I took a YouTube Live workout class hosted by a Nike Master Trainer

I am a fitness buff — there’s no way around it. Normally, I go to a CrossFit gym 4-5 times a week to workout, but with gyms closed and a stay-at-home order in effect for New York City, I’m limited to working out in the kitchen/living area of my studio apartment.

I’ve been able to keep a somewhat normal workout schedule, getting in some bodyweight circuits and yoga sessions (courtesy of Amanda Balionis). But it’s been hard to stay motivated to keep moving.

Then I got an email from Nike inviting me to join a YouTube Live Nike Training Club Community workout. It was advertised as a HIT (high intensity training) class.

Being the fitness snob that I am, I rolled my eyes a bit and thought “How intense could it be? I do CrossFit.”

So I decided to give it a try.

I set my alarm for 9 a.m. on Saturday morning to give myself some time to walk the dog and drink some coffee (and water) before the class started. About 15 minutes before, I clicked the link in the email and waited.

And I was nervous?!

As I watched the clock count down to the start of the class, I was filled with trepidation. I wanted so badly to have a solid workout and sweat out all my stress.

Finally the class started and our Nike Master Trainer, Akin Akman brought the energy. From the very start he was pumping us up and spewing positive energy.

Being the realistic-bordering-on-pessimistic person that I am, I felt kind of embarrassed by all of his encouragement at first.

Akman took us through a quick warm up and then the intensity ramped up real quick. And it took me by surprise.

We started with a squat-plank-mountain climber combo which got my heart rate up, and then we moved onto “lunge choreo,” which included the dreaded jump lunges (one of my least favorite exercises). I was only ten minutes into this workout and my legs were already burning — “What did I get myself into?”

All the while, Akman is shouting encouragement through my laptop screen, making me feel like I was really taking a workout class in person.

Then he hit us with a bear plank to bear crawl combo that lit my shoulders and quads on fire and made me want to curse him, just like I do when I’m working out at my regular gym! You’re probably thinking at this point, “This girl is crazy, why would I want to ever feel like that?” Trust me, it was worth it.

Our final combo was a core circuit where we busted out some crunches, side v-ups, leg raises and I’ll be damned if I didn’t have a six-pack by the time we were done. (I didn’t, but wishful thinking.)

Overall, this class was just what I needed to get myself moving and relieve some stress. It was awesome to channel Akman’s abundance of positivity, even if just for an hour, and get myself moving again. It wasn’t competitive like Jonathan Wall’s Peloton ride versus Rory McIlroy, but it was fun.

Even better, these workouts happen every Saturday and can be found on Nike’s YouTube page. The workouts are hosted by Nike’s Master Trainers and rotate each week, meaning no two workouts are the same. Nike’s Training Club app is also a great resource for at-home workouts, and they’ve made their premium content free to help us all stay fit and healthy right now.

In total, this 40-minute workout was a great way to burn some calories and even though I felt awkward at the beginning, it was a great reminder that it’s important to make time and space for the things that matter to you – in my case fitness.

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