When it comes to fitness, there is no workout I haven’t tried over the past decade. I’ve tried barre, yoga, pilates, yoga-lates, Peloton, personal trainers,...
When it comes to fitness, there is no workout I haven’t tried over the past decade. I’ve tried barre, yoga, pilates, yoga-lates, Peloton, personal trainers, strength training, Zumba, tennis, and HIIT. I’ve run a half marathon. I even did a two-year stint in the “cult” of CrossFit (and really enjoyed it, even if I felt way weaker than everyone else), until I started a job with a long commute that just didn’t allow me to justify the price for the time I had available.
Many of these workouts, I tried either as the wife of a deployed pilot or as a single working mom. Some worked for those lifestyles, and some didn’t (i.e. tennis). For military wives, especially those who are moms, fitness gets last priority a lot of the time. While any workout is better than no workout, I’ve narrowed it down to my favorite six I would recommend to any military spouse with a lot of distractions:
I have been a devotee of Melissa’s workouts for the past year, and every time I open her app, I feel like everything else melts away for just a little while. She has such a soothing voice and encouraging workout persona (a combination of yoga, pilates, barre and her own moves), and you come away feeling like you’ve spent a day at the spa while also getting a great workout. I also love that almost all of her workouts are under a half hour, and that her app also has meditations and workouts for pregnant mamas and postpartum mamas.
Wow. Just wow. I recently started going to [solidcore] classes, and I can honestly say it is the best, most efficient workout I have ever done. Started by Anne Mahlum and now with studios all over the country, this fitness brand uses slow, controlled pilates movements that, to an outside observer, look like they’re doing nothing at all. To the person working out, however, your whole body is burning, and your limbs are still shaking for hours afterwards. Going to the studio gets you the best workout, but in 50 minutes you feel like you accomplished two days worth of workouts (I usually take the next day off).
I’ve tried so, so many yoga apps, and this is my favorite for at-home workouts. The reason is that they’re fast-paced, so they don’t get boring, but they’re also calming the way yoga should be (tip: you have the option to turn off the music, and I usually do). They’re also challenging. They’ve pushed me to try moves I never would have tried, like handstands, splits, backbends, and more. They also film them in exotic settings (like salt flats).
If you only have seven minutes and have no equipment at all, it’s hard to get a better workout than this HIIT workout app. The workouts are based on the scientific study of seven minute workouts which provide the maximum benefit in the shortest time possible. Moves switch every 30 seconds, so you never have time to get bored. I like to combine them to 14 or 21 minutes.
These at-home dance cardio workouts range from 5 to 50 minutes and include prenatal and postnatal options. They’re just really fun.
This studio, started by Air Force Veteran Suzie Mills and employing mostly military and veteran spouses, has locations in Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and San Antonio. They also recently released OnDemand classes so you can practice anywhere. If you’re looking for a supportive military community, this is the place.
Feature image by Egor Shitikov from Pixabay
