Kayla Elease

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When You Can't Afford a Trainer

You want to make body changes (lose weight, gain weight, tone, etc.), but you have no idea where to start.  This very predicament is exactly what a trainer is for, but realistically speaking, everyone can’t afford a trainer.  So I’ve gathered some really good workout resources over the past couple years that I want to share with you in this post!  All you have to add is a little self-motivation and dedication.  So let’s jump right into it.

 

Blogilates

I talked about this YouTube channel in my on-the-go fitness post, and it deserves to be mentioned in this post too because it’s just that good.  Blogilates was started by Cassey Ho, an award-winning fitness instructor, entrepreneur and personality based in Los Angeles, CA.  Cassey developed POP Pilates by fusing pop music together with her classical Pilates routines to create pilates workouts that were designed with fun in mind.  So if you’re into dance or pilates classes, Blogilates is a great fitness YouTube channel option for you.  It’s great for sculpting and toning and again, all you have to pay for is your internet connection!  Blogilates is also a community that you can join for free and interact with-like minded individuals.  The website has really cool free printables (my fave!) for each part of the body as well as nutrition infographics among other things.

Yoga with Adriene

Yoga is a great, lower impact way to burn calories and stretch so I had to include this!  Yoga with Adriene is a really cool YouTube channel where she welcomes all levels and all bodies.  Adriene encourages her subscribers and watchers to find a practice that suits his or her mood and to start a journey toward healing, which makes her channel a nice conjunction between fitness and self-care.  Not only does she have yoga videos for workouts, but she also has videos like Yoga for Migraines and Meditation for Anxiety.  If you’re looking for a physical and mental connection kind of workout, this is your go-to.

 

Fitness Blender

This is another resource I talked about in the on-the-go fitness post and I wanted to go into a little more detail about it in this post.  This is hands down my favorite YouTube fitness channel!  With over 500 videos to choose from and new workouts every week, you’re bound to find something that suits your needs.  They have videos that require equipment and videos that don’t, and best of all, all you have to pay for is internet connection.  The website also has lots of other resources.  If you sign up for an account (which is free), you get access to a custom daily fitness calendar, a place to save your favorite workout videos, a progress tracker, and access to a public fitness forum.  This resource is similar to Blogilates in terms of offerings, but it’s geared towards general fitness exercises as opposed to pilates.

Sidenote: if you’re into HIIT (high intensity interval training), I would highly suggest their HIIT videos.  They kick my butt every time lol.

Freeletics

This is a workout app that is free if you couldn’t guess that from the name.  Freeletics has tons of bodyweight-only exercises, which is great for people who don’t have access to a gym as well as for people with bad joints or backs who can’t do a lot of heavy weight-bearing exercises.  The workout times range from 10-30 minutes, so if you’re in a hurry don’t worry!  Everyone can carve out 10 minutes of their day to do one of these workouts.  To get started, after you download the app you complete a fitness test so that the app can accurately determine your level.  Then your virtual coach will create a weekly training plan tailored specifically to your abilities and goals, like a personal trainer minus the money and the potential “gym-timidation”.

Pocket Yoga

Unfortunately, this app is not free.  But I think some of the features it offers are definitely worth the $2.99 if you’re into yoga and if you’re a beginner yogi, it’s way cheaper to use this app to figure out if yoga is really your thing than it is to go to an in-person class.  This app is designed specifically to be used on your phone.  Packed with 27 full yoga classes complete with voiceover instructions and calming music, this app makes the perfect on-the-go yoga resource.  You can see/preview the list of poses you’ll be doing during the workout, which is helpful if you’re like me and you like to turn the video audio off and play your own music.

Nike Training Club

I used this app A LOT in college when I was first trying to feel my way around the gym and into the fitness world.  This app is great for the novice and the experienced because it includes a Nike Master personal trainer and over 150 workouts for a variety of full-body challenges and fitness levels.  You can choose from categories like strength and endurance or mobility and yoga.  This app is also great for people like me who need structure when working out at home!  When I workout at the gym, everything’s cool.  I go in with my written plan, focused and ready to go.  But when I workout at home, it’s a whole different story.  I’m so quick to pause a video and turn the 30 second break into a 5 minute one!  So I also like this app because it offers structure that you don’t really get in a lot of other apps.  If you’re not at the point where you can write your own workout plans, your trainer will do that for you and adapt it to your schedule. I also really like the Nike Training Club app because Nike Training Club also offers real life classes!  And they’re FREE!  Just be sure to check out the website to find the class nearest you and register before going.

 

That’s it!  If you found this useful, chances are some of your friends will too.  So please subscribe and share this post!  Thanks for journeying with me.