Due to lockdown, at home workouts are seeing a surge in popularity that they haven’t seen since the 80s. We’ve been crunching, curling – and sweating – at home more than ever this year. A whole new way to keep active has emerged and it’s never been easier than it is now to keep in shape.

Fitness bloggers and vloggers have gotten creative in their fields with the unexpected challenge of Covid restrictions and have been busy making innovative at-home workout videos. But how do you know which is the right one for you?

We are here to help with our round up of the best Irish fitness bloggers and our favourite videos, motivational posts, and fitness-nutrition plans they’ve created to help you sweat your way out of the post-lockdown slump!

Maebh Madden @maeve_madden

Maeve’s bubbly and motivating persona fills the entire screen as she takes us along on her workouts with her. The founder of the Queens Community, she has been focusing on educating women, helping them improve their health, body confidence and find a new-found love for fitness for over a decade.

Former professional dancer, best-selling author and personal trainer, she tells us ‘my workouts are for everyone, whether you are a beginner, or ready to take on a new challenge, I am here to help you become fitter, stronger, happier and more body confident all from your own home.’

This page, while motivating, is also a hub of body positivity, with Maeve keeping it very real and posting ‘unposed’ pictures too, explaining how the Instagram fitness culture can be deceiving;

‘You are not designed to be perfect. Your body is not a problem to be solved. Don’t let your mind bully your body!’

Our favourite thing about Maeve’s channel is her IGTV workouts! Focusing on cardio, toning and strength-building, Maeve’s workouts are full of upbeat tunes, easy-to-follow routines and extremely accessible fitness. Definitely one of our favourites!

Trisha’s transformation @trishas.transformation

Cork native, Trisha Lewis, began her transformation journey in February 2018 at 26 stone. Since then we’ve all been following along with her amazing and inspiring journey to fitness through its ups and downs, good days and bad days.

Trisha’s honest and upfront account documents not only the good moments but highlights the struggles of the mental journey to fitness, as well as the physical;

‘The truth is for this to work you have to be selfish in the best way possible. You have to prioritise water, food, sleep and exercise. You have to learn to say the hardest two letter word in the English language. No.’

Apart from inspiring stories, the 32 year old author, corporate wellness speaker and chef has an IGTV section full of delicious and healthy recipes for us all to try out. From broccoli soup to the perfect ‘fakeaway’ chicken curry, she’s got every taste covered.

Siobhan O’Hagan @siobh.ohagan

This Irish fitness lover living in Bali seems your typical influencer upon first glance. Bikini photos on boats, pool pics, and fabulously toned arms. But looking a little closer, her captions are full of nuance, mental health advice and promotion of body positivity.

The online coach is bright and real on her IGTV videos, warning of the dangers of diet culture and how cameras can distort our ideas of ourselves and our bodies.

When speaking about mental health awareness month last October she spoke about mental health being just as important as physical health;

‘Id like to encourage anyone out there who’s struggling to speak up. I started this page as a way of sharing mt fitness journey, and helping others do the same. But what I’ve realised is that no matter how much they can lift, how lean they are, no matter how perfect their body looks, you have no idea of what’s going on underneath…While I set out to help people with their training and nutrition, I realise that none of that is important if you don’t have peace of mind.’

With her quick rep routines, body confidence advice and FAB Bali pictures, this woman’s page is definitely one to keep and eye on.

Sarah Moloney @sarstri

Sarah’s utterly enviable body – and how she got it – is evident all over her feed. She says she ‘teaches women how to transform their bodies forever with ZERO restrictions’ and that powerful, assertive attitude is a trademark in her work.

Starting her fitness journey in 2016 after a rocky relationship with food and her body in her teens, the Carlow native has progressed as far as to receive a WBFF card and to participate in the world’s bodybuilding shows in Vegas in 2018.

Now a PT, her page features reels detailing her favourite exercises to tone different areas of the body, tips and tricks about getting started on your fitness journey and how to cultivate a healthy relationship with food while focusing on your body’s shape.

Vogue Williams @voguewilliams

Aside from her page being #lifestylegoals, Vogue Williams’ Instagram also functions as one of the more accessible fitness channels out there.

Her recent IGTV series of online workouts has seen her invite guest PTs such as Rosie Stockley and Dalton Wong to shoot workout videos together and focus on different aspects of wellbeing.

When she’s not serving amazing looks and giving hilarious and real updates about motherhood, the quick routines and workouts she walks us through have us sweating just watching her!

Ursula Walsh @ ursulawalsh_

Ursula Walsh is a qualified health & nutrition coach and mother to three kids. Her colourful lifestyle Instagram page is jam-packed with recipes for gorgeous food and well worth checking out on that basis alone!

Her page emphasises the importance of proper dietary regulation in your fitness journey and how diet culture is harmful;

‘I want to spread a message of positivity and show restrictions don’t work, I want to cancel diet culture and show how you can eat EVERYTHING using your intuition and be healthy without being hungry or depriving yourself! I want to show how we can be at any size and love ourselves the same. I was the same person before and after. And loved myself in both stages. Also want to point you can be healthy at any size. Size is not a reflection of a healthy body!’

For great, healthy dinner ideas give her a follow! Your meal prep will never be the same again!

Rozanna Purcell @ rozannapurcell

The Tipperary blogger has been a fitness blogger for years, showing people how to get fit at home before it was cool – and Covid necessary. Sharing her go-to stretches and fast ways to work out tips, her lifestyle is centred around her body.

Amidst her fashion, beauty and travel blogging, the main theme is activity. Whether she’s hiking in Glendalough or the MacGillyCuddy reeks, or posting messages of body positivity, Rozanna is always on the go;

‘Sometimes I wish there was someone I looked up to in my early twenties that told me these things & maybe I wouldn’t have wasted years trying to be a smaller version, a number & an idea of flawless that was probably never really real? Which was very time consuming & a load of sh*t tbh!’

Her IGTV recipes and workouts make her a must-follow for non-toxic fitspiration!