#Fitness YouTube sites. Keeping fit doesn’t have to be expensive. A non-fiction project.

Hi all:

You might remember that a while back I mentioned I was thinking about writing a non-fiction book sharing some of my thoughts on living alone. Here is that post. I must confess that between one thing and another I haven’t had much chance to work or even think about it (I’ve written some notes, but that’s about it) but a few days ago I decided to make a list of some of the YouTube sites I use that share fitness tips and workout videos.

I used to go to the gym and I’d been going for many years. Then when I decided to leave my job and explore other options (that didn’t go quite as planned, but when does anything?) I thought I might be better off finding other options to keep fit, as I might be travelling and not be able to find a gym conveniently located at all times. I must admit I might go for a run every so often but I don’t enjoy it that much.  Cutting out on expenses was also important not having regular employment (and no, don’t ask, I spend more money than I make with the books, so…), so I started exploring YouTube workout channels. And I think I’m probably fitter than I was before, or equally fit, and have tried a big variety of things. One doesn’t need a lot of equipment and if nothing else it can be handy if you’re away from your usual gym or you fancy trying something new.

So, here is my list:

General workout websites

These websites share videos with a variety of workouts, in general. You might want to check through their old videos as you’re bound to find something to suit your taste. And it’s always worth trying something new, even if only to discover it not for you.

The Body Coach TV. I discovered The Body Coach through a blog post. He’s British and has videos on food, books, cookery books, he’s been on TV, etc. His workouts are short or shortish (around 20 minutes or 30 minutes the longest one) and always HIIT style (High Intensity Interval Training. Quick intervals of exercising, mostly cardio but not only, followed by shorter intervals of rest, to increase the heart rate. Scientific studies indicate that is a good way of keeping fit and more effective than longer workouts where there is no change in intensity. Tabata workouts are intervals of 20 seconds on 10 seconds off, whilst others are just called HIIT). He’s very down to earth and his exercises aren’t complicated although require stamina for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

K’s Perfect Fitness TV: Short workouts, normally focused on working one area in specific. Soothing voice and many are pilates based.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGaweJW8AnsV2ogktwOaWhQ

Shelly Dose: I found Shelly about a year ago and she’s fabulous. She is very enthusiastic and motivating; she creates her own workouts and shares them on Mondays without a fault. Most of them are around half an hour long and they vary (usually HIIT format). She might use just body weight, or weights, do boxercise or kickboxing, fitball… And if you leave her a comment she replies. She’s high intensity but her exercises are not super complicated. Give them a go.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBWxMc89IEvWmeESKVWDt5g

Mike Donavanik: Mike is a fun guy. If you go for personalities, he’s another one worth a follow. His workouts in general are short but high intensity (10 to 15 minutes) although he sometimes does some fabulous mashups where he joins several of his workouts, and then they might be as long as one hour (and if you survive them, you know you’re fit). Like Shelly he varies his programmes, with some where he uses bodyweight only, some that use weights, kettlebells, steps… He also replies to all comments and he’s good fun.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdYUDbe8FZEu03cn_O8alFA

Jessica Smith TV: Jessica (and don’t miss her dog Peanut, a star… And Jessica’s Mom) has a very complete channel. She is a professional and has been working in fitness for a long time and has developed many different programmes (that you can also buy in her own website and check in her channel. They are also available in Amazon and other places). She is fantastic at giving detailed instructions and she caters for different levels of ability and fitness. She has great walking workouts, a whole series (and even a playlist. I recommend subscribing to her newsletter, as she sends regular updates on new programmes, and midweek motivational e-mails), but also pilates, kickboxing, yoga, stretching… She also does series that are worth following in full, when for one week or even a month she will share regular videos, perhaps only five minutes, or fifteen minutes. Her videos vary in length, and whatever time you have and however fit you are, she has something for you. She’s on the sedate and calm spectrum (in case you don’t go for the rise & shine approach to fitness or the Mr Motivator one). But, don’t let her gentle manner catch you unawares, I always end up sweating with her workouts.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB7wvgp4HUBe5TD10jIgxDg

Blogilates: Cassy is great. It took me a while to realise that all her chatting is a way to make people forget they are working hard. She’s bubbly, kind and encouraging and her attitude to exercise is fantastic (enjoy the body you have and work to be happy and fit, not to look like a stick or a magazine cover). She does her own version of pilates, has an App, and has been a guest in some of the bigger channels. Her videos are usually short, and might appear sweet, but again you won’t know what’s hit you until the next day. She also shares general advice, motivational videos, food and diet videos…

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIJwWYOfsCfz6PjxbONYXSg

GymRa: A more traditional approach to fitness. They have different trainers and all kind of videos, from dance to HIIT, to pilates, to routines for legs, arms… You might find trainers you like more than others and there are videos for different levels of fitness.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCulr-lJe8M6CcJTsxVGFoIw

GymRa Plus: For a while sometimes GymRa would only post a part of a video and then post the complete video here. I don’t think they’re doing that any more, but if you want to check some of the old videos you might want to keep that in mind.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3G7jZA7ZBuDBNOpmERCY7w

POPSUGAR Fitness: This is a great channel with a variety of routines. Anna is a great coach, very enthusiastic, and she always finds trainers that come and provide tasters of popular programmes. There’s also an App (pretty good) and they have a blog where they share information on a variety of things, from fashion, to diet. The workouts go from 40 or 45 minutes kickboxing routines, to routines only focusing on one area and very short. Go Explore.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBINFWq52ShSgUFEoynfSwg

Fitness Blender: Kelly and Daniel are a great couple. Theirs is a pretty stripped down approach to fitness, without too many bells and whistles, no music (you can add your own) but focus on doing the exercises well, good technique and clear instructions. They do full programmes and series (those are a must) where they will share daily workouts ensuring you work all parts of your body over the period. They provide low impact options and will tell you the level of fitness required for the workouts. There are short, longer ones, and go from HIIT, to strength, pilates, yoga…

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiP6wD_tYlYLYh3agzbByWQ

BeFit: With Fitness Blender one of the first channels I followed. They share celebrity workouts (Jill Michaels and Jane Fonda for instance, although not recently) and also programmes that might take other forms. They have a very long list of workouts and you might want to explore. Not as personal or personality driven as some of the others but might suit some people better if you prefer a no-nonsense approach.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD0nBMLdq_KbIK9u-mzpNkA

 

 

Yoga:

Yoga with Adriene: Good instructions and does not require being a yoga pro.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFKE7WVJfvaHW5q283SxchA

 

Boho Beautiful: Lovely settings and videos are not too long, although the level of knowledge of yoga required varies.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWN2FPlvg9r-LnUyepH9IaQ

PsycheTruth: This channel shares a variety of workouts, not only yoga, although they tend to be lower impact than the channels I shared before, and there’re plenty of yoga videos and health and lifestyle videos. A gentler approach to fitness and I’ve found most of the yoga videos cater to beginners and don’t require a lot of experience.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGb34D3ThpmjLNn-FLv2_yQ

 

 

Pandora: If you want to try a variety of dance workouts, I recommend Pandora. They don’t post videos very often, but they have a nice collection, and you might want to keep doing the ones you like to improve your moves!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbASmUZK6hQAXaX6CUSB2Iw

 

Although I didn’t star this board until recently, I now have a Pinterest Fitness board and you’re welcome to check it. All the workouts I share there I’ve done myself… And survived (well, if you see me not turn up, it’s possible that the last one posted killed me….)

https://uk.pinterest.com/olganm7/fitness-tips-and-workouts/

And just as a sample, I thought I’d leave you a video from Boho Beautiful (they always exercise in beautiful places, and although most of the workouts are yoga routines, this one is not):

Thank you very much for reading, thanks to all those YouTube channels for their workouts and tips, and you know, like, share, comment and feel free to try and CLICK!