I hope you find my earlier blog post on the 7 hacks to get you moving useful!
In this post, I will be sharing all the resources in the last 2 years and hope that you can find something from here that might work for you.
These are just things that work well for me at some point in time and not all the time throughout the 2 years. There were some hits and misses, or activities that didn't really motivate me much at first but really work well for me now and vice versa. Rule of the thumb is - listen to your body.
Switch off that nagging and judging dialogue in our brain and really, listen to your body. Yes, our brain and body are separate entities. Over the years, I have come to realise the voice in my head does not know any better. It's like a very nosy colleague who wants to poke its business into everything you are doing and constantly giving you unsolicited advice. The funny thing is, we often don't recognise that what our mind tells us does not reflect reality. It's job is simply to keep me safe and more often than not, it might not be doing these in the best interest of my body or what I really like. And we are not obliged to follow everything it says.
We have a choice.
So, don't be fooled!
Go go go!
What Works For Me
1. Down Dog Yoga App
I signed up for the paid version of this Yoga app last year and never looked back.
You can adjust the level that suits you and the moves are often varied using their database of poses. If you are looking for something that is entry level and still have the flexibility of working your way up to more advanced levels, this is the app for you.
I could adjust the duration, difficulty level, type of practice and even the voice of the guide.
I could get used to the various names of the poses (which could be quite intimidating for first-timers) before joining any physical yoga classes.
Remember my Hack #3 in my 7 Hacks To Get You Moving post?
I just started off with 5 minutes at the most novice level and gradually increase my duration from there. It is so ridiculously doable that there is no way you can NOT do, unless it was a deliberate choice.
Check out the website here
2. HITT
With the paid version of Down Dog, I get to access the paid versions of the other apps. They are HITT, Barre, Meditation, Running and Prenatal Yoga. When I need a quick HITT workout for get my heartrate pumping, I'll go to this app.
With similar features like Down Dog, you get to choose the type of workout, difficulty level, duration and voice of the guide you like.
I don't really like HITT cardio workouts like these because I find them too dry so I don't really use this app as often as my Down Dog.
Again, the trick is to use Hack #3 - just set 5 minutes timer and do what you can within that time frame.
Break it down to the simplest form so that there is no way you can run away from it.
3. Just Dance
My preferred cardio workouts must have good and strong music. So, if I want some cardio workout at home, I will use Just Dance.
This is one of my favourite resources which I mentioned in my Week 2 review post and my daughters and I enjoy a good workout dancing to this app.
Just Dance is actually a dancing game and I signed up for the paid version last December for my daughters and decided to not waste it and use it for my cardio workout instead.
Works really well for me! I usually go for around 3 - 4 songs to get my intense and sweat dripping exercises.
How To Set Up?
You will need 2 devices:
1 device is for the "dance room" to setup where you get to view the dance steps. It could be your iPad, tablet, computer or TV that has internet or Chromecast. Make sure it has a good size for viewing of the moves. I wouldn't encourage using a smartphone for this.
Then, you need the other device which is your smart phone, to connect to the room. It will be your game controller/ joystick to detect your dance movements.
My Setup
I go to the internet on my Samsung TV and head to https://justdancenow.com/
Then, I click on my Just Dance App on my smartphone, connect to the room number indicated on my Samsung TV internet and I can start dancing.
You can choose to dance alone or allow other users to enter your room to dance with you where you are then ranked based on performance.
I prefer to dance alone.
When I was really lazy in the past, I just goggled "Just Dance" on Youtube and dance to the uploaded videos by other users so that I do not need to hold my phone to dance.
I created a playlist just for my dance workouts that so that I don't need to keep pausing in between songs to search for the next song.
4. Youtube
Before I subscribed to the paid version of Just Dance, I used to search for all the Kpop, Just Dance and Zumba songs that I enjoy and put them together into a fitness dance playlist for easy access.
It worked really well and although I haven't been using them for a long time, my teenage daughter starting dancing to this playlist this week as she embarked on her first week of her 6am Club.
Then, guess what? I started to dance to my old playlist again this week too!
One of my favourite account to follow is Kkardio Dance Singapore - they have popular Kpop music with groovy moves, some of which are close to the actual choreography!
Tip: The main trick to using Youtube as my fitness resource is to create the fitness playlist BEFORE hand. Otherwise, you will just end up surfing mindlessly on Youtube when searching for the next fitness video because the distraction is way too strong.
Remember:
Success is not by chance - you plan for it.
5. Fitness Watch & Tracking App
If you haven't already know, I am a die hard Android fan.
So, I am using my trusty Samsung Watch synced to my Samsung Health fitness app.
The app has a monthly challenge which I simply adore because I can collect the pretty virtual badges when I complete the challenge. This year, I started being more consistent in tracking my heartrate - making sure the intensity of my workout is not too low ( I really detest cardio workouts & naturally gravitates to easier workout). This becomes a challenge for me to see which workouts are fun AND challenging to my body at the same time. If it only challenges my body but it's not fun. Sorry, that activity will be struck off my list.
With this intentional planning of workouts, I find myself fitter than before and will continue to track my heartrate to motivate myself to keep fit.
Ending Note
Sometimes, we forget about our mortality. We forget that we are impermanent and that someday, we will eventually grow old and die. Exercising helps us to slow down this process or even make this process more pleasant.
Imagine not having the habit of savings and suddenly wanting to do so only at retirement - too late.
The same goes for our health. The right time to start is not 10 years ago, not next year.
The right time to start is NOW.
And like my last post about the 7 hacks, you just need to take the FIRST step.
Choose a first step that is SO easy to achieve, there is no way you can run from it.
Have a pool in your apartment? Swim 1 lap.
No pool? Try walking up and down the stairs.
No stairs? Take a walk around your neighbourhood.
Sounds daunting? Use my hack - set a 5 minute timer and just walk with focus and intent for that 5 minutes and slowly stretch yourself from there.
No time for exercise is just a convenient excuse. Maybe stop watching 1 episode of that Korean drama might help? Just saying...😂
The only reason we don't exercise is we don't prioritise enough for it.
Until it is too late.
I hope you find my resources useful in some ways.
Like my mum always tells me,
Exercise is like savings in a bank. As you grow old, you slowly withdraw some from your (physical) bank deposit.
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