Winter is coming, ladies. And with this god awful fact means that it’s about to be hard as heck to get your butt to walk across campus to go to the rec. Trust me, I lived like 20 minutes walking from the gym last year. It is nearly impossible to work up the motivation to work out when it’s -5 million degrees and there is a foot snow on the ground. And that’s coming from someone who works out at least six days a week.
So, you might be asking yourself: How did you keep up your exercise schedule when you didn’t go to the gym????? Easy! I just worked out in my dorm room. I actually grew to prefer this method to going to the gym. You have all the privacy in the world, you can exercise whenever you want, you don’t have to feel weird about just wearing a sports bra, and no creepy guys look at your butt when you squat. What’s better than that?
Here are the YouTube channels that helped me keep my summer bod all the way through winter (because being healthy is an all-year thing!!!!):
1. Fitness Blender
Run by husband and wife combo, Fitness Blender is my number one go to online source for workouts. I credit this channel with helping me lose 15 lbs!! They have workouts for everyone from beginner to fitness star and have so many different videos. Their more than 500 fitness videos range from yoga and stretching to HIIT (high intensity interval training) and strength training. My favorite thing about this channel is that it really feels like you have a partner while you’re working out at home. They push you and even make you laugh during each sweaty workout.
2. Popsugar Fitness
The best thing about Popsugar is that they’re always bringing guest trainers on their channel to keep things fresh and fun. The videos are usually geared more toward bodyweight/light weight toning and cardio videos, which are perfect for people who don’t have a lot of equipment handy. They also have videos that aren’t just work outs so you can get food inspiration too. #twobirds #onestone
3. Yoga with Adriene
Adriene makes the best yoga practices for beginner yogis. She keeps things super casual on her channel and often does specific pose instruction videos. She also does daily video series for anyone who wants to really dive into their practice. Her specific and somewhat quick videos paired with her warm attitude are a great way to get your zen on without being an expert. But for those who are intermediate to expert….
4. Yoga with Tim
This channel is a little more involved than Yoga with Adriene. The videos are longer and don’t have as much instruction. For more of a burn I would definitely recommend Tim. He’s also super attractive, so he has quickly become my go-to online yoga instructor. I can always count on Tim to provide me with a good workout, a sense of serenity, and most importantly some eye candy.
5. Blogilates
No lie, I find Cassey Ho incredibly annoying. But her annoyingness makes me work harder for some reason. Her peppy little voice just gets in my head and pushes me through the burn. Aside from her tendency to be aggravating, her videos are super hard. They are quick and area-specific videos that are perfect to add to the end of not-so-satisfying work out.
6. Dance Fitness with Jessica
These are another great add-on to the end of a workout. Jessica choreographs and dances to popular songs in her videos. They are usually easy enough that you can follow along on the first go around. I usually intend on doing one or two video for a few extra minutes of cardio and then find myself 30 minutes later a sweaty mess because they are so much fun. I don’t do Zumba, but after dancing along with Jessica, I definitely see the appeal.
So there you go. You no longer have an excuse not to work out once the weather starts to turn! Remember to have fun with your fitness and don’t take it too seriously. If you’re roommate walks in on you in the middle of an awkward yoga pose or while you’re dancing alone in your room, laugh it off and remind yourself it’s all fun and games – and your health.