Why videos? And how can I get the most out of them?

photos by Kathleen O’Neill

At the time we decided to launch a video subscription service, I had been getting requests for videos for a long time. Many of our clients love to travel, but they don’t want to lose momentum with their workouts. They have difficulty finding workouts like ours in other locations, and they also find it difficult to leave their families while on vacation to exercise.

In addition to our travelers, requests for videos come from new mothers who can’t leave home to take fitness classes, from clients who need quick, at-home exercises to fit into the middle of their busy lives, and from people interested in our method who do not live close to our classes or privates (big shoutout to our friends in Japan, Italy, Croatia, Austria, and beyond!).

While creating videos, I had to decide on the best way to approach the project – to create a structure that could satisfy the needs of a range of different kinds of clients and stay true to the essence of Body Conceptions. I wanted an effective and fun workout designed to be part of a larger wellness-driven lifestyle. And I wanted to make sure our subscribers felt engaged and taken care of.

Before committing to a video subscription, how do you know it’s right for you? And how do you get the best out of it without getting bored or burnt out?

I am including some tips below in addition to some information that should help you better explain how our videos work. And as you can see below, we are always open to your thoughts and ideas. We couldn’t be the company we are without YOU!

How is the Body Conceptions Video On Demand Subscription structured?
You can subscribe per month or per year depending on your preference. Videos are organized into bundles that each consist of smaller, 6-10 minute exercises as well as a full 35-40 minute workout that contains all the exercises put together. You can mix and match separate exercises or do a full workout depending on your needs. Video bundles are added every few months.

How should I tackle an at-home workout?
Put aside enough time and materials. Especially the first time, make sure you put aside some time in your schedule to set yourself up in your living, get the video working on your TV or laptop, and have all your materials ready (which include weights and a mat for most of our workouts).

Complete the whole workout. Pick a video and commit from beginning to end. This might sound obvious, but it’s not. Most videos are designed to take you carefully from the beginning to the end of the exercise, and completing it is the best way to experience it fully and correctly. We have made this process easier by designing exercises that can be completed quickly (in just 6 minutes!) – or you can do them together with other exercises.

Invite friends. Ok, you might prefer to try these videos on your own a few times to get the hang of it. But working out is definitely more fun to do with friends. Recruiting a friend to join you – or even a group of friends – can help make the experience better and also help you stay accountable to your workout routine.

Which Body Conceptions videos should I use and when?
Start with Complete Workout #1. Especially if you don’t know our workout, the best way to experience the way we work is to do one of the complete, full-body workouts. The progression of exercises is deliberate, and the first workout contains the best and most complete explanations. You may decide to cut and paste exercises later on, but this will give you the best taste of the method from beginning to end. For all bundles, I recommend trying the full version before committing to shorter favorites.

Think about your preferences. Our philosophy is that the best way to incorporate exercise into your life regularly is to do what you love. This applies to these videos as well. Figure out which ones you prefer, and don’t be shy about using them. We can keep track of the videos that are viewer favorites and create more exercises that are similar. Don’t forgot, however, that the best way to see results is to challenge your limits and introduce your body to variety. Make sure you venture into new and challenging territory as you design your daily workouts.

Make a schedule. As with any exercise routine, it’s incredibly easy to back out when you leave things up to chance. You can easily get distracted in front of your television or decide at the last minute that you’re too tired to exercise. Try making a workout schedule for yourself at the beginning of the week, and do your best to stick with it. Over time, doing workouts at home will become a routine you crave regularly.

Use the videos as supplements. Didn’t get enough abdominal work in your yoga class? No problem! End your evening with a quick 6 and a half minute abdominal workout at home, and consider your fitness night complete!

What’s special about our service?
We will grow a library that will only get bigger and bigger, and we will start introducing specialty workouts over time, which include pregnancy videos, use of props, dance routines, and extra difficulty. We will also create partnerships with different wellness businesses and offer amazing access to those businesses to our subscribers.

Most importantly, we want your thoughts on these videos and will take requests as seriously as possible. We also promise to keep subscribers updated on developments with the videos and with Body Conceptions as a company. We love the Body Conceptions community and want our subscribers to feel included!

What’s coming up?
More and more and more! Stayed tuned for more videos (added this month!), in addition to partnerships with other wellness businesses and ways to connect with our online community.

Enjoy your videos – and be sure to let us know what you think!!

Kathleen O'Neill Photography

Meet Our #BoCoBesties Challenge Winner, Melanie!

Photos by Kathleen O’Neill

Intro by Mahri Relin

As we headed into our Valentine’s Challenge this time around, we decided to focus on friendship. We had seen groups of friend take our challenges together – and we also saw challengers meet each other and become friends during our challenges – but we had never incorporated friendship as the primary theme. We knew it would be a great thing to try, but we never imagined it would bring such great results.

Melanie came to Body Conceptions through her friend and former challenge winner, C. Lo. We saw right away that she poured herself into our classes and took the challenge very seriously. She also had such a lovely energy and fit really beautifully into the rhythm of our classes. In general, our results with the challenge this time around were stunning. For the second time in a row, we saw results across challengers that far surpassed previous challenges, and we saw that friends taking the challenge really motivated each other. Above everyone, however, Melanie achieved the best results by far!

Get to know Melanie below. She’s a superstar student pursuing her PhD in Psychology and Law. And she’s also the nicest person. Hopefully you’ll see her the next time you come to a BoCo class. And feel free to invite your own friends to come to BoCo classes with you. It (obviously) makes such a difference!!

~ Mahri

Kathleen O'Neill Photography

Tell us about yourself! 

 

I’m 29 and originally from the Boston area. I moved to NYC 10 years ago to go to college at Fordham, and (to my surprise) I never left!

 

Describe your career and how you originally got into the industry! 

 

I’m currently in my third year of a Ph.D. program in Psychology and Law at CUNY, where I do research on how implicit biases affect jury decision-making and police interrogations. I studied psychology as an undergraduate with the plan of pursuing a career in early childhood development, but then I took a Psych & Law class during my senior year and was hooked! It’s really gratifying to know that my work has the potential to effect real change.

Body Conceptions Challenge Winner

How did you find out about Body Conceptions’ challenge? 

 

My friend C. Lo was a challenge winner last summer, and after hearing so many great things about BoCo from her and her friends, I decided I had to try it for myself!

 

What kept you motivated throughout the 6 weeks?

 

The people! All the instructors are so motivating and do a great job creating a nonjudgmental environment. I always felt comfortable taking breaks if I needed to, and never felt like I was competing with anyone else. Julia (my team leader) and my challenge teammates were awesome too – everyone was always so enthusiastic and supportive.

How did it feel when you found out you won?

 

Excited, and surprised! I honestly couldn’t believe when I heard how much I lost. It’s easy not to notice gradual changes – for most of the challenge I felt like nothing was changing, and then suddenly I had lost over 20 inches!

Headshot NYC

What are you going to do now that the challenge is over? 

 

I definitely want to keep going to BoCo classes regularly. As a busy student, it’s easy to develop bad habits, like ordering take out and skipping workouts. This challenge has reminded me how important it is to invest in my health. Not only does my body feel stronger, but I’m also sleeping better and have more energy.

 

What do you do for fun when you’re not working or working out? 

 

I love to eat! My favorite thing about NYC is that there are always new and exciting restaurants to try. I also love traveling and take trips whenever I can – my next destination is Hawaii!

 

How does BoCo compare to other workouts you’ve tried? What makes it special? 

 

I love that the workout targets every part of your body and include both cardio and strength training – you really get everything from one class. The instructors are also great at being consistent while still incorporating new and fun exercises into the classes. A lot of exercises are repeated from class to class and all the instructors have signature moves, so I could get comfortable with the exercises and gauge my improvement over time. At the same time, there’s enough variation to keep it fun!

 Kathleen O'Neill Photo

What advice do you have for future challengers to succeed? 

 

Plan ahead and commit to classes! I know from experience that it’s so easy to come up with excuses not to exercises (drinks with friends always sounds like more fun!). At the beginning of the challenge, I went through my calendar and penciled in all the classes I wanted to take over the six weeks. Sometimes things would come up and I would have to rearrange my schedule, but having committed to it beforehand helped me stay on track and go to at least four classes a week.