There are many great (and free!) options to help keep you moving even if you can’t play team sports, join a group exercise class, or head to the gym. Here are some of our favorites:
Online Classes / Workout Watch Parties
YouTube is a treasure trove of high quality guided workout options. Whether you’re looking for a tough drill sergeant to whip you into shape, or a soothing yoga instructor to guide you through an easy morning stretch, you can find it on YouTube.
There’s also a massive variety of ways to get moving on online. This is the perfect time to dabble with something new like taekwondo, fencing, or whatever other “weird” workouts you’ve been itching to try, but never had time to fit into your busy schedule.
Daily Burn
The Daily Burn website has thousands of exercise videos, giving you a wide range of free fitness options during their initial 30-day trial.
Peloton
Peloton makes that unique stationary bike everyone’s so crazy about, but did you know they also offer an app? Not just for cyclists, it has a mix of cross-training opportunities. It’s currently free for 30 days.
CorePower Yoga
Typically run as an in-person yoga studio, CorePower Yoga is offering several free yoga videos online each week on their website, for members and non-members alike. And the best thing about online exercise is if you don’t like the class, just pause the video and move on with your life. No more awkward sneaking out of (or staying and suffering through) a new exercise class that doesn’t feel right for you.
But if you need and want that peer pressure to keep you in class, you could host or attend a workout watch party! Zoom isn’t just for work meetings and virtual happy hours. Any activity you can do at home alone, you can do online with friends, teammates, or trainers. Having a scheduled time to meet and check-in adds accountability and motivation to your online workout.
Get Outside When You Can
No matter where you live, you can often step out your front door and take a walk, a run, or a spin on your bike. Even a short stroll or ride around the block can boost your brainpower and metabolism, and breathing in fresh air while viewing the sky, trees, and squirrels will cheer you up. Need some company? FaceTime with a friend and get stepping “together.”
Also, more time at home means more opportunities for yard work and gardening during these last days before winter. Freshen up your landscaping, grow your own food, and get a full-body workout at the same time.
Be Resourceful with Equipment
Much of the gear and equipment you need at home for weight or resistance training can be found online for an affordable price. For example, simple tools like resistance bands, jump ropes, and yoga mats offer great value and a wide variety of uses.
Alternatively, you can use items typically found at home as training equipment. Canned foods can become hand weights. Be creative!
Get Silly with Your Kids
You’ve probably been spending a lot more time with your kids lately, and you might be thinking … these little people are nuts! Where do they get all their energy?!
While you can’t bottle their enthusiasm, you can use it to your advantage. Tire out those kids while getting in a little workout yourself by having a dance party. Find Just Dance videos on YouTube and practice them together. Have your kids teach you the latest Fortnite or TikTok dances. Or sign up for GoNoodle, every teacher’s favorite “brain break” website, which has immensely catchy videos and songs that integrate learning and movement. “The Llama Song” will become etched into your brain for all time (sorry about that).
P.S. We also can’t bottle kid energy, but we do bottle pure, high-quality, full-spectrum cannabis extract, which is kinda the same thing. Check it out!
