2020 is here! Did you make new health goals to follow this coming year (and decade)? If so, you need to plan how to make exercise a daily habit to accomplish your fitness goals.
Of course, we’re in the thick of cold and flu season, the weather is crummy, and many of us are financially recovering from holiday spending. Dropping large sums of money on a fitness program, joining a gym, or dragging kids out in the weather to the gym childcare might not be ideal for you. Don’t let that get in the way of achieving your health goals this winter! Instead, consider a YouTube Workout to help you stay on track.
I’ve been a certified group fitness instructor for over 10 years, and I was trained to teach Pilates mat and reformer classes over a year ago. You’d think I have no problem doing my own workouts at home whenever I want. After all, I come up with hour-long classes regularly and lead other people through exercises all the time.
Well, that’s just not the case.
Some days I just need to be a participant and follow along to someone else leading me through a workout. This is the beauty of YouTube workouts! Can’t make it to the gym because the kids are sick? YouTube. Don’t want to drive through the snow? YouTube. Not enough time? There are YouTube workouts that are less than 10 minutes long that pack a great punch! I also need to mention that I’m cheap, and I don’t like to pay for videos when I can find quality ones for free. I’m choosy about form, technique, and safety, so that’s important when I look for a workout video. Taking all these factors into consideration, I have come up with a list of my favorites that I recommend.
Here are some of my favorite go-to YouTube Workouts that I enjoy doing at home.
The Balanced Life Pilates with Robin Long
I subscribed to one of the free challenges that Robin offers and received a workout video in my email every day for a week. I then realized that she has an entire channel. Her compilation includes a variety of basic Pilates, prenatal and postnatal Pilates, gentle workouts when you don’t feel good, Barre workouts, and much more.
Each video ranges from just a few minutes to 30 minutes—so no matter how much or little time you have, she has a video for you. She gives great cues on form, which I love. Additionally, if you’re new to Pilates, she has a great “how-to” series on specific exercises. She’s also relatable as a mom, which I like.
Aside from a mat, or a chair for Barre exercises, you don’t have to worry about equipment. That’s a huge plus! I do recommend signing up for one of her challenges, they are completely free with no obligation at all.
FitnessBlender
When I had a newborn baby at home and couldn’t imagine leaving the house in the middle of winter, these were some of my go-to videos when I was getting back into my fitness game. FitnessBlender is a husband and wife team that offers hundreds of videos that give you no-nonsense instruction with great tips on form.
You can choose if you want to do a HIIT, total body, strength, cardio, core, you name it. If you have equipment that you enjoy using (I love the stability ball), they offer videos using just about everything you might want. However, they offer many options that do not require any equipment at all.
Videos range in length from 5 minutes to over 60 minutes, which again, allows you to fit in a great workout regardless of how much time you have on a given day.
PopSugar Fitness
If you’re a beginner or even a fitness pro, PopSugar Fitness has a video for you. Whether you are looking for a quick ab workout, boot camp, Zumba or dance, cardio, strength, or kickboxing this channel has everything in between.
There are a variety of instructors that give great cues. Anna Renderer is one of my favorites on this channel. As with the other workouts I’ve mentioned you can choose a video based on time and equipment to suit your needs.
BeFit
This is another well-versed YouTube channel with a great variety of workout videos for all types of formats and ability levels. I especially love the specific playlists for boot camp, ab exercises, 30-minute extreme workouts, and so much more led by a huge number of great fitness instructors.
I am going to age myself by admitting this, but I love the videos from Denise Austin. One of the first videos I ever purchased (way back in high school!) was her Abs of Steel video. She’s a timeless icon in the fitness industry, and I enjoy her encouraging-but-not-too-annoying voice, no-nonsense exercises, and cues on your form. If you want a great workout on the stability ball, she offers several unique workouts that I enjoy.
Do your workouts anytime and anywhere to build a healthy habit!
These are some of my favorites, but there are so many other YouTube workouts that can help you squeeze your fitness into your schedule this year, wherever you are. Try a few and see what you enjoy. Keep pressing play! Finding things you enjoy doing will help build a healthy exercise habit that will last you for the next decade and beyond!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXEAFy8uJqVAVW2PSW4BkSA love this channel!
This is such a great list! I’ve only been using PopSugar Fitness and although I love it I’ve been wanting more options. I work out every morning before the kids wake up and can’t wait to try these out. Thank you!