Hello! How are you doing? I hope you’re hanging in there and taking care of yourself as best you can.
If you happen to find yourself feeling a bit glum, tired, anxious or simply funky in any way these days, have you tried moving your body a bit? I don’t even mean in the “see 10 do 10”-push-up-challenge-that-is-inundating-Instagram kind of way. Lately, I’ve been finding that a good way to get out of my head and help myself feel better is to do some kind of movement at home every day. These workouts tend to range widely in intensity and form. Some days this means I will simply put on a little music and do a dance around my bedroom, other days it means I do a calming yoga practice or lift weights. While the situation we’re in is not ideal in any way, free online classes from many local and national workout studios can help bring some brightness to our days. Of course, you can always go for a walk, jog or bike ride outside as long as your state is currently allowing it! But if you’d like to workout from the comfort and safety of your own home, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of new workout options you could try during the next couple of weeks.
- Yoga With Adriene
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Adriene is the SWEETEST human. I have been using her free yoga videos on YouTube for years, and I love them so much. She has so many wonderful challenges and videos for various situations, and she’s not an instructor that takes anything too seriously. Also, her dog, Benji, often makes an appearance in her videos. Adriene’s voice and her cheesy jokes and explanations can help provide some lighthearted distraction and healthy guided movement.
- 305 Fitness
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I just found out about this dance company, and their videos are also on YouTube. If you’ve been sitting on the couch all day attempting to be productive (or on the opposite end, watching Netflix and scrolling through Tik Tok for hours), this channel provides a variety of fun dance videos and various workout videos to get you up and moving.
- Barre3
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Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Barre3 workouts. I just got my roommate to do one of their 30-minute videos with me yesterday, and we were so calm and sore by the end of it. I love these workouts because they’re low impact, barely require any props and they fly by. In addition to their free 15 day trial, they have also been offering workouts every week on Instagram Live. If you’re interested, feel free to follow their account and just turn on live video notifications!
- Gymshark
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Gymshark has recently made a number of workouts on their app for free. Most of the workouts are focused on strength and endurance, and they are accompanied by videos showing how to do each move.
- Nike Training Club
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Similar to Gymshark, the Nike Training Club app offers various types of free workout plans and videos. I like these workouts because there are so many options to choose from: 15-45 minute workouts at Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Levels; Low, Moderate and High-Intensity; Bodyweight Only, Light Equipment or Full Equipment; and time-based or rep-based.
- [solidcore]
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I visited my local [solidcore] studio a couple of months ago, and I have to say it was one of the hardest workouts I have ever done. Within 5 minutes, my whole body was shaking. And by 15 minutes in, I was a sweaty mess. While this was mainly due to the pilates machine they center their classes around, the instructors are no joke. I was happy to see that the company is offering home workout videos on their Instagram and YouTube channel for the near future, and I will be saving these videos for the days in which I need a good quick sweat. If you try them out, be sure to grab your sliders or some paper plates before, as many exercises require them. Or you could even get creative and try using dish towels on a hardwood or tile floor!
- Jane Fonda’s Retro Workout Videos
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BONUS: Inspired by Ty Haney, the founder of Outdoor Voices, I’m also switching it up and adding Jane Fonda’s old workout videos to my list of things to try. As with most of the workouts on this list, you can find some of these fun videos with a quick YouTube search. However, a lot of the videos have recently been removed from YouTube, so here are part 1 and part 2 of her “Beginners Workout” on the dailymotion site!
Above all, I hope these workouts can bring you some peace from the everyday chaos, and I wish you nothing but health, positivity and lots of endorphins as you tackle this new (temporary) reality.