I’ve never had a gym membership. For one reason or another it’s never worked out. It’s either been too expensive, too far away, no childcare. I’ve always had to exercise at home, which honestly, is fine for me. While I like classes (kickboxing and yoga have been some of my favorites) I really do like working out in the convenience of my own home.
Once we redid our basement a few years ago I was especially excited to have a carpeted space with lots of room. We gave the basement an overhaul right after Christmas, so by January it was ready to go. That was the winter I did 21 Day Fix, which was a great success for me. I’ve always loved workout dvds. The key is to get ones that I won’t get bored with. I have often checked workout dvds from the library first to “preview” them before purchasing. That’s how I discovered one of my favorite workouts, Tracy Anderson’s Precision Toning.
Today I’m going to be sharing the dvds I always come back to and that are in constant rotation. It can be hard to squeeze working out into a busy life and it can be easy to get distracted when you are home. But I don’t think of it as “self-care” or “me time.” It’s as essential as eating three meals a day and drinking water. But it can still feel like I don’t have time. But by scheduling exercise on my calendar three times a week I can usually make it actually happen.
So here we go: these are my favorite workout dvds that I hope you will check out too if you are looking for something to do at from the comfort of you own home.
If You Have 15 Minutes
I love Tracy Anderson’s Precision Toning dvd! First of all, they are filmed in 15 minute sections. Yes, that’s right! All you need is 15 minutes to get a workout in! There are four sections total, 15 minutes each: arms, legs, glutes, and abs. And this workout is nothing to shrug your shoulders about. Her ab workout is incredible and her arm workout is very unique and mostly uses your own body weight. The glute workout is a killer. I highly recommend this dvd if you are new to working out at or or trying to workout more at home. Plus, you can always combine the segments to make a 30 minute or 45 minute workout too!
If You Have 20 Minutes
Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred is a great choice if you have more time and also want to mix in some cardio along with strength and abs. The great thing about this video is you get all three aspects in each workout, and there are three levels to work through. The videos are circuit based, so you are always cycling through cardio, weights, then abs, which means you never get bored or tired of doing just one thing. There are also beginner and advanced options for many of the exercises which is also nice.
If You Have 30 Minutes
Let me say first of all that I’m not a Beach Body coach, I am just a happy customer. I bought 21 Day Fix after having my fourth baby and wanted to get back in shape about a year after having her. I don’t know if you can just purchase the dvds, it looks like you have to get the portion control containers and Shakology shaker cup as well. But let me just say I LOVE these workouts. I did two rounds of a strict 21 Day Fix program and lost weight and inches. Now, I use them to maintain. I love the routine of working through all of these videos in order. I just did the Dirty 30 workout today! I love the pacing and the little “count down” timer in the corner helps me to know how much time I have left for each move and helps me not give up. The way the videos progress through Cardio, Upper Fix, Lower Fix, Cardio, Pilates, and Yoga is perfect as well. Autumn Calabrese also walks you through beginner and advanced moves to various versions of a workout. There are some moves I still can’t manage to do the advanced versions of.
21 Day Fix is expensive compared to other dvds but not nearly as much as a gym membership. If you are serious about getting healthy holistically through eating AND exercise it is a great investment that you can keep coming back to again and again as well as use it to maintain a lifestyle of movement.
So there you have it! These are my favorite ways to workout at home. How do you make working out part of your lifestyle? Is it something that you have as part of your routine or is it something you struggle with?
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