Hi, guys, I'm Farrah! Like many of you, I love spending time watching TikTok. Some might call it an addiction, but I call it entertainment. After coming across many different ~viral~ TikTok workouts that could be done from home, I thought, I should get my ass up off my couch and try this. So I decided to chronicle my 30-day* journey for you, the internet.
Full disclosure: I wanted to do this because February is always a rough month for me. It's the anniversary of my dad's death, and often I find myself doing nothing but watching TV on my couch, so I wanted to start fresh in March. I was excited for the time change (more daylight!), and working out has always helped improve my mental health. So I found three TikToks that looked nonintimidating (I'm not a fitness guru here) and made myself a set of rules.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
By the way, I'm not getting paid to promote any of these products. I bought them all with my own money except for the Goli gummies, which were sent to me to try free of charge — all opinions are 100% my own. I didn't change the way I would normally eat, though, because losing weight wasn't my goal. I did try my best to eat nutritious meals, but I ended up making boxed brownies three different times. No regrets.
The three TikToks I decided to go with were based on virality and diversity of the workout routine. @User392726user provided an ab routine, @alyssa.g.ross came through with legs, and @blogilates (who I believe is actually a certified fitness instructor) helped me out with some cardio.
I'm going to link each of their TikToks below, but I ended up writing out the routines for easier viewing. The circuits look like this:
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
The abs TikTok actually recommended doing the circuit twice, but I ended up doing it three times. You can definitely customize these for what works for you!
For easier viewing ability, here is the first TikTok (Set 1):
Here is the second TikTok (Set 2):
And the third TikTok (Set 3):
I know her description says "fat loss," but that wasn't my personal goal. I wanted a circuit that involved a lot of cardio exercises, and this fit the bill.
I started Week 1 with an optimistic mindset, but in reality it was...exhausting. Whenever I start a new workout routine or lifestyle change, it's a bigger adjustment than I realize. By the time I finished all three workout circuits, my body was tired. I was sore the next day. And the day after. But! I persisted.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
My unamused face post-workout on Day 1, and my workout area in my apartment.
After my first week, I realized I needed to replace squat jumps and jumping lunges with mountain climbers and jumping jacks instead. It was too hard on my knees, and I didn't want to injure myself. The replacement exercises allowed me to keep my heart rate up, since the third circuit was more of a cardio routine.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
Squats with leg raise (left) and jumping jacks.
Week 2 was my last "outdoors" weekend before social distancing began in Los Angeles. I spent one of my cardio days hiking, and the other was spent running 3 miles at the gym. I knew I was getting a pretty good workout with the TikTok exercises because I worked up a SWEAT every time I finished each circuit.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
Me on the floor after a workout, feelin' like I could probably take a nap.
My dog, Gizmo, was very interested in what I was doing every time I got on my mat. I liked to think of him as my coach, pushing me to do JUST ONE MORE!!!!!! The ab circuit was beginning to grow on me, and the leg circuit was becoming my least favorite because of the difficulty. Legs have never been my favorite, though!
I started 100% indoor self-isolating routines by Week 3. The only thing that really changed were my two days of cardio. I ended up running 3 miles around my neighborhood for one of the days, and the other was spent jumping rope and doing mountain climbers plus jumping jacks for 45 minutes. I haven't jumped rope since third grade, probably, and forgot how hard it is! I was SO WINDED!!!!
My sluggishness started to fade completely during the end of Week 3. I was feeling good, both physically and mentally. I also felt better about bingeing shows if I was working out/stretching versus sitting on my couch. Also, I'm not sure if this was due to the TikTok circuits, the Seed probiotics, or the apple cider gummies, but I felt less bloated in the mornings, which was an improvement.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
One upside: Running let me explore new streets in my neighborhood that I'd never been down before. Also, don't forget to wear a mask/banana/some kind of face cover!
I felt like I'd gotten into the groove by Week 4 and realized that if I'm going to be self-isolated indoors for another month, I have to do something active every day. Even if it's something as simple as stretching! Gizmo continued to join me during my floor workouts, which mayyyyybe got 5% easier.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
Russian twists pictured above!
By the end of the month, I wasn't like, "THANK GOD THIS IS OVER WITH." I realized which exercises I would continue (abs, most of the cardio) and which I would leave behind (walking crab squats). If anything, this month introduced me to different exercises to try that maybe I wouldn't have done before.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
Plank jacks pictured above!
After 30 days, I noticed that my face felt less "puffy" and bloated. I know the angles aren't perfect in the pictures, but I can see and feel a difference. I have a feeling this has to do with 1) increasing my cardio workouts and 2) omitting alcohol from my diet.
Farrah Penn / BuzzFeed
But who knows? It could also be because I included the Seed probiotic in my vitamin routine. Or was it the apple cider vinegar vitamins? A combination of everything, maybe?
Since I wasn't on a strict diet, there wasn't exactly a huge ending ~transformation.~ The ab circuit was the only thing that gave me a bit more definition, and all three of the workouts felt like they helped improve my pelvic-floor tilt/posture. However, the biggest and most important change was in the way I felt mentally, which is why I highly recommend doing at least 30 minutes of any type of indoor activity during self-isolation — it doesn't have to be TikTok workouts!
When I started the month, I had no idea the coronavirus would spread so quickly and that we'd end up self-isolating. These 30 days showed me that even though fitness studios and gyms are closed, you can still make the best of things by staying active at home in whatever way makes sense for you. It's helped me stay in a good headspace, so I hope that if you decide to try something like this, it helps you, too!
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