Chicas, see those coconuts behind you? Don’t let them get saggy; a Latina butt is to be coveted after all. Lift and shape yours with these five exercises designed by fitness expert Massy Arias — BTW, have you seen her coconuts?! Warning: this will not be easy, but the burn will be worth it next time you throw on your fave bodycon dress.
As our community works to beat and recover from the Covid pandemic, mitúCares wants to help those helping our community in this time. We asked all of you to nominate people who were making our community better with their work and you delivered. mitú is proud to announce that Babes in Wellness is one of two winners for the mitúCares grant program.
Babes of Wellness is more than a fitness business.
Founder Kat Novoa started Babes of Wellness with a vision to help people achieve wellness as well as physical fitness. Novoa started Babes of Wellness in South LA as an extension of her work as a domestic violence advocacy.
“I became a domestic violence advocate back in 2016 and in volunteering in these shelters and providing complimentary fitness classes for the survivors of violence that were at these shelters, I realized that fitness wasn’t enough for them. Once I introduced them to mindfulness practices like meditation, journaling, just affirmations, I really noticed a change in them and a shift in their mindset.”
Novoa noticed that the fitness industry was not a place that allowed for the mindful healing that can happen while engaged in physical fitness. The male-dominated industry wasn’t built to help with that kind of work.
“Women have been stigmatized for so long and sexualized because of our bodies,” Novoa says. “There’s not really an emphasis, especially in a male-dominated industry like the fitness industry, to take care of and tend to our emotional needs, our spiritual needs all in one place.”
The fitness professional wanted to make sure she helped the community that made her.
Novoa grew up in South LA and there was nothing the community like Babes of Wellness. She saw this as an opportunity to bring something to her community that will help people heal and grow, especially after 2020.
The pandemic has devastated low-income communities and communities of color. Our community has experienced the disproportionate impact of Covid with mounting deaths and financial losses. Unemployment surged and hospitals filled with our loved ones leaving a lot of damage and trauma from which we still need to collectively heal.
“Me, myself, I recently lost my dad due to Covid and I think that for me now that my business and the mission has really changed in the last few months for me,” Novoa recalls. “Now, more than ever, I feel even more passionate about helping our community and really teaching them these principles where they haven’t been taught. They’ve never had access or resources to someone who looks like them that cares about them and knows their struggles.”
Novoa plans to use the same skills and tools she uses to help survivors of domestic violence to find peace to help others heal. The boutique fitness studio is a place where people can find peace while working up a sweat.
Knowing that her work is helping people is the most important part of her day.
Novoa is moved by every client that tells her how much they get out of the work they do with her. Her plan is to make sure that everyone can get to their goals while enjoying the work.
“There was a girl that followed me on Instagram for a really really long time. Years. Prior to me going into this industry though mutual friends,” Novoa recalls. “She saw my journey and she thought 1) she looks like me 2) she’s female in a male-dominated industry 3) she’s Latina 4) she works with survivors of violence. She was a survivor of violence herself. She was overweight and she was really really insecure and she never thought that in her life she could look and feel and be the way that she is.”
Two years later and Novoa is still working with the client.
With the official start of 2021 – which will hopefully be so much better than 2020 – the desire to be physically fit and achieve that “beach body” (whatever that is) is at a seasonal high. Whether due to a new year’s resolution to get in shape, stay active, lose weight, or simply be more healthy, people are looking for ways to feel and look good despite being under stay-at-home orders.
Across the country, gyms are still closed thanks to the pandemic and many of us are looking for new ways to follow those fitness goals. Enter YouTube: it’s full of incredible, free workouts that are sure to get you motivated. Here are some of our favorites:
The Fitness Marshall
If you’re like me and hate working out, then The Fitness Marshall may be your answer. Fitness guru Caleb Marshall combines hit pop songs — like “Heat” by Kelly Clarkson and “Pony” by Ginuwine — with dance moves that help you break a sweat and have fun doing it.
Fitness Blender
Run by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Kelli, Fitness Blender is a simple yet great channel. All of their videos are filmed with a white background so you can actually focus on what they’re doing. They have more than 600 full-length workout videos, and more than 150 of those are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) to get your body moving and blood pumping. All workouts range from 5- to 45-minutes. While some videos require some basic equipment, many can be done with your body weight alone.
Popsugar Fitness
Filmed in a fitness studio with at least three people, the channels feels a bit like an old-school ’80s workout video, without the signature fashion and hair of course…but it does bring that fun group attitude right to you. The channel has different categories: beginners, HIIT, dance cardio, plus workouts targeted at different body parts. You can also choose a class based on length (10 minutes, etc.) Plus, they have a section full of no equipment cardio workouts so you can get your heart rate up without leaving the house
The Body Coach
The Body Coach (aka Joe Wicks) believes that everyone should be able to work out, no matter their fitness level or budget. The channel has more than 250 videos, including challenges, time-based workouts, and workouts for specific body types. There’s a new HIIT workout every week. One of the coolest parts of the channel is that it also has workout for kids, including a daily P.E. class that might be very helpful for any parents who have basically started homeschooling their kids.
Blogilates
No list of YouTube fitness channels is complete without Blogilates. This widely popular channel has close to 4.5 million subscribers and focuses on POP Pilates, PIIT28 and Bootcamp Sculpting. If you have no clue what those are, don’t worry. You don’t need to understand it to enjoy these workouts.
Certified fitness instructor Cassey Ho’s friendly demeanor makes laying on a mat and working your core, legs, arms and butt almost enjoyable.
Flightmaster Yoga
This channel is not about being a perfect yogi. The motto of the channel is “It’s not about the pose.” All Lesley Fightmaster wants from you is to show up and do your best. She has a number of full-length yoga practices for anyone at any level. You can start with the for beginner videos and then work your way up to 30-minute practices, 45-minute hatha practices, and full 1-hour practices. The tone is supportive, comforting, and non-judgemental. Show up and try your best to see what happens.
Roberta’s Gym
Think of Roberta’s Gym as the Alexa of exercising. This animated trainer doesn’t really have a personality, but her on-screen timers and rep counters help you keep track of what you’re doing better than any humanoid.
BullyJuice
Despite the name, this instructor isn’t a bully at all. He offers up super motivational videos that anyone can do from the comfort of their home. And he keeps it simple: 20 minute full body workouts that require no equipment. Yes, some of the workouts will kick your ass but what do they say? No pain, no gain!
