Maintaining a regular workout routine throughout the entire year is very hard. There are many things that can come up between us and our workout. For example, vacation, bad weather, meeting that lasted longer, a sudden call from a friend or you name any other excuse. It becomes especially hard in the winter. It is cold and way harder to get out of bed. Also, our hair becomes wet, so it takes longer to get dry in order to go out in the cold. We are all familiar with this. Life happens, but skipping a workout should not be an option. Why shouldn’t we have a summer body in winter as well?
Workout time is “me time” and “me time” is prime time. That’s the time spent on my health and wellbeing. I schedule it like I schedule any other very important meeting. It’s in my calendar and attendance is required, not optional. I am not a fitness expert, but I believe sharing my experience might be helpful to others with similar issues.
I already wrote about running and the reasons why I started running. Doing only one physical activity can become boring over time. That’s why I combine going to the gym, swimming, and doing workout videos at home. It’s a great combination.
Why home workout videos can be better than a gym?
Home workout videos are great for many reasons:
- It is faster. As their name says – you do them at your home. No need to lose time going to the gym and back. As soon as you are done, you can get in the shower and get ready for the rest of the day.
- It is way cheaper than a gym, a personal trainer or completely free (more info later in the post).
- No additional equipment needed– you do everything with your own body. This is the best way to get lean muscles and not get bulky.
- They are very effective and you will get results if you are consistent.
- You can workout while traveling. In your hotel room or apartment. No excuses.
A workout mat and dumbbells are all the equipment you will need but you can also work without it. There are workouts you can buy (and get online support to achieve your fitness goals), but there are workouts that are completely free. Here are my suggestions for workout channels and videos:
BeFit – YouTube channel
They have almost 3 million subscribers and many videos and playlists. I prefer doing full workout videos, but there are many short exercises that target just one muscle area. My favorites:
40 minutes total body fat burn workout
Beach body HIIT workout – This one is filmed at the beach, but the beach body must be built during winter 😉
Fitness blender – YouTube channel
They are very easy to follow and I like them the most. Before every exercise, they explain and show the move, so you are able to do everything even when you do it for the first time. Most of them include warm-up and cool down and stretch which is very important. Don’t skip those when working out. I recommend:
40 minutes cardio HIIT workout, no equipment
40 minutes total body strength training
Total body toning low impact cardio, 30 minutes
Fat burning cardio, 37 minutes
1000 calorie workout & 1000 calories workout 2– this is A LOT of cardio, for those in shape, wanting to lose weight. As the title says – attempt at your own risk. It lasts an hour and a half and it is very challenging. I did it once. Enough if you ask me 🙂
Jillian Michaels
When I started being interested in fitness and workouts, I was an exchange student in the USA. I was first introduced to Jillian Michaels. She became famous for being the trainer in the American TV show The Biggest Loser where people compete who will lose more weight. I read her book and did many of her workout videos. You must buy the programs; they are not expensive and totally worth it. When I came back from the States the first time, I gained a lot of weight so I did many Jilian’s cardio-intensive programs. I tried and I recommend:
30-day shred. If you do this workout for 30 days, you must see the results. Don’t skip the workouts and you will see the difference. For the first 10 days, you do level 1 workouts which are a bit easier but still very hard. Then you move to the second 10 days where they get a bit harder, and during the third 10 days, the difficulty level goes up again. Each workout is 30 minutes long and you only need dumbbells and an exercise mat. They are short but very effective. I also love her pep talk during the workouts!
No more trouble zones. This is an hour-long workout and you will die… but in a good way 🙂 It targets all body areas and is very aerobic. A lot of cardio, but with a lot of strength as well. You need dumbbells and a mat.
Banish fat boost metabolism. This is another hour-long workout that has a lot of cardio. Yes, you will die again but feel great afterward. You don’t need dumbbells, just the mat.
Yoga meltdown. I never did yoga prior to this workout. It is hard and makes you sweat. All of you who thought that yoga is easy, try doing this video 🙂
Cardio kickbox – this is my favorite one when I don’t have much time, but still want to get the workout done. It is only 20 minutes long but you will burn 200-250 calories and be completely sweaty. It’s great!
Rachael Attard
If you want to work on your legs, Rachael Attard has specialized in leg workouts. I started following her and learned a lot. Your workouts should be tailored based on your body type and on your goal. For having stronger muscles, you will need weights, while losing fat and becoming lean require less weight and a lot of moderate and high-intensity cardio. She recommends a lot of walking.
Popsugar fitness
I haven’t done any workout from this channel, but I have heard of it and it’s very popular with many different workouts. It’s good to bookmark it when you want to pick something else. They have Zumba and Hip Hop workouts, so if you are into dancing, go for it.
Let me know your experience if you tried any of the workouts? Do you have other videos to recommend?
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