Almost four weeks ago, I made the decision to start working out every day. A number of things compiled that caused me to make up my mind to make this commitment. And so far, I have done at least one, sometimes two, forms of exercise each day (with the exception of one, when I was so sore from the previous day’s workout).
Exercising with friends is so much fun for me! I enjoy group yoga and Zumba classes. But there is just one problem. While my husband and I love where we live, it is a 20-30 minute drive to any workout facility. With the driving time and my husband’s work schedule, it just does not work for our family.
In our family, we have a saying: “If you can’t find it on YouTube, it can’t be done.” It’s kind of a joke, but at the same time, there is some truth to it!
Here are some ways to search for enjoyable workouts on YouTube:
Trainers
Some people have favorite trainers to exercise with. Whether it be Denise Austin, Jillian Michaels, Billy Blanks, Jane Fonda, or even Richard Simmons, you may have a favorite. Just type in their name in the YouTube search bar, and you may be surprised by all the videos that pop up!
Type of Workout
There are soooo many different types of workouts to choose from! From Barre, to Zumba, to HIIT, it can be overwhelming! But here is the great thing about YouTube: you can try any of these workouts for free! Or, if you know what you like, you can find hundreds, or even thousands of different videos!
Some of my personal favorites are pilates (I do this nearly every day…and I like to say the name!), yoga, TaeBo, and drumstick workouts (the copyrighted name is Pound).
Length
Sometimes, you’ve only got a limited amount of time, but need to get that workout in for the day. This happens to me some mornings. If I don’t roll out of bed right when my alarm goes off, I may need to shorten my workout from 30 to 20 minutes. So, I simply type in “20 minute workouts” and the amount of videos that pop up seems endless!
Specific Muscle Group Focus
Some days, I really want to work my abdominal muscles. Sometimes, it’s my quads and hamstrings. By typing something like “leg workouts” into the YouTube search bar, many videos will pop up.
Combine Search Topics
Combining search topics is very helpful in limiting the number and refining the quality of workout videos. For example, one of my favorite search lines is “30 minute pilates abs and legs workout.” This provides specific information about the type of exercise video I am looking for.
Channels
Some YouTube channels are specifically geared for workouts. If you find a channel you like, you may find yourself going back to that channel for videos time after time. Here are some of my favorite channels:
Skim Through the Video
Once you think you have found the perfect video for today’s workout, I find it helpful to quickly skim through the video to see what kind of moves are involved. At the bottom of the video, where the running time is, I just click through at random places to see what the trainer is doing throughout the video. If it seems like they are moving at the pace I enjoy, and there are no exercises that make me say “No way Jose!” then I will give it a try!
While group classes at a gym or fitness studio have a lot of benefits, sometimes it just doesn’t work with schedules and things. YouTube may be a good substitute for you if this is the case. It might not be a good fit for everyone, but you may want to give it a try!
In light of all this, I am going to try to post the links to the workout videos I do on Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in seeing the workouts I am doing, and maybe even exercising along with me, you can like my page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter!
Do you have any favorite types of workouts? Any favorite YouTube exercise channels or videos? Please feel free to comment with the links, I would love to get more ideas! And you will be helping all other readers too!
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