Not being able to get to your gym is no excuse to let your exercise program slide. Here are five ways to maintain your fitness routine (and your sanity) without setting foot inside a gym. You may even reach the end of self-quarantine in better shape than you started. Many popular fitness studios and programs are currently offering free or low-cost instructor-led workouts you can access online or via smartphone apps. Best of all, most of them require little or no specialized equipment.
Try the Slick Peloton App for Free
Peloton’s workout app for iPhone and Android doesn’t require one of their fancy bikes or treadmills and is offering a free 90-day trial. This well-designed app provides video workouts that are easy to follow and encompass cardio, bootcamp, yoga, strength classes, and even meditation. There are also audio-only classes for outdoor runs. If you continue using the app after the initial trial you’ll pay $13 per month.
Orangetheory Fitness – Free in Your Living Room
Some of the most popular workout franchises in the country are currently offering free or low-cost daily workouts online. Orangetheory Fitness is providing some of its greatest HIITs free online, ranging from strength and mobility programs, core training, endurance and agility workouts, the 100 Rep Challenge, and more. Each video session is available any time, and typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour.
Nike Training Club
No gym? No problem! The free Nike Training Club app for iPhone and Android allows you to select workouts that cater to the space and equipment you have available. There are plenty of bodyweight-only programs, plus yoga, targeted training, and full-equipment home workouts for a variety of fitness levels. They even offer workouts for kids, nutrition tips, and wellness guidance. Sessions range from 15 to 60 minutes and there are more than 185 workouts to choose from.
SoulCycle at Home – No Bike Required
Experience the cultish SoulCycle approach to exercise without a bike or the class waiting list. Instructors are leading live, daily at-home workouts via their Instagram accounts, SiriusXM, and even via Zoom meeting. The routines span yoga, cardio, toning, boxing, dance, strength training, and of course cycling, if you happen to have a stationary bike at home. Most classes last 45 minutes to one hour and are free. Some charge up to $10 per class.
The Bar Method Online
The Bar Method online offers a free 14-day trial of its popular barre classes (after that you’ll pay $19 per month). These 15- to 60-minute streaming classes provide full-body strength and stamina workouts suitable for any level of fitness. All you need is a chair, pillow, and either hand weights or a substitute such as cans or water bottles.
Yoga & Pilates via YouTube
Even if you can’t go to your favorite studio, you can reclaim your zen with YouTube yoga and pilates sessions. Casey Ho’s YouTube juggernaut, Blogilates, has almost 5 million subscribers and offers a multitude of free Pilates-based workouts ranging from six to 60 minutes in length. Ho has even designed a 14-day quarantine workout plan with a 25- to 30-minute session ready to go for each day. If you’re sick of staring at the walls of your home, the Boho Beautiful YouTube channel offers a huge selection of yoga, meditation, and Pilates mat classes filmed in gorgeous locales around the world. So you can escape to a tropical beach or a misty mountainside and get in your daily yoga flow at the same time.
Make Space to Accommodate Your Current Lifestyle
If you find yourself working out at home on a more regular basis, you may want to clear a little extra space to give you more room to stretch and move. Consider relocating a rarely used armchair, side table, bookshelf, or guest bed into a storage unit. With convenient month-to-month rentals and free pickup available for move in, Citiwide Self Storage in Long Island City makes it easy for you to temporarily declutter and customize your home to accommodate your current lifestyle, and then move things back in again when you need them.
These are just a few of the many great free and low-cost workout options available online when getting to the gym is not an option. For more tips and tricks to help you live your best life, visit the CitiWide Self Storage Blog.