Whether you're in self-imposed quarantine or you just don't fancy sharing sweaty equipment with a stranger, hitting the gym may not be high on your priority list right now. But maintaining a high level of social distancing doesn't have to stop you from staying fit, especially not at a time when good health is so important.
So to save you having to leave the house or bring bulk hand sanitizer to your usual yoga studio, here are eight free workouts you can do at home, all thanks to YouTube.
Yoga With Adriene
Our all-time favourite YouTube yoga instructor, Adriene Mishler is behind the incredible channel Yoga With Adriene. Not only is she the coolest chick out, her library of yoga lessons is extensive. There's a practice for any mood, level, time or ailment that you're dealing with, and you don't need any props other than a mat, some comfy clothes and perhaps a rolled up blanket. If you’re wanting to set yourself a yoga challenge we highly recommend one of the 30-day courses that she runs each year in January (but stay up on her channel at all times). She will have you feeling like a yoga pro in no time at all, and her adorable dog Benji will bring plenty of cuteness to your practice.
Les Mills
Les Mills workouts have been around since the late 60s, but now they offer a few full-length workouts on their YouTube channel in case you can’t make it to a BODYBALANCE or BODYPUMP class at a gym near you. We highly recommend their 40-minute BODYJAM video for a fun dance party in your living room.
adidas Women
Trust adidas to craft some slick fitness videos. While the account is targeted at women, that shouldn’t put the lads off from giving these a go. Led by professional athletes, you know you’re getting a quality workout; with enough product integration to make you want to splurge on new workout attire. From yoga for runners and cardio and core workouts to Pilates and flexibility, there’s something for any mood. And if you can’t face a full-blown sweat sesh, give one of their meditation videos a crack.
POPSUGAR Fitness
This is probably one of the best YouTube channels of all time if you’re looking to keep in shape. Hosted by Anna Renderer (America’s version of Michelle Bridges), POPSUGAR Fitness uploads 10 to 40-minute workouts pretty regularly covering everything from HIIT and bodyweight workouts to boxing, Pilates and dance. It’s pretty much impossible to hate Anna (except maybe mid-burpee) because she is so upbeat and happy, and just a generally all-round nice gal.
The Fitness Marshall
We LOVE workouts that don’t feel like work and The Fitness Marshall’s dance workouts are exactly that. Each video, led by the vivacious Caleb Marshall, is about three minutes and choreographed to the latest hits. His advice? Put together a playlist of two warm-up videos, eight main workout videos and one cool down. Or, if you’re not feeling creative, you can just hit play on his full or quick workout playlists to get that booty moving.
FitnessBlender
Daniel and Kelli are the husband and wife duo behind FitnessBlender where you’ll find hundreds of full-length workouts to rock at home. Covering everything from HIIT, kickboxing, cardio training, Pilates and barre—FitnessBlender has dedicated videos for men and women of all fitness levels.
Tara Stiles
Possibly one of the most well-known YouTube yogis, Tara Stiles has built herself a bit of an empire with a studio in New York, frequent world tours and several health and fitness books to her name. A former model, Tara’s yoga mantra is “find what feels good”, and she shares videos to help you get strong, calm and flexible, as well as some tasty, healthy recipes (her almond butter fudge is to die for). Check her out.
Blogilates
Cassey Ho is the brains behind super successful Pilates channel Blogilates. Her videos are high energy, fun and effective (read: painful). While on the shorter side, you can create your own playlist to target multiple areas in one workout. Off the back of the success of HIIT workouts, Cassey offers PIIT (yep, that stands for Pilates Intense Interval Training) which works a treat if you’re looking to take the burn up a notch.
Need more than a good workout to keep you sane while stuck in isolation? Here's how to work from home like a total pro.
Image credit: Yoga With Adriene