Working Out at Home: Yea or Nay?

Posted by Healthy Bitch Daily on Mar 28, 2013

I used to exercise at an all-women’s gym.  

It was a comfortable I-don’t-need-no-damn-makeup type of environment — not at all pretentious, like many gyms out there. Best of all, it was a circuit gym where I could finish all the machines in a matter of 30 minutes, leaving me more time for practicing my cupcake frosting skills. I saw good results there. Nobody judged me.

When a financial crisis suddenly hit and I had to cut my gym expense, I was immediately worried about keeping my bod in shape. Where was I to get my groove on now?

I had always loved pilates, so I looked up some instructional videos on YouTube to do in the most comfortable place to me: my home. What I discovered was a whole community of women like me who were doing all their workouts in their abodes. Hard core, sweat-dripping workouts. I was awe-inspired. 

Over time, I began a routine with bits and pieces of  online workouts to fit my needs. I didn’t need an arsenal of equipment, either: I picked up two 3-pound dumbbells, a stretching band, a yoga mat and a hula hoop (all of which cost about what I would pay for one month of gym time—totes worth it). And while perusing the interwebs for different videos is one option, there's plenty you can do at home if you're willing to invest a little up front. True, you still need to drop some cash for these, but to get long-terms results for the price of one or two months at the gym? We're sold. Here are some of the top-trending home fitness programs:

1. Zumba Exhilarate Body Shaping System DVD Set. Work on your coordination while you sweat your ass off and have fun, to boot. They break it up into categories of easy, medium and hard, so no need to be intimidated. Dance, dance, dance your little booty into those bikini bottoms you've sworn off 'cause of cellulite. $89.99.

2. Insanity 60-Day Total Body Conditioning Program. You've seen the infomercials during those late-night ice cream binges. The reviews don't lie. Check out why people are insane for INSANITY if you're ready to get your ass kicked. Alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals, get online support, and you even get a nutrition guide to help you really kick weight loss up a notch. $144.80.

3. Shaun T's Rockin' Body. Burn up to 1,500 calories in a day? It may be exaggerated advertising, but it certainly sounds tempting. At at just $30? We'd give it a shot. $29.99.

4. Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. "Biggest Loser" barking beast Jillian gets the job done. We like that her workouts are all around 30 minutes, yet you feel like you've run a marathon nonetheless. $99.99

Yes, this new lifestyle of mine takes a shit-ton of discipline. But what good workout routine doesn’t? Some days I just don't feel like getting my sweat on.  Yet, it's much easier than having to get my butt up and off to the gym. I can stay in my undies if I want.

What's your favorite at-home workout routine? Let us know in the comments below!
Barbara Styles, Guest Blogger
While she was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix, AZ), Barbara is one of the palest people you will ever meet. An avid Disney fan, she is a sensitive Pisces who loves drifting through her days reading horror novels and working with elementary school kids in a Literacy Lab.  Cooking is more than just a hobby, she has an expensive Certificate in Patisserie and Baking from Le Cordon Bleu and works at Sweet Painted Cakes. When she's not off working or visiting family, she is at home with her two dogs and two cats and her fiance Patrick, whom, without, she'd be a crazy cat lady