Shake It Off - Dance Workouts

Cardio - The dreaded word that many people fear. Trust me, so do I- at least I used to. Before finding this fun way to burn some calories and sweat, I dreaded cardio. Running was not something I really did not do due to my knees or I just simply found it to be boring (I apologize to those who enjoy it). So was just doing lunges, jumping jacks, and more in a certain order.

It wasn’t until I found dance workouts did I really enjoy doing cardio. The fun-paced movements of them and music allowed me to forget about the pain (for the most part) and push myself harder. Below I have included some of my favorite YouTubers with dance workout videos. I highly recommend anyone to try them out.

Emkfit

Love this girl! She is by far my favorite dance workout YouTubers. She is always filled with energy and pushes you to continue on despite your muscles burning. She is even dying with you as she is NOT one of the YouTube workout instructors which will tell you what to do but not finish it with you. Before each song, she will go through 2 movements which will be repeated 3 times in the course of the song. While they may seem fun and easy, they will certainly burn before you are halfway through the song. If one move involves jumping there will often be an alternative for those with bad knees or other reasons. Typically there will be about 4-5 songs in each video with one being a warmup. In addition, each video has its own theme (Beyonce, Step-up, Hairspray, Breakup, the 2000s, and much much more). One of my favorite things about her is she encourages you to look stupid and go crazy. If a move is not working for you or you simply don’t like it, she will tell you to do something else which you want. It is not restricted to just what she says. I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to have some fun and burn those calories while dancing.

MadFit

Maddie’s dance videos are my second favorite and often give me a better workout compared to others. Her dance moves are built to both burn calories and work the muscles. Due to this, hers may be more slow-paced or structured than the others included (except for Lilly) but some are not. In addition, she has some ballet-themed dance workouts which I greatly enjoy. These will certainly hurt your legs by the end. Her videos do not have a timer or show what comes next, but I found this allows me to enjoy the music more since I wasn’t worried about how much longer I had. While I do not recommend some of her dance workouts for complete beginners due to her moves being slightly harder to catch up on, I think everyone should try one of hers especially if you want one which will work different muscles too.

Lilly Sabri

Lilly does not have many dance videos but simply great music alongside her workouts. I have found many different songs to add to my playlists from doing her workouts. Hers will also certainly work every muscle possible. Lilly’s videos are also very easy to follow and some are only 5 minutes long. This is great for people who have little time during the day to fit a workout in. Despite the short time frame, the workouts hurt especially the ab-workouts.

Pamela Reif

While I don’t typically do Pamela’s workouts as they don’t work my muscles very well, they are a great place to start. Her dance workouts are structured in an easy-to-follow way and include simple moves. They typically involve side-steps with arms movements that are fun and carefree. A timer at the top right corner of the screen will show you just how much time you have left for each move. In addition, there is a small word bank beside the timer which says what move you are performing. I believe this is a great place to start for those who don’t have much experience in dance and just want a fun, simple way to enjoy cardio. While her dance workouts might not work for me, they could easily burn calories for someone else.

Growwithjo

This channel I discovered while creating this article. Each of her dance videos has its own theme just like Emkfit’s. When it comes to the structure of the video, I found it to be easy to follow and filled with fun movements. In the upper left corner, there is a countdown for how long each move is. Once the timer hits 4 seconds, the ride side of the screen will show you which move is next allowing you to be prepared. She is always full of energy throughout the video which I found to be helpful in keeping myself energized.

As the scientific knowledge of our bodies and the things around us continues to grow, the well-being of ourselves becomes a bigger concern. There are so many different, evolving diets and work-outs in our world today that it's quite hard to find what is right for you. My main tip is to look for what you enjoy. It doesn't matter if it's completely different from what your friend does, as long as it makes you happy and accomplished.