Black Girls Do Stuff Too

Hey ya’ll. Nik Here and I get it. You’re stuck inside, and have been for 10, 14, 30 days, you’re going crazy and you just want to do…SOMETHING! I’m in the same boat. Here in DC, I’ve been on quarantine for a little over 2 weeks now with my parents and, somehow, my 19 month old niece. It’s been an adventure to say the least. Between chasing around a toddler, trying to navigate family relationships without having a huge blowup in a place you can’t leave and just wanting to go to Taco Tuesday, becoming anxious, depressed, or unmotivated can seem like just a day away. However, I’m here to tell you, there’s something else! With so much time to ourselves, whether we are able to work from home or not, there’s opportunities to take on activities that bring you peace, productivity, creativity or a new starting point. Follow me as I give you some tips and ideas for occupying your time during this period of stillness and uncertainty!

Get Active

Ok, so I’m just going to rip the band-aid off with this one. Most of us don’t want to hear that we should be working out or getting even a little exercise in everyday, especially me, BUT I’ve gotta say it’s true. I will be the first to say historically, I have not enjoyed working out. I like the results, but the action of making myself breathless and sweaty without a naked guy involved has just not been my thing. But during this time, I have been able to motivate myself to move a little more through fun and challenging workouts. Whether your gym has a virtual studio, you have an app you enjoy or you’ve found YouTube videos to follow, there’s so many options. Here are a few:

YouTube

I’ve found a few YouTubers who are great to follow that offer all sorts of workouts at every fitness level, with or without equipment. Here are some of my favorites:

MadFit – A great home workout focused YouTuber with many programs that are geared towards those in apartments (low impact, little jumping) all the way up to those who have equipment and are more advanced. You can also follower her IG @madfit.ig

Sweet Sweat – This one is a company that has a workout enhancer, along with a few others product, that has taken a foray into fitness videos. What makes them unique, is that they bring in several trainers, fitness gurus and other bit fitness influencers to bring a variety of workouts at every fitness level!

Simeon Panda – We haven’t forgotten about you fellas! This is a fitness influencer who is about his business. He has like a 12 pack abs or something crazy and offers you advice and workouts on how to get the same! He’s got workouts for various levels, but does focus more on gym workouts which you can modify for home. As a bonus, he even offers meal advice to help you achieve whatever your results are in the kitchen as well!

Workout Apps/IG:

When it comes to workout apps and IG, I tend to use the sparingly because they’re on the phone and I like a bigger screen to focus on when I workout. However, I know many of you love having the ability to workout anywhere in just the palm of your hand, so here are some that I actually really enjoy!

Nike Fitness App – This is a huge one! It’s under the Nike brand and has every kind of workout you can imagine. For gym, home and everything in between and at every fitness level. During this quarantine, they’re also offering free premium to get access to even more workouts! I have actually been using this one on and off for years and it’s my best friend when I travel! Check it out

Couch to 5K – If you’re not into running, but think you might want to be, check out couch to 5K. A running program that gives you a training regimen to get you to running over 3 miles in just 60 days. I’ve used it in the past to run the Color Run 5K as a challenge to myself in 2016, but was recently reminded of it by one of our twitter loves @thecutpodcast1!

Get a New Activity

There are so many opportunities to expand your skillset. Whether it be cooking, crocheting/knitting, decorating or drawing, there’s plenty of resources out there to have a new party trick once we’re allowed to party again!

Cooking

If you listen to our podcast or even followed along on our Food Month series you know I am a total foodie! I have a food/lifestyle blog, an IG where I cook about 4-5 times a week, a youtube and a Pinterest focused all on delicousness, so I am definitely one to advocate for cooking. No matter your cooking skill or desire, it’s kind of necessary right now, so why not either learn a new skill or a new cuisine? Here are some of my favorite cooking things:

The Kitchn Cooking School – In addition to cooking, The Kitchn offers lessons on cooking basics and techniques. You can learn how to broil and sear, sauté or make pasta! For those who have been learning to do more professional style cooking, this is a great opportunity to use what you have to create new and fun dishes!

Michael Symon’s IG TV – I am a HUGE fan of Michael Symon. His greek background combined with his love of BBQ and American classics gives him a great perspective on food. He’s also super personable and makes watching enjoyable, which is extremely important if you’re going to be cooking along for 20 mins or so!

Serious Eats – This is one of my favorite websites because it combines love of science with love of food and cooking. It not only gives you a recipe, but gives you the why behind why it works. From flavors to techniques, grilling to baking, you can find a recipe in nearly any cuisine you enjoy to learn to make.

New Skills and Activities

There are a few other things I’ve been enjoying are new activities and skills. I’m currently on a journey to learn the basics of screenwriting and looking at interior designing as well. Though Tiffani mentioned whittling in our podcast giving similar tips, you can pick up any skill, but here are a few suggestions:

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