Barre With Sarah
By: Sarah Carr
Tags: Health, Barre, Barre Workout, Exercise, Fitness

Not a big fan of barre? That’s okay! I have been sampling a whole host of other workouts this year, so I thought I’d end the blog with a few of my go-tos, most of which are free(!):

BollyX: I stumbled upon a free 10-minute workout on their YouTube channel and after 10 minutes I was HOOKED (as in I’ve already done about 40 hours of their dance classes in the last few months).

They have some content that is free, but their paid content is fantastic. They have a library of about ~400 songs and they also offer lots of livestream classes. I signed up for their special deal — just $49 for a lifetime membership (yes, you read that correctly). I’ve never ever done any workout like this one and it’s added a lot of joy to dark winter days.

Suzanne Bowen Fitness : This is where I take online barre classes and it’s worth the $14.99/month. They offer many different plans and challenges, but I tend to just pick the workouts I like. I appreciate that there is a huge variety — short 4–5 minute workouts and hour-long classes.

Hi-Lo, Cardio Dance, Indoor Walking, Easy HIIT: There are three different channels that I’ve come to love, and these boost my spirits and my step count when the weather feels too dreary outside.

Up to the Beat Fit: Gina B. is a ball of positivity and energy, and I love her easy-to-follow hi-lo, dance, and walking workouts. This lady has great music and loves a good theme. She also offers paid content but I’ve still not made it through all of her free videos, so give them a try if you’d like a mood boost.

Reps to the Rhythm: Keoni’s channel is pretty new (he started posting videos this summer) but this is a great indoor replacement for a walk. His steps are simpler, but he has good music, a fantastic attitude, and often has cat guest stars in his workouts. He also posted a great 10k step workout (almost an hour and a half) and that was a fun way to challenge myself!

Jessica Smith TV: Jessica has a ton of free workouts (more than 400!) of various lengths. She does tons of HIIT and easy cardio workouts, but I really love her agility workouts. She moves at a fast pace but easy to follow. If you’re a dog person you’ll love all of the guest appearances by her dog, Peanut.

Jenny Ford Fitness: Jenny is a fantastic step aerobics instructor! Her routines are fun but easy to follow, which is not that common with step instructors these days. She has a series called Step Hero that teaches you the basics, but my favorite workouts are her March and Step Across America, where she films a step and a marching workout in each of the 50 states (some of them are still upcoming). She is one of the most encouraging instructors around!

Yoga: I’m really, really picky when it comes to yoga, but I have managed to find two instructors that are a good fit for me. Yoga tends to feel a little too new-age for me, but these two instructors have a nice balance.

Julia Marie Yoga (and some selected other folks on Psyche Truth): Julia Marie is fantastic! She is matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, and funny! She doesn’t take herself to seriously and meets you where you are in your practice. I found her videos through Psyche Truth, but you can also find her content on Amazon Prime and Yoga Plus. She has some great series, like a 14-day series for beginners or a 30-day series for weight loss (the one I signed up for — not for weight loss but because it was 30-days and I missed the weight loss part).

Psyche Truth has some other great videos, but some of their content also feels a little sketch. If you are going to check out their channel be aware that some of the workouts, especially the core or barre or cardio workouts, don’t always come with good form. Sometimes they focus a bit too much on weight loss for my liking, so watcher beware.

Brett Larkin Yoga: I’m only a few workouts into Brett’s channel. but there seems to be a lot of potential. She tends to teach her classes outside and it gives them a relaxing vibe. She’s expressive, and cuing is her strength. There is a wide range of content on her channel and some of it felt a little too new-agey for me. But I appreciate her style and the variety of workouts that she offers.

Finding new stuff: Sometimes you need to mix it up! When I need a shake-up of my routine I head over to PopSugar Fitness to find something to try. PopSugar produces tons of original content, both by some of their own instructors, including lovable and relatable Anna, but mainly by inviting famous fitness personalities to offer free workouts (always complete with an invitation to their pay services).

Beware — not every instructor or workout will be a fit, and there are some pretty advanced workouts on the channel, so try to find a workout that matches your fitness level.

Even though there have been some duds, through PopSugar I’ve found some faves like Christa Dipaulo (cardio kickboxing), Keaira LaShae (hip hop dance and tabata), Jeanette Jenkins (HIIT and kickboxing), and the LIT Method (high-intensity, low-impact workouts). Who knows — you might find a new favorite workout just because you took a chance on a class you wouldn’t have otherwise taken.

So that’s all on the fitness front for me right now! Thanks for stepping into my barre world and for your support on this journey. I’m excited to get back in front of the camera on January 11th, after a much-deserved teaching break.

Stay healthy, stay safe!

Sarah