8 Workouts You Can Do From The Comfort Of Your Home
We can't front, not being able to go to the gym decreases our motivation. But thanks to the world wide web and smart televisions, we can set up a gym in our humble abodes. Streaming workouts from home has never been more convenient and more necessary than in these transformative times. Even Auntie Extraordinaire, Debbie Allen hosted a dance class on Instagram to promote movements in our homes.
There are also many benefits to working out at home. From convenience to privacy to availability, you can create a physical workout space that is catered to your needs. Not to mention, you won't have to spend extra coins on a gym membership.
We know that finding videos that have moves you want and an instructor you can relate to is major. That's why we rounded up a list of videos featuring some magical black girls. Scroll through our mini-catalog of workout videos that will put Kanye's Workout Plan to shame!
For a slim waist & booty...
Brittne Babe is a famous fitness instructor and model so we always trust her workouts. In this workout, she focuses on building abs through strength and power with these full body moves. She encourages you to grab a mat and get started! Some exercises include Side Twist Plank and Pushup to Twist Kick.
For a full body workout that allows you to tone & keep your curves...
Simply Shana is all about pushing it. The goal of this video is to tone up so you can keep your curves. Using an empty space in her home, she kept great form while also remembering to breathe. Subscribers say that this workout was tough but completely worth it.
For a workout that combines cardio & strength...
For those of us that don't have Megan's knees, this workout is for you. Cece gives us tips and tricks on how to get a good workout in without sacrificing our ailing joints.
For a workout that helps you attack that lower belly pudge...
Looking to snatch your lower abs, give this video a try. I definitely plan on trying this one out because I struggle with a pouch that doesn't wanna leave. Brick Built recommends completing these exercises 3-4 times a week to see results.
For a workout that combines self-love with fitness...
Jessamyn Stanley is a body positive goddess. In her video, she practices self-care while staying active in this eight-minute flow. Yoga is known to help ease the physical discomfort that is caused by anxiety.
For a HIIT cardio workout that gives you abs at home...
Quarantining with bae? Try this 30 minute HIIT cardio and abs workout before you Netflix and chill. SELF Magazine says, "In this routine, you'll keep moving for a full four minutes through cardio moves like pop squats, scissor steps, and jumping jacks—then finish each round with a 60 second plank."
For a hip-hop dance routine that torches calories...
We love a good dance session because it doesn't feel like a workout. Those quarantine snack calories will meet their match with hip-hop Tabata taught by Keaira LaShae. You don't have to be a professional dancer to do this workout. Keaira believes in passion over perfection.
For a full-body workout with no equipment...
In just 15 minutes, Annabelle Hayes takes us through a full body workout. From hip thrusts to alternating toe touches, you will definitely feel the burn after this set of exercises.
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter here to receive our latest articles and news straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Shutterstock
- 10 Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running - xoNecole ›
- 13 Exercises To Elevate Your Arms To Angela Bassett Status In No ... ›
- 10 Fitness Items You Must Have - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love ... ›
- Wanna Start Working On Your Fitness? This Workout Plan Is ... ›
- Best Workout Fitness Apps For 2019 - xoNecole: Women's Interest ... ›
- Debbie Allen & Husband Norman Nixon Relationship Timeline - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- Debbie Allen & Husband Norman Nixon - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- Rowing - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- 15-Minute Pilates Work Out At Home - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- 8 At-Home Workouts to Lose Weight and Build Muscle | Men's Journal ›
- 17 Best Home HIIT Workouts to Target Abs, Bum + Chest ›
- The 7 Best at Home Workouts (No-Equipment Required) | Nerd Fitness ›
- Bodyweight Workout for Beginners: 20-Minute at Home Routine ... ›
- 20 MIN FULL BODY WORKOUT | At Home & Equipment Free ... ›
- 30 At-Home Workout Moves: 20-Minute Set, All Levels, Without ... ›
- At-Home Workouts | Top 25 Exercises You Can Do at Home ›
Joce Blake is a womanist who loves fashion, Beyonce and Hot Cheetos. The sophistiratchet enthusiast is based in Brooklyn, NY but has southern belle roots as she was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Keep up with her on Instagram @joce_blake and on Twitter @SaraJessicaBee.
Black women are not a monolith. We all are deserving of healing and wholeness despite what we've been through, how much money we have in the bank, or what we look like. Most importantly, we are enough—even when we are not working, earning, or serving.
Welcome to Black Girl Whole, your space to find the wellness routine that aligns with you! This brand-new marketplace by xoNecole is a safe space for Black women to activate their healing, find the inspiration to rest, and receive reassurance that we are one small act away from finding our happiness.
Want to discover where you are on your wellness journey? You don't have to look far. In partnership with European Wax Center, we're bringing you a customized wellness quiz to help you up your wellness game. Answer our short series of questions to figure out which type of wellness lover you are, what you need to bring more balance into your life, and then go deeper by shopping products geared towards clearing your mind, healing your body, and soothing your spirit.
Ready to get whole? Take our quiz now!
TW: some depictions of intrusive thoughts may be disturbing for readers.
Have you ever caught your mind drifting off to entertain the most disturbing scenarios imaginable? Maybe you can’t stop thinking of all the ways a loved one could pass away or worrying that you left every candle lit in your apartment to which you’d return to a home in ruins. If distressing ruminations like these have crossed your mind, you may be experiencing an intrusive thought.
What Are Intrusive Thoughts?
Intrusive thoughts are unwanted or distressing thoughts, images, or impulses that pop into your mind without your control or consent. These thoughts can be repetitive, unsettling, or even violent in nature, and can cause anxiety and frustration for those who experience them.
“Generally they're unwanted thoughts that come up in our head that interrupt what we're doing or thinking, and can feel very foreign,” says Adia Gooden, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and host of the Unconditionally Worthy podcast. “It’s any thought that intrudes or interrupts what you are doing. They can be distressing and upsetting for us because it feels like we are not in control of them, and they're coming up out of nowhere and aren’t in line with how you normally think.”
What Causes Intrusive Thoughts?
Certain trauma or stress can contribute to the development of intrusive thoughts, so having a challenging experience from the past or current life situations may trigger them to form. “An intrusive thought could come in the form of a flashback, image, or a thought about something that's happened to you,” Dr. Gooden tells xoNecole. “When it gets to the point where you feel like you can't function or make clear decisions, that's when intrusive thoughts become really challenging.”
While some of the 1 billion videos found under the #intrusivethoughts hashtag on TikTok would lead you to believe that these thoughts are nothing more than casual displays of our imagination going untamed. Intrusive thoughts are more than sticking your hand in a soap dispenser, wanting to cut all your hair off at 3 a.m., or having a random impulse to eat fake bread in public.
The Anxiety & Depression Association of America reports that approximately six million individuals, equating to roughly two percent of the American population, encounter intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are often linked with obsessive-compulsive disorders, but they can also manifest in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety.
Examples of Common Intrusive Thoughts
Because of the explicit nature of intrusive thoughts, they tend to cause shame and internal conflict in those who experience them. Although these thoughts can differ from person to person, these ideation can consist of:
- Violent or aggressive thoughts towards oneself or others, such as harming or killing someone;
- Sexual thoughts that are unwanted or inappropriate;
- Repetitive thoughts, such as a song or a phrase that keeps repeating in your mind;
- Contamination or germ-related thoughts or the fear of contamination and getting sick;
- Religious or blasphemous thoughts, such as questioning one's faith or having thoughts that go against religious beliefs;
- Doubts or uncertainty about one's own actions or decisions, such as fear of making a mistake or fear of not doing something right.
Intrusive Thoughts and OCD
That’s why Dr. Gooden encourages everyone to understand the difference between our fleeting thoughts and impulses and true, intrusive thoughts. “What level of distress does it cause and is it something you would never consider,” she says. “If you're finding that these thoughts are getting in the way of you living your life and that you're controlled by the thoughts, those are some signs that it would be good to get some support in navigating it.”
She also emphasizes the importance of understanding that while we may not always have control over our thoughts, we can control our behavior. “On TikTok, people are sort of blaming intrusive thoughts on their behavior, and our behavior is always a choice,” she says. “If we are in our right mind and we're not having a psychotic episode, our behavior is our choice — we are not obligated to follow any given thought that we have.”
Are Intrusive Thoughts Normal?
With intrusive thoughts, it’s natural to question whether these thoughts are “normal” to have. However, these thoughts are not meant to define who you are as a person but simply indicate that you have a functioning human mind with automated thoughts that you, or any of us, can’t control. These thoughts may come, but they don’t have to be acted upon, nor do they define who you are.
“I've worked with clients in the past who say, ‘Why am I thinking these things? What's wrong with me?’ But if you're not acting on the thought, then it's probably not a huge issue,” Dr. Gooden says. “If you are thinking a harmful thought towards yourself or someone else and you are making plans to act on that thought, then yes, we need to do something about it.”
How To Manage Intrusive Thoughts
If you are struggling with managing unwanted thoughts, Dr. Aida suggests taking these tips to help manage your mindset when they occur:
- "Recognize that it's a thought and thoughts are just thoughts. We often put a little bit too much weight on our thoughts, and that can create a lot of distress. But remember that thoughts are not facts."
- "Having a thought that's disturbing or upsetting doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't mean that you are suffering from a mental illness."
- "Sometimes the best thing you can do is say, 'Huh, that was an interesting thought. I'm going to let that go. That thought is not helpful for me right now."
- "Ask yourself: is this helpful? Is it helpful for me to buy into this thought and believe this thought? Asking that question can be really helpful because we are not at the mercy of our thoughts. If it's not helpful, you can let it go."
Intrusive thoughts can feel bizarre and foreign when they come up, but they aren't inherently "bad." Our minds can sometimes be filled with random and inappropriate thoughts, but that's what our stream of consciousness does: it thinks. Fortunately, we can release those thoughts at any moment; you don't have to follow through with them.
And ultimately, not every TikTok diagnosis is one that we should label ourselves with.
"It's important for people to acknowledge what they're experiencing but not run too quickly to diagnose themselves with some mental illness or disorder," Dr. Gooden advises. "It ends with confusion, and we miss the opportunity to understand the people who really do have that mental health challenge."
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Westend61/Getty Images
