There are many reasons why at-home workouts are the best option for me when it comes to exercise, here just 5 of them:
1- You can do them whenever you feel like it: before work, at night, really whenever (just make sure you don't do a lot of jumps at night in case the walls are thin and you have neighbors downstairs ;) )
2- In case you don't live near nature (as I will for the following 5 months) and your joints won't take concrete as a running surface that well, it's a great alternative
3- No matter if it's raining, too hot, snowing or just uncomfortable outside, you can do it right in your living room
4- If you like to look presentable whenever you leave the house, you can save the time "preparing yourself" and just start the workout at home. No one will see what you're wearing, you can even do it in underwear because who cares, and fuzzy hair? Only you can see it in case you're working out in front of the mirror
5- It's cheap. You can choose from thousands of workouts for free and which don't need any equipment. Even if you go for strength training, you will only need a one-time purchase of affordable dumbbells, maybe a kettlebell. Nothing compared to the monthly prices for the local gym!
So, if you feel like that's something you could also enjoy, I'd like to share some videos/trainers that I find very good and whose videos you can find for free online (can it get any better?! :) ). Maybe you get inspired and want to try them as well.
Also, if you do at-home workouts as well, please share if you really like a certain trainer as I'm always curious to try out new things.
Here is my list of workouts/channels on youtube that I really like:
1- Keaira LaShae:
She offers dance workouts as well as some HIIT exercises, kickboxing and toning videos. It's a lot of fun if you like to move to the rhythm of the music, she seems very nice and I feel motivated during the workout. I started doing her workouts last year, on my first stretch of my weight loss journey and the thing I liked most about it was that I never got bored. Which is important if you want to work out every day. The length of her workouts varies between 5 min for short "challenges" up to 30 and 45 min full length videos.
2- Fitnessblender:
I only started doing their workouts this year. They have videos without equipment, but I feel the greater number is done with dumbbells. So I actually ended up purchasing a set of dumbbells and it was well worth it. I especially like the 5-day Challenge videos, as it combines HIIT with strength training and really seems to make a difference in body composition. The good thing is that in the videos where both of the couple work out at the same time, they offer one easier and one harder version of each exercise, so anyone can join. I never tried the programs you'd have to pay for, so I can't say anything about that. They have shorter 10 min videos up to 45 min to 1 hour+ videos which include warm up and cool down, so really all the work you have to do in one day.
I like that they get out of breath during the video shoot (seems very relatable :) ) and the chemistry between this couple is just great.
3- Jessica Smith TV:
This seems to be a great way to ease into the habit of working out. She has a lot of low impact walking-in-place videos, so literally everyone can do them. But lately she has also been adding more and more challenging videos which I feel is great because the walking videos really didn't do much for me anymore. She always has her lazy dog lying around which is quite funny and sometimes she has her mom join for the workouts, very nice videos!
4- Tae Bo Fitness:
It's a lot of boxing and kicking and it keeps you moving for the entire length of the video. The moment you have time for a break is the moment it is over and it goes over so fast, which is really great. Billy Banks is the instructor and he always has some nice motivational lines to share, either during or after completing the workout. You will find shorter workouts but I prefer the full-length 45m- 1 h workouts.
5- GymRa:
I didn't use this channel that often yet. But the few workouts I've tried were all quite good. Not as interesting as the ones I mentioned above but there is a lot of variety, so maybe you will find something you like. The people seem a little less relatable and charming than the guys from the channels I mentioned above so I think that's the only thing I like less about these videos.
So, I hope I was able to give some inspiration to a few of you who were looking for some workout options, especially if working out at home is your ONLY option (as it will be for me due to transferring to a country which is TOO HOT ;) for the next 5 months) and for those who have been wanting to spice up their routine or try something new.
As I said before, please please please share if you have some other youtube channels that you find great for working out as I'm curious to try out more and maybe find new favorites myself :)
Happy exercising! :D