluded that perhaps Chloe Ting’s workout videos and challenges are perfect for those who are looking to get active after not exercising regularly for a while. But her workouts might not be sufficient for seasoned fitness buffs who are looking to work on their strength.
Home Workout Videos: Joanna Soh
With over 1.6 million subscribers on YouTube, Joanna has over 10 years of fitness experience under her belt. Not only is the 30-year-old Asia’s leading wellness and fitness influencer, but she’s also a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach and women’s fitness specialist.
What I tried:
After going through Chloe Ting’s videos and challenges, I was looking for something a little tougher that would help me work up a sweat. And so I settled for Joanna’s 30-Day Core and Cardio Challenge to Burn Belly Fat to target my problem areas.
While her 30-minute workout video doesn’t come with any fancy catchy tunes, what I truly appreciated was how she took time to demonstrate the correct position and technique for the various moves. Working out to her video was almost as good as working out with a personal trainer, as she remained encouraging throughout – even at the last few minutes of the video when energy levels are bound to dip.
The workouts in this video are grouped in 4 circuits, with each circuit consisting of 3 exercises – a core movement, a plank exercise and a cardio move which can be anything from squats to jumping jacks. It may not seem like a lot, but trust me, they’re more than enough to keep your heart rate up.
Any Results?
After staying stagnant prior to starting Joanna’s workouts, I was pleasantly surprised to note some changes on my body and weight. While the workouts left me feeling sore during the first few days, my body slowly got used to this and I can feel myself getting stronger over time.
I stuck to a low-carb/Keto diet this time round and this helped to shape my core a little bit more – although I’ve still a long way to go to achieve my pre-kids weight/body.
Home Workout Videos: Madfit
A competitive dancer turned fitness influencer, 24-year-old Maddie Lynburner has a workout routine for almost every fitness goal that targets different parts of the body. With a background in dance, some of her workout routines are designed to get you to do just that while fitting in a workout.
What I tried:
I wanted to see how her abs and full-body workouts differ from the rest, and so I picked a few 10-minute workout videos to try out quickly. Like Joanna Soh, she shares tips and advice on keeping the right posture and walks you through the first rep to ensure that you know how to tackle the movement.
Some of her exercises combine multiple movements, which can be challenging for someone with coordination issues like me. To add on the challenge, she brings in the use of weights and resistance bands for some movements – but it’s perfectly fine if you choose to do without those.
Any results?
Although I followed some of her shorter exercises, they left me feeling sore the next day. I have not stuck to any of her routines for a few continuous weeks thus far, but during the weeks that I followed her workouts, I definitely felt stronger and more toned.
Read also: 7 Easy Exercises That Busy Mums Can Do At Home
Let’s Get Up and Moving!
t’s been a few months since I started working out to the home workout videos of these fitness influencers. While each of them has their own strengths and areas that they fall back on, I’d say that the exercises and challenges are a great way to motivate busy mums like us to get moving.
And have I mentioned that for some reason, they are a great stress buster too?
