It’s week six of shelter in place in California, and my body is really starting to feel it. The first few weeks I tried to keep a schedule of doing an indoor walk in the morning to mimic my commute, and then another walk or workout in the evening. But the longer we’re at home, the easier it’s been to shake off exercise. I think other people are feeling it, too. My friend texted me the other week asking for at-home workout suggestions, saying she’s tried to get outside with her kids but her toddler’s slow walking can’t count for a workout! Having known me since I was a kid, she knew I’d have ideas for free, at home workouts.
I was first introduced to the idea of working out by my mom’s morning aerobics. She taped free workouts off the morning shows and would play them over and over. I started doing my own at-home workout when Darren’s Dance Grooves came out in middle school, although my interest in the video was short lived. In high school, while my siblings and I were in sports, on days off we’d often do our pilates DVDs or my mom’s tapes. Even in college I chose to workout in my room occasionally with a kickboxing DVD my best friend got me hooked on. It cut out the commute to the gym and I wasn’t self conscious.
While in my adult life I often go to the gym for workout classes, I’ve never given up on my at-home workouts. I’m always astonished when people pay a subscription for an at-home workout regimen when we have so much free workouts at our fingertips on the Internet! Now’s the time to explore what’s out there, and use my advice and create a “Workout” playlist of videos you like, so you don’t have to waste time searching. That’s the worst – because by the time you find a video you’re ready to give up!
See below for some of my favorite at home workouts, and one bonus Instagram tip:
When I’m feeling lazy
- Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone – You can see by the name, she’s the queen of walking, obvi. There are different distances you can walk from your home.
- Jessica Smith TV – Jessica Smith’s workouts are low key and no frills. Just get up and “walk,” and take a look at her cute french bulldog that often naps in frame.
- Joanna Soh “10,000 Indoor STEP🚶‍♀️Challenge” – The most upbeat of the bunch, this claims to get you 10,000 steps in the workout. I don’t quite believe it, but it’s one of the most upbeat low-impact workouts and the choreography keeps you engaged.
If you don’t have weights at home
- Tracy Anderson “Mat Arms Without Weights” – Tracy is one of the most widely known for her no-weight arms workouts, but video sharing of her workouts is strict. I search for her workout to see which user has uploaded it recently.
- MadFit “No Equipment Workouts” – MadFit has a full playlist of no equipment workout. You think you won’t feel the burn without weights, but you do!
If you want options
- POPSUGAR Fitness – You might have heard about PopSugar for the variety of other content it produces, and I’ve known it for the workouts for years. There’s variety in video offerings as far as type of activity and length, so you can find something for any night.
- Tone It Up – The two best friends are some of my favorite! I’ve been watching their videos since they had a low production quality on the public beach, and gained a respect for their hard work after watching their short-lived reality show. Back to their workouts – it has fewer cardio workouts than other channels, but a wide variety of workouts with equipment including weights, kettleballs, bands, etc.
- Denise Austin – Denise is one of the OGs and such a cute mom. I really like her cardio because while it’s not incredibly strenuous, it uses a lot of your lower body to help build muscle. She also features weight workouts and yoga/pilates.
If you want to do an Instagram live
The best advice I’ve seen in this quarantine related to working out is to add the Chrome plug-in “IG Stories for Instagram.” It’s the only way to watch Instagram Live on a laptop, and it’s great to have a bigger screen to follow along with the many workouts studios are now posting to Instagram. You can also pause the workouts in the 24 hours they’re up and even download them. I love being able to follow along with my favorite studios – even cross country for some! – at any time of the day.