The Witch List : 8 KickAss Fitness Gurus Online




1. Tara Stiles seems like a rad dude, a groovy unpretentious hipster who just happens to own her own NYC Yoga Studio and has just published a book, Yoga Cures, with a forward by none other than Deepak Chopra. Vanity Fair dubbed her "the coolest yoga instructor ever", so I believe I'm stating the obvious in putting her here at the top of my list. She may be all that & a bag of vegan chips, but she can also be quite silly and still makes YouTube videos from home & on the road.



2. Zuzana Light is ALL light. She keeps such a positive attitude while... kicking your ass! Her workouts are intense and sooo NOT for sissies, but I promise you this- You. Will. See. Results. She's big on interval training and the creativity she employes in coming up with new routines keeps things interesting and really, if you don't mind sweating your brains out, quite FUN.



3. Sadie Nardini teaches Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga, and what I love about her is her rock & roll, down to earth personality. I highly recommend searching her YouTube channel for the kickass videos she's made on mudras, breathing techniques, and, as I mentioned in the video above, "Face Yoga". Cute haircut too, right?



4. Amanda Russell moved to the United States from Canada on a running scholarship and was just closing in on the Beijing Olympics for the 10,000m when she suffered a career-ending leg injury and was told by doctors that she’d never run again. Determined to recover & continue pursuing her passion for fitness, she worked through two years of rehabilitation and then moved onto winning triathlons. Impressive, right? Now she's helping others reach their fitness goals via her own AR Program, praised for "its ability to achieve a lean & fit runner’s body without running", and Amanda Russell TV, a popular YouTube fitness & lifestyle channel that brings the gym to your living room.



5. Rebeka Borucki of Bex Life is just crackling with personality. She's a mother-of-four, a fitness & yoga instructor, and an urban farming hobbyist, raising backyard chickens & growing her own organic garden in a tiny urban space. Plus, I dig on her kickass tattoos!



6. Tiffany Rothe has a philosophy that really resonates with me - "change your mind, change your body, change your life”, and her creative approach to fitness pulls from a colorful back-story that includes everything from jazz & ballet to spinning & weight lifting to founding her own studio "for mind, body & spirit". She's a multilingual leader and a Get It Done kind of woman, and I really enjoy the way she incorporates dance moves into her workout routines.




7. Forty six year old hard body, Susan Becraft of Strong Like Susan, is an inspiration before she even opens her mouth. Her body is a testament to the youth-extending benefits of weight training, and her story of recently making the switch from being a suit in the corporate world (with chronic fatigue syndrome no less) to a personal trainer at Rocky’s Gym in Santa Cruz makes me smile.



8. I already featured Cassey Ho of Blogilates in a previous Witch List, 7 Kickass Women To Admire On The Internet, but I don't mind listing someone this sweet & inspiring twice! I love her sunny California girl personality & her unique style of POP pilates is a refreshing break from the stoic norm.



THE BONUS "GURU" : I'm adding Bianca Jade aka Mizz FIT just for fun. She's not exactly a fitness guru, although she IS the picture of health & does feature workout clips from a variety of experts on her show. Her thing is more about looking stylin' while getting your sweat on & touting the virtues of what she affectionately calls "fitness couture".



Do you use the internet for workout inspiration?

Who is your favorite fitness guru?

Feel free to add to the list in the comments section below!