Fitness: Finding Inspiration Online

Up until about 2014 I had a bad relationship with exercise. I can't even pretend it was love/hate, it was simply hate. The past two years have been a journey that has seen me go from stepping foot in the gym for the first time, to taking an interest and trying to educate myself more on exercise and take care of myself a little more. I am still nowhere near halfway to being fully educated about fitness, but I've learnt a lot and now have a much greater awareness for different exercises to work my different muscles and get my heart rate up.

90% of what I've learnt has come from the internet. (I have just started to read Women's Health too, though). The more I delve into YouTube and Instagram the more I realise how ignorant I have been when it came to my health and the capabilities my body could have if I got down the gym a few times a week. There are amazing amounts of free resources out there that can teach you different techniques to get those booty gains, toned arms and more stamina.

Here are my top 5 places to go on the internet to get some inspiration, motivation and improve your knowledge surrounding fitness, well being and all that jazz.

Carly Rowena is a personal trainer who makes great YouTube and films weekly vlogs and workouts. She's so positive and I feel a little more motivated after watching her videos. She also has great nutrition tips and there's a few tips that have stuck in my head and have actually helped me when I've gone reaching for the cupboard.

Zanna Van Dijk is someone I only discovered a month or so ago. She's also a personal trainer and has a great YouTube channel and instagram account. She is such a strong woman (see what I did there? Her new book is called Strong fyi) and one you should definitely start following!

The Lean Machines are two guys that never fail to make me laugh. They have great personalities are are the YouTube channel I go to when I want to learn more about fitness or check for a proper technique on an exercise. 

The Anna Edit is a beauty / lifestyle Youtuber that I've loved for years. She's gotten into fitness and now creates lots of content on what she wears to the gym and the workouts she's doing. She often shares her workouts on her YouTube channel and on her snapchat. I've found a lot of inspiration in Anna's content because unlike the other guys and girls I've listed above, she isn't a professional. She's just like the rest of us trying to fit some exercise into our busy routines! Her ability to get out of bed for an early morning gym sesh has provided motivation many a time. 

Fitness Blender is a channel I found yonks ago and is one you've probably seen if you've ever searched something fitness related on YouTube. They have more videos than you can shake a stick at and although their channel isn't one I look at regularly, it's good when I've become bored of the exercises I'm doing at the gym, and when I want a change and to learn a new exercise. Their routines range from really quick and beginner to 30 minutes+ and pretty difficult. 

There are my 5 recommendations for finding a little fitness inspiration! Each one offers something a little different but they've all been so valuable to me. This year is the first year I have managed to keep up with exercise despite university and deadlines, and I think having these sources of inspiration around me when I check twitter and instagram has really helped changed my approach to exercise and how I make time for it. 

Speak soon, Ru x