Octaslider

For the very first time I’m introducing you to a piece of equipment I truly think is worth investing in – ladies and gentlemen:  The OctaSlider!Regardless of your fitness level, the OctaSlider can be incorporated into your life and help you achieve incredible results. It forces you to engage your Core to gain stability adding a whole new element to your fitness. The uses of this little (and easy to travel with) tool, is that it can be used for everything from physical therapy for knees, and shoulders to dynamic training drills for elite athletes.

The Next Youtube Fitness Personality

I am humbled and honored to announce my good news; I’ve been named one of the ‘The Next Youtube Fitness Personalities’! When I found out, I thought I was going to explode having to keep it secret from everyone for almost 2 weeks! But the secret is out of the bag and I’ve been receiving many comments and emails asking what exactly it means.

You see, Google/Youtube designed a worldwide search to find the ‘sweet 16’, which is the 16 people from all different types of fitness, and from all countries that could lead the way in the online fitness movement.?Think Jane Fonda back in the day ;) I’m serious, Jane Fonda brought fitness to the masses through TV and video, now there is a new shift in media, it’s ONLINE!


In recent years Youtube has become widely popular in certain genres such as entertainment, and while there are spontaneous viral videos, the mainstream population is not yet watching television online, but it’s coming….FAST (have you been in a television store lately?). AND, did you know that many ‘Youtube Stars’ generate more traffic than TV shows, and most content websites.

Youtube has become the next BIG social movement; in fact Google has given a $100million dollar advance to produce professional and deep content. These channels will involve celebrities ranging from Hollywood icons such as Madonna, Jay Z, Ashton Kutcher, athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal and Tony Hawk to shows such as ‘The Office” and people like Sofia Vergara launching her own show!

One of the other major platforms is going to be FITNESS – yes that’s right! Along with the other 15 personalities, I am participating in an intensive 3 month Google collaboration project where we will learn how to bring this market to the web through our shows. We are also given sponsorship advertising by non other than Google/Youtube themselves amongst other perks :).

So what does this mean for you? It means now I can give you everything I’ve been wanting to since I started my very first blog just 2 years ago. At a GREATLY accelerated pace. It is my goal to provide a channel that merges lifestyle AND fitness. I believe my athletic career (I’m a former competitive 10,000m runner) was cut short for a reason. All things fitness and health has always been my passion and now I have a way to share it on a macro platform. I hope to build a global community on my website and motivate and inspire people to try things they haven’t before, to embrace an active life, and to have a place to turn to when life throws curveballs.

You know, life is funny, when my running career ended, I was devastated and I thought my life when it pertained to ‘fitness’ was over. I moved to New York, took a corporate job and thought I would work my way up that corporate latter. But within a couple years, I felt I was losing my soul, my heart just wasn’t in it. I had SO many physical and mental limitations, and had no idea how I could ever get back to being ‘fit’ if I couldn’t run. I started with water jogging (while hating the water) and progressed to trying every possible form of fitness, I became a student of all things body and fitness., and in doing so I developed my own program based off my own and I started to get fit again and the best part was, I was happier than ever. I decided I wanted to help other people improve their lives through fitness, but I wanted to do it on a macro level, SO I went back to school, not just for personal training credentials, but also for my MBA, if I was going to do this on a BIG scale I needed to know how to build a business.

THIS is where I get a little corny on you, but I DO believe that when you’re in the right place, things have a way of working themselves out. In going back to school, I happened to land a huge modeling campaign and ended up signing with Wilhelmina. This allowed me to pay for grad school while living in Manhattan. It was just over two years ago that I started a blog, I didn’t know where it would go, but as I wrote, the brand developed. Fast forward to this past spring and I was out in LA working with TV production companies about shows when I found Makers Studios!!! One of the leading Youtube Production companies. I absolutely fell in love with them, the energy, the creativity, the chaos and the passion of what was going on here. I ended up signing with them this past summer to create the Amanda Russell Channel and it’s been the best decision I’ve made.

This is a very brief version of my story, but I felt the need to share it, so many people see the end product, but you never see how someone started out. There is no ‘right way’ to success, there is only ‘your’ way, and trust me, any true success stories involve walking through fire and many unglamorous moments, but passion and hard work will prevail.
NOW I introduce to you the other of the ‘YouTube Next Fitness Personality’ Sweet 16 – check them out!!

www.youtube.com/Blogilates – Beloved Pop Pilates instructor and designer of oGorgeous yoga bags
 www.youtube.com/DaveyWaveyFitness -Personal Trainer and Popular Blogger?
  www.youtube.com/FitnessFAQs - An amazing fitness resource
 www.youtube.com/fitnesstrainingbyjon - Trainer/Owner of Fitness on the Run 
www.youtube.com/genghisgirl -Bexlife?
 www.youtube.com/jdcav24 - Trainer to the Stars 
www.youtube.com/leemhayward - Holy muscles, check it out.
 www.youtube.com/Officialbarstarzz - Professional Parkour athlete, founder of APEX Movement
 www.youtube.com/PilatesAnytime - Co-Founder of Pilates Anytime!! 
www.youtube.com/StrongLikeSusan - Personal Trainer, Founder & Head Trainer of Strong Like Susan?

www.youtube.com/STRskillSchool – Incredible Football (soccer) Coach from England 
www.youtube.com/Xcellfitnessindia - PT from India 
www.youtube.com/yogatic - Yoga Teacher from Ireland 
www.youtube.com/YogaWorks - LA based Yoga ?