No wonder you're skipping the gym more often than you'd like. You're working for I-don't-know-how-many hours a week while also taking care of your kids, significant other, and home. You want to keep up with your social circle and you want to stay in shape and be healthy. Sounds exhausting! If you really look at it closely, it might be a bit much for just one person.
I can still vividly remember my gym days. It would take me an awful lot of willpower just to get there. I tried all kinds of strategies, like going directly from work, finding a workout buddy [1], and signing up for group classes. I'd be successful for a while but never really made it to gym-rat status. There would always come a time that I just couldn't do it anymore. Which would result in quitting my membership or worse: paying for a membership without actually working out there. And that was before I even had a family!
Until one day, I discovered online fitness and a whole new world opened up for me. I could actually work out from home? Which meant I could show up for my workout in under one minute? And it would be like having my own personal trainer? I would only have to follow instructions and I would get a great workout? Sweet!
OK so it wasn't as easy as I'm making it sound. I mean, I still had to conjure up the willpower to actually start moving. Even when I was feeling lazy. Or tired. Or busy. Or . . . you get it. But still. Working out from home beats everything I have ever done to stay in shape. And as time went by, at-home workouts kind of became my thing.
This is especially true now that I am a mom [3]. I don't have to arrange for a sitter or my husband to be at home to be able to work out. I just do my workout while my toddler is in the room.
And knowing I am giving her an invaluable education by showing her that I stay active and take care of myself is the absolute best motivator for me to get up and do my workouts.
My at-home workouts [4] are also a great way to have some me time. I just love the way I feel when I am done with my workout. It helps me relax and feel happy, which gives me the energy to take care of all of those million things I want to take care of.
Online fitness programs have changed my life. If you want to try working out from home to see if you like it as much as I do, check out the following channels on YouTube.
POPSUGAR Fitness
How long have you been reading POPSUGAR Fitness? Did you know about our YouTube channel [5]? It's full of workouts that range from five minutes to one hour and require little to no equipment. The workouts are varied and plenty and feature the latest trends in fitness. Best of all, the videos are everything you love about POPSUGAR: upbeat, positive, and inspirational. It really feels like you're in a group class with a bunch of other ladies just having fun! Whatever type of workout you like to do, you can find it on the POPSUGAR Fitness channel.
Fitnessblender
Confession: I'm kind of in love with this husband-and-wife team. They've created over 500 free full-length workout videos [6] that blend HIIT, strength, Pilates, and yoga into awesome workouts. I love how down to earth and genuine they are. But best of all is their take on fitness: it's all about health!
PsycheTruth
Sometimes, all you need is some rest and relaxation. If you're having one of those days, head over to the PsycheTruth channel [7] and do some yoga. The channel contains full-length videos for every need you might have: yoga for back pain [8], yoga for digestion, yoga for energy, but also yoga for slimmer legs, and yoga for weight loss, to name a few.
DanceTutorialsLIVE
This channel [9] is for people who like dancing. Don't expect a conventional workout. What you get are tutorials to music video choreographies and how tos. Throw in a warmup and cooldown from one of the other channels, and you have your workout.
BeFit
This channel [10] features workouts by celebrity fitness trainers like Jillian Michaels, Denise Austin, Jane Fonda, and Billy Blanks Jr. They have a nice mix of workout videos that range from dance to kick-boxing to yoga. You will definitely find something you like.