I have always loved working out and motivating others to do the same. But corona really put a dent in things, my work-out sessions included. After a local gym cancelled my part-time bootcamp class due to Covid-19, I reached out to my regulars and offered to continue our classes, for free, over Zoom.
During the pandemic I would keep in shape by going on YouTube and watching the "follow along" fitness videos like Fitness Blender. As time went on I thought to myself, "I can do that!" So, I started from scratch and began researching what it took to start a YouTube channel.
I had to be creative about where to film, so I found a spot in my basement and asked my husband to put up some fake blinds to make it look better. For Christmas I got a big workout mat, a full free-weight set, microphone/headset , and was able to use my iPhone for filming. I filmed videos, but then had to edit/put them to music/add timers etc. It was a HUGE learning curve for me as I tried to navigate through video editing. Then I realized I could do so much from my iPad that I invested in a Macbook Pro. I learned to edit movies from other YouTube video tutorials using iMovie.
After filming a few videos I realized I needed to be branded. I asked my good friend Lori Bloom at Lori Bloom Designs, who is also a talented graphic designer, to come up with a logo for me. She did a great job. I then hired a YouTube guru to help me with SEO/analytics on the channel in hopes of improving my views, look of the site, and increase my subscriber count.
It's a new channel, still in progress, but I am very proud that I can call it "mine". Maybe one day (after I reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time) I can get monetized. For now, it's a fun hobby. You are always welcome to check out my channel, Body by Paradise or look up Body By Paradise on YouTube. Feel free to pass along to your friends who would like to keep in shape!
Note that it's important for YouTube analytics to play the video mostly through. Did you know that if you start watching a video and click off of it quickly then YouTube thinks you are not interested and won't push out that video to other people? Crazy! I promise though, if you do try my videos you will increase your metabolism, burn a ton of calories and sculpt your muscles!
The silver linings, so far, with my CovidLife is, I was able to retrain myself while continuing to train others!
_ Elaine P.