heartbreak and loss, resilience and strength. Lockdown sucks, but keeping our blood flowing will get us through this together and stronger. Here are a few tips to help you find a new workout you can love!

DON’T FORCE A WORKOUT YOU DREAD

Maybe you used to love to run. You used to love the feeling of the stillness in your head while you’re jogging a new route, the touch as your shoes push off the pavement, the adrenaline pumping through your body after a new PB. Maybe you used to love to run. And now you don’t. And that’s okay.

I used to feel like I had to just get out, I had to “just do it”, like my life was some sort of Nike promotion. Plot twist, it’s not, you don’t have to “just do” anything, and forcing myself to run when I would rather take a freezing shower only made me hate it more.

So I took a break and found new ways to get my blood pumping which I was actually excited to do. If you don’t want to do an exercise you once loved, it’s okay. Take it as a welcoming sign to give yourself the space to try something new

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Which brings us here…. try something new! The world is an oyster, and the Internet is the pearl of online workouts. These days, anything you can think of, the internet has it, and that includes fitness videos. It’s easy to get stuck into the Chloe Ting workout routines (as much as I enjoy them), but too much “Tiny Waist Round Butt” and no play, makes me a dull gal.

Don’t feel like you have to do the same type of exercise every time. It’s fun to keep things fresh. If you tend to always do HIIT workouts, change it up and give some Zumba a try, just to see if you like it!

Here are some unique and different workouts I’ll be looking forward to sweating to:

- This Bollywood dance routine by BollyX

- 30 minutes of heart pumping dance and cardio kickboxing

- This mile “happy walk”

- Some low-key wind-down yoga

DO IT WITH A FRIEND

Sometimes, things are just easier with a friend. Every Tuesday and Thursday I’ll do a virtual workout with my two best friends who live an ocean away. And we don’t just exercise, we catch up on each other’s lives between side-planks and downward dogs and before we know it, 45 minutes of us moving our bodies has flown by!

Scheduling workouts with friends helps you stay accountable as well. As much as I try not to, there are days where I just want to lie on the couch all day watching Grey’s Anatomy. But, I don’t want to bail on my friends who’ve made the space in their schedule for our exercise. And after some giggling and chatting and sweating, I’m always glad I stuck around.

Need a pal to do some pilates with? This is what City Girl Network was made for! Visit our website and Facebook to find other girls who are interested in trying out a new workout.

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Written by Ratuja Reddy

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