The exercise regime behind Renee Bargh’s endless motivation

Renee Bargh’s Instagram feed reads like a how-to guide for wholesome, happy living. There are posts of her smashing out workouts (shout out to her training partner, Kelly Rowland,) indulging in saltwater therapy (followed by a beachside meditation, natch,) and downing green juices on the reg (this, btw, she reckons heals all.) 

But being in iso hasn’t made it easy for the 34-year-old to maintain these healthy habits. Hey, she’s only human!

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few months, it’s that there’s clearly two different kinds of people in lockdown,” she says in a recent interview with News.com.au. “There’s the people who have treated the whole experience as a self-help camp. They’ve learned a new language, picked up a musical instrument, become master sourdough bakers and experts in home fitness. Then there’s the other camp. The ones who’ve become masters of the Uber Eats menu, ninjas of the Netflix library, and great talents of the tracksuit pants.”

Renee admits she’s taken cues from both camps depending on her day, mood and motivation levels. Being in lockdown in Los Angeles when the first wave hit didn’t help matters (although she’s Byron born and bred, she’s been working as an entertainment reporter in the US for the past decade.)

“I got friends together over Zoom to do online workouts together, like pilates and dance classes, which gave us all accountability and also gave us the chance to catch up at the same time,” she told Health Hacker.

“A friend also started an ‘iso’ gym workout group and ran us through HIIT classes which kept me motivated and feeling strong. I’d never been a fan of online workouts until ‘iso’ and I wasn’t great at self-motivating. I also rarely cooked before all this, so I’ve really enjoyed being back in the kitchen and challenging myself.”

Renee is also a big believer in mixing up her methods of exercise. Personally, she swears by a combo of Pilates, yoga, HIIT and dance, and ensures she gives herself a break when she needs it. 

“I really think you need to have variety to stay motivated and excited about exercise. Sometimes you just feel like stretching or walking and that’s enough,” she added.

Renee says her twice-daily Transcendental Meditation practice has also been a “saviour,” as well as regularly touching base with family and friends back home. 

“For me, happiness is mindfulness. It sounds so simple, and it is, but I think life can get busy and we get overwhelmed and forget to appreciate the little things.”

“Getting out in nature and connecting to the earth always makes me feel grounded,” she continued. “The people you surround yourself with will impact your health and happiness in a big way, so choose wisely.”

Main image: @reneebargh

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