Yoga? Pilates? Medieval Torture Device?

I do a virtual Friday morning class (7am PT/10am ET) that I LOVE. It's offered on 8LimbsYoga, instructor is Tracy Hodgeman. I always feel so much better after that class. Stretching + strengthening, you can modify to your own level and mood. She's a kick and teaches other sessions, too. freshchalk.com/8-limbs-yoga...

Thanks, Liz. I'll check it out right now.

I got a membership to Tone It Up, and I'm careful not to fault the App for my lack of working out over the past year. The financial commitment was pretty light per month, so it was money that I don't consider wasted even if I didn't use it much. The good? Lots of videos from 7 minutes to 40+ minutes. They also have programs/challenges that you can join and it sets you up with a week of work outs that you can schedule as you need. It sort of makes it mindless if you're the type to lose half the dedicated hour for working out to searching for the right video (that me!). They have a good assortment of yoga videos, and there's plenty of options to ramp it up from there into HIIT workouts and cardio kickboxing and whatnot. What I like about it is the variety: it's hard to dread working out if you don't know what you're in store for. There's not a ton of repetition, so it makes the time go by a little quicker. The app is easy to navigate and quickly narrow down options based on what you're looking for. The only words of caution I have are that you need a high threshold for the You-Go-Girl!-isms. It's a bit cheerleader-y, so I try to keep the volume down and my own music up! They have made efforts and gotten better about having a more diverse group of women that host the videos so kudos to them, but for a while there they leaned hard on skinny white women with mermaid hair. Thankfully it's not so bad on their newer videos! They have a lot of nutrition plan stuff to pair with the work outs, but I can't vouch much for that!

Ha! I’ll definitely keep the “you go girls” in mind if I go for this one. I have a feeling that could make me crazy.

Lynne Tanzer There's more talking-to-cat-isms and poetry readings in the one I shared. Also a lot of foot stretches, which are surprisingly therapeutic.

That seems more my speed, Liz.

Nirvana Yoga offers online classes.

Lynne, for movement and ease first thing in the morning, PBS Essentrics yoga with Miranda Esmonde White. For toning and core strength I can't say enough about the PIYO program from Beach Body-part yoga, part pilates all can be done at home with no equipment. During the Covid lock-down, I signed up for Beach Body on Demand and love it. Also, don't get discouraged, some of the Piyo moves found me saying, "are you serious!, my body doesn't move that way." However, you find that it actually gets easier, and you notice your are getting stronger and feel better.

When you are ready for an in-person class, try out Club Pilates! I love every class that I have taken at the club on Hampden and Tower in Aurora, CO. Their clubs are individually owned/operated. They use the pilates machine and incorporate some floor and band work. Worth checking it out.

If your looking for a Yoga that won't put you to sleep try following one of the Hot Yoga Youtube videos. Either the standard or the flow class will get you to break a sweat even if you are not in the 100F room.

For a quick boot camp before you commit to a membership or club, Yoga With Adriene on YouTube is pretty awesome. I was hesitant to show up to a class before I watched her videos because I’m a newb, clumsy, and clueless. Now I’m just clumsy. youtube.com/user/yogawithad...

Nike Training Club app has a free version with some yoga classes you can try. Filterable by length of class, too (if I remember correctly). Peloton offers barre, pilates, and yoga classes as well, but there is a monthly fee for that. I love the instructors there though!

I like Move With Nicole on Youtube. You can definitely feel the burn, but her moves often incorporate stretching. I find her workouts the perfect mix of zen and sweat!

+1 for Yoga with Adriene yogawithadriene.com. You can do a 10 minute workout or a 30-day course depending on your energy level. She's funny and calming yet practical and not woo-woo.

I love shefayoga and they offer online sessions! I prefer to go in person for their hot yoga classes but a lot of my friends have been raving about their online sessions.