Anna Maria Locke

top five favorite YouTube fitness channels

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I've been obsessed with at-home workout videos ever since I took a "Personal Fitness" gym class in high school, where I was introduced to the likes of Billy Blanks, Step, Mari Winsor Pilates, and 8 Minute Abs, aka the classics. In college, my roommates and I would struggle and laugh along to a vintage 1980's "Buns of Steel" VHS together in our living room late at night. I will always be a gym bunny, but there's something to be said for the convenience of just walking into your living room whenever you want and getting your workout done without having to deal with creepy strangers, gross communal mats and equipment, worrying about how ridiculous you look, or spending time commuting to and from the gym.

Over the past several years, several incredible channels on YouTube have emerged to produce great, high quality workout videos for FREE, for all types and levels of fitness. I subscribe to probably a dozen fitness channels, but these are my top five favorites for at-home workouts!

1. Blogilates

What: Fun, bubbly Pilates videos and killer HIIT routines!
For: All fitness levels, but best for intermediate/advanced. Most workouts are no-equipment needed bodyweight routines, but you will still feel the burn!
Fave workouts: Call Me Maybe Squat Challenge, Muffintopless, Pilates New Body Makeover, Bikini Blaster HIIT




2. Jessica Smith TV

What: Lots of low-impact fusion workouts, weights circuits, and an adorable bulldog Peanut.
For: All fitness levels, especially great for beginners or low-impact fans!
Fave workouts: Metabolic Conditioning, Superset Sculpt, Mat Fusion and Floor




3. Tone It Up

What: Fun, beachy workouts that will work your abs and core like woah.
For: Beginner/intermediate fitness levels, and women who want working out to feel like a fun beach vacation with their best friends.
Fave workouts: Thailand Tush, Itty Bitty Bikini (abs), MaliBooty, Bikini Body Routine, Cocktail Dress Workout



4. POPSUGAR Fitness

What: 10 minute fitness class-style workouts and celebrity trainers.
For: All fitness levels, anyone who wants a quick but effective routine.
Fave workouts: Crossfit Workout with Weights, Jackie Warner Power Pyramid, Bootcamp with Jeanette Jenkins, Cardio Warmup



5. Fitness Blender

What: Full length, no-gimmick workouts, incorporating all types of routines such as weights, pilates,  yoga, and HIIT.
For: All fitness levels, including people who want to lose a lot of weight! This is also the best "gender neutral" channel I've found, and the only one Ben will not make fun of (and he's even done a few FB workouts with me!)
Fave workouts: Can you HIIT like a girl, FB Barre, 5x5x5 for Butt & Thighs, Red Light Green Light HIIT, basically you can't go wrong.

I also love collecting circuit-style workout routines on Pinterest! You can find me at Anna Locke here!

Alright, you officially have NO excuse not to work out. Let me know if you try any of these workouts, or if you have another favorite channel I missed!

life in May

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May is probably my favorite month of the year, although its bipolar nature can be frustrating. Is it winter or summer? Come on, Midwest. Yesterday the high was 46 degrees, and this week it's going to break 80.

May forces me to be more spontaneous. To jump at the opportunity to drop everything and drink rose on a balcony on a warm afternoon. To head outside for morning runs in the cool air with the birds and the dog walkers while the rest of the world is still sleeping. To get a jump start on the summer bucket list before life gets crazy, wedding season gets into full swing, and the weeks start to disappear.

Ben has three weeks left of school and is counting down the days, but I'm making an effort to slow down, appreciate the little things, and squeeze every minute out of this fleeting season.

Annika Likes grows up

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After almost five years of blogging, I've decided to finally take this little piece of the internet to the next level: Annika Likes has grown up into Anna Maria Locke.

I have blogged my way through a million transitions, cross country moves, jobs, unemployment, wedding planning, moving again, a quarter life crisis, another job, and now I feel like I am finally hitting my stride, falling into my place in the universe, facing doubts and uncertainties head on, overcoming resistance, and achieving things I never even imagined would be possible.

Fear and excitement are two opposite and distinctly different emotions, but the physical reaction they manifest is the same. Embrace the fear and it will evaporate before your eyes.

2014 has been a pretty significant year so far, and I am excited to see what's in store :)