Best Free Workout Videos for Fitness on a Budget
Finding time for self-care is tough. There are always errands to run, laundry to do, and meetings to get to. And when money is tight, it’s even harder to find the time because the stress of living paycheck to paycheck is a time thief. With no money to spend on a gym membership, you can still carve out time for fitness on a budget. Have you thought of trying some of the best free workout videos online?
Fitness for Free
Health is important and definitely deserves a spot in your monthly budget. But if you just can’t swing the cost of a gym membership (like me), don’t worry. There is a way to keep up on your fitness from the comfort of your home – and for FREE!
Personally, I love working out at home. When I first started my weight loss journey I was frustrated my budget wouldn’t allow a gym membership. Turns out you don’t really need one to lose weight or get in shape. (Crazy, right?)
There’s something awesome about knowing you don’t have to go anywhere to get your workout in. Don’t we go enough places already? Life is jam-packed with errands and “to-do” lists – you don’t need to add another place to try and fit in your already too busy schedule!
What? You don’t have a home gym? Guess what… neither do I! The living room at my house doubles as my “home gym.” There’s no equipment, no weights, no exercise ball, no treadmill or exercise bike. And it’s tiny – I have a 5 ft by 4 ft section to move around in. I couldn’t fit equipment in there if I tried!
So what’s a girl to do?
You Don’t Need a Gym Membership
I’ll tell you the secret to a great exercise program: You do what you can with what you have. And go from there.
When the weather first started turning cold I did get a gym membership. I really struggled with the decision but decided I wanted to keep up with my fitness goals over the winter and, living in Michigan, I knew I couldn’t always run outside. My gym membership was $40/month, the hours were limited, and it’s not as huge or luxurious as I’d prefer. But I thought it would be better than being stuck in the house on the cold, snowy days of winter.
And you know what? I could never find time to go to the gym and ended up doing workout videos at home.
Since we live on a budget, my favorite go-to exercises are the ones I get free. (I love free stuff!) YouTube is a valuable resource for free workout videos. They have basic beginner routines, and advanced hard-core ones, too.
Best Free Workout Videos
In my opinion, the absolute best free workout videos on YouTube are from JessicaSmithTV. She has an amazing amount of beginner videos, some no-equipment needed videos, and some 5-minute ones for those really rushed days! Jessica Smith TV has more advanced workout options, too, if you’re looking for more.
If you’re just getting started, I suggest her “Fit in 15” playlist. The FitIn15 is a series she did to start the new year (2015) – but you can start anytime (trust me, it’s okay – I started last March and it worked perfectly!).
When I’m really stressed and want to unwind, I turn to Yoga with Adrienne. She has amazing Yoga videos that are perfect for weight loss. Adrienne also has a great Yoga at Your Desk video for some mid-day stress relief at work.
From everything that’s out there, it can be hard to choose. While the Fit in 15 is one of my favorite groups of videos, here are my top 3. (The last one is more of a “do this at work” video but I absolutely love it, so it had to make my top 3!)
Standing Abs
Cardio Bootcamp
Yoga at Work
So, there you have it. The secret to a great exercise program – do what you can with what you have, even if it’s nothing more than a free YouTube video in your living room.
