In 2001, one of the Harvard Law students defending fitness instructor Brooke Windham brilliantly said: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t." While this murder trial may have happened in the fictional world of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, offers wise words about the influence of fitness on mental health. The context of murder may be extreme, but as a new school year begins, fitness is essential for strengthening both your muscles, producing physically prowess and instilling your mind with positive energy.
As I stalked fashion blogger Arielle Charnas late one evening, I came across videos of her with one of her fitness trainers Megan Roup. Thus started my trolling of Roup’s social media: I gawked at her manny workout videos, sleek fitness studio and trendy legging and top matching sets. Her fitness classes seemed fun and effective, and she was motivational and relatable. Hidden in the details of her Instagram bio, I discovered that she streamed on Obé fitness, an online workout program which I had never heard of before.
In discussing this new find with some peers, an app 8fit was suggested to me as an adored fitness method that was inexpensive and convenient. Another friend swore by free videos on YouTube as her go-to.
Of course, I had to try all three of these methods to decide which would be the best route for supplying me with the endorphins, as Elle Woods aptly reminds us, that will keep me sane this Fall Quarter.
*before attempting the workouts below, I did 35 minutes of cardio. It is possible that my high heart rate and body fatigue from the cardio affected my observations*
Our Body Electric (Obé)
Type of Workout: Obé organizes its workouts into three types: Flow, Define and Sweat. Yoga, Restorative Stretch and Yoga Sculpt classes fall under Flow; full body strength, sculpt and power workouts fall under Define; dance, HIIT (high intensity interval training) I and circuit classes fall under Sweat. The site also includes specialities workouts such as postnatal, prenatal, for the office, low impact and my personal favorite, dance choreography.
Time: Most classes range from 26 to 28 minutes, but there are also express workouts on-demand that target certain parts of the body and range from five to 15 minutes. The live classes normally take place in the morning.
Type of Workout: Obé organizes its workouts into three types: Flow, Define and Sweat. Yoga, Restorative Stretch and Yoga Sculpt classes fall under Flow; full body strength, sculpt and power workouts fall under Define; dance, HIIT (high intensity interval training) I and circuit classes fall under Sweat. The site also includes specialities workouts such as postnatal, prenatal, for the office, low impact and my personal favorite, dance choreography.
Interface: Obé has both an app and online platform. Because the workouts function like a workout class, but on a screen, the computer works best for viewing. However, optimal viewing would be through airplay on TV. The website’s organization makes it easy to see the various types of workouts and filter exercise interests. With its bright neon colors, well-dressed instructors and fun light box space where the instructors teach class from, Obé definitely has you feeling electric.
Experience: After I took define sculpt with instructor Madelaine O., I felt stronger and more toned. Madelaine led the class with lots of enthusiasm and support, which motivated me to do the full 28-minute workout by myself on the floor of my dorm room. What I enjoyed most about the class was that I was breaking a sweat even though I was focusing on muscles, not cardio. I found disappointment, however, with Madelaine’s choice of leg exercises for the class — I had trouble carrying out the movements that were a bit complicated. Nevertheless, I felt a burn in my legs, so I must have done something right. While it felt a little weird having an instructor lead a class online but talk personally as if it were in-person, the workout, especially the arm exercises, made me feel stronger. This Obé class did not make my legs and abs shake in the way a Barre class normally does for me, but the positive effect on my mood and the convenience of the class made it a successful workout.
8fit
Costs: 8fit is free for the workout program, but if you want the meal plan, it has a two-week free trial period and the app costs $59.99 a year. Hand weights and a mat are highly recommended.
Time: Workout routines vary between five minutes and 20 minutes.
Type of Workout: 8fit offers yoga and mindfulness classes, Paleo runs (interval workouts), Tabata workouts and rep exercises that target full body and individual muscles. The classes seem endless as there are program levels and beginner, intermediate and advanced exercises within each program. Many of the workouts aren’t full videos but rather lists of movements to do with a video example and the number of reps suggested. 8fit gives you a set time to complete the listed exercises as many times as possible.
Interface: 8fit functions mostly on the app— the company uses the website for informational purposes and health blogs. The website is much sleeker and easier to use than the app, which is confusing with its many pop-ups, workouts and meal plans. The app offers many features such as workout calendars, personal cardio logs and articles on healthy living. The calendar uses dots to create a point system when you do an 8fit workout to keep you on track a daily workout plan. Within most workout plans you can swap a move you know does not work for your body for a similar move suggested by 8fit.
Experience: 8fit serves as a great resource for finding workouts to do without equipment, either on gym floor matts or your living room carpet. I personally felt that many of moves were ones I already knew, such as lunges, push-ups and v-ups; however, the benefits of 8fit come from the knowledge of how many reps to do and what body movements to pair together. Rather than a fluid workout class online, 8fit composes its workouts out of smaller videos, many of which are demonstrations on repeat, not videos to follow during the allotted time of the workout. This style works perfectly for the gym when you can’t have a big screen out or are not motivated enough for a full video at-home workout. The 11-minute rep workout I did was not a strong enough workout on its own. I would recommend doubling or tripling up on classes since they are not very long. Nevertheless, the next day, my chest was sore from my intense push-ups and my legs felt toned from my lunge series.
These three options represent only a small portion of the many workout platforms available, and you can’t go wrong with any. Each provided me with a different type of workout but all had my endorphins flowing throughout the week. Although Northwestern has only had one full week of classes, I found a noticeable difference in my confidence and stress levels from these workouts. With these platforms, working out is as easy as a bend and snap.