With all that is going on in the world right now, I’m sure that everyone is feeling as cooped up as we are. For the last year, we have been able to hike and explore every day. Our FitBits buzzed daily with our 10,000 step goal without any second thought. The daily routine post I shared last April included a laughable “exercise” portion. Now, if I want to stay active at home, I have to put some energy into it. The good news is that I’ve had some success.

If you would have told me last year that I’d be sharing a post about exercise, I would have laughed in your face. Those that know me would not say that working out is a hobby of mine. But I figured maybe I’m the perfect person to share the resources I use. If I can do them, then anyone can.

6 Ways We Stay Active at Home

YouTube Workouts

This is the one we use the most often for a full sweat session. I don’t know about you, but I usually roll my eyes while searching for online workouts because the titles are ridiculous and promise things that are not possible. 

"Lose 87 inches around your hips in 2 minutes" 
"Dance like Janet Jackson in 30 minutes" 
"Get 12 Pack Abs while drinking beer"

I’ve worked through enough of those duds to find some YouTubers that I can tolerate and some that I actually like. I don’t know why I get so annoyed following the people who smile the ENTIRE workout. No one should enjoy it that much.

Holly Dolke – Although many of her videos promise a flat stomach and I still do not have one, I do like the length of her videos. If I feel like I only have 10 minutes of ambition, this is my go-to. She also just posted a 30 day at home challenge that looks like it has a good variety. Click here to see her online classes.

Jane Fonda – We started this “workout for beginners” as something to make us laugh one day. It is no laughing matter. It was really hard and we only did the first section of the video which is 30 minutes. I’m a huge Jane Fonda fan especially with her recent weekly protests for the climate, so I’m happy to have her help whip me into shape.

Joanna Soh – This is another channel that has a variety. She does 30 day challenges and requires no equipment. I haven’t committed to a full 30 days because I need a little variety, but who knows what next month looks like if we are still at home.

PopSugar Fitness – This channel has hundreds of different online classes. Most of the instructors are easy to follow and not too annoying. Click here to see all the offerings.

And there’s always this classic.

Direct to Your Inbox

Sometimes, I just don’t have the energy to figure out what I should do. That’s why I signed up to get an email three days a week with a workout included. They aren’t too crazy, but they get my heart rate up.

Sign up here for these gems in your inbox.

Practice Some Yoga

Yoga has been the one thing I’ve been super consistent with during this stay at home order and throughout the last year of traveling. There are three places I go to for yoga classes online and I love them all equally. I’m always able to find a class to fit my mood and I always feel better afterwards.

ModoYoga – My best friend, Emma, is a teacher at the Modo Yoga in Minneapolis and they have been doing livestreams on Instagram. It is incredibly comforting to take a class from my best friend and have her in the living room with me. Plus, her dog, Ace, always makes an appearance. They have flows and barre classes on their instagram account plus they just launched an online portal for on demand classes.

Bad Yogi – Her 30 day challenges got me started on yoga years ago and I still find myself on her YouTube channel often. She also has a section that is just pose tutorials so if you have never done yoga before and want to learn a few new poses each day instead of a full class, that’s a great place to start. Here is the link to her YouTube channel.

Yoga with Adriene – This is my other favorite place to find yoga classes online. Adriene is a nerd just like me and she has an incredibly calming voice. Her YouTube channel is set up with videos by length, so you can easily find a 15 minute class or an hour long class. She also does a different theme each month so you can keep it fresh. Here is the link to her YouTube channel.

Watch TV Shows

TV has been part of our daily routine since being in quarantine. We’ve been rewatching a few favorites like The Office and Schitt’s Creek. Turns out that creative people have created workouts for each of these classic TV shows so you can do two things at once. We have collected some of our favorites (we haven’t tried all of these yet). Now you can stay active at home while watching something that makes you happy.

Stay in Shape for your Hobbies

Maybe you missed your ski season this year or are counting down the days until you can get back on a surfboard. Either way, there are experts that have pulled together some exercises that you should be doing to help stay in shape. I’ve included links to a couple of the sports we love, but you can find anything using the old google machine.

Go for a Walk

Get outside. I know it’s harder for those living in big cities like NYC, but if you can – go for a walk outside. We take a short neighborhood stroll every afternoon avoiding all other humans. It is good to get a little fresh air especially since we are spending a lot more time indoors. We have always used scooters (with helmets) and felt like kids again.

If you are lucky enough to have a yard, see what toys you have laying around. Our host family here has hockey sticks so we’ve been passing the tennis ball back and forth in the hard. Our tennis rackets have been used in the alleyway. I have shot more basketballs in the last three weeks than in my entire life before this combined. It’s the easiest way to stay active at home for us because it’s all disguised as fun and games.

My Gear

This stuff has been with me for the past year and my shoes are just starting to wear on the bottoms. Through jungles, deserts and now from the living room to the backyard, this is all I have and it’s all you really need. Although I would buy a kettlebell if I had my own place.

Final Thoughts

I would love to hear how you stay active at home. Are you just chasing toddlers around all day? Going for runs? Avoiding it at all costs? Counting trips to and from the fridge as cardio? I’ve been in all of those spots in the last few weeks (except the toddlers part) so you aren’t alone. Hopefully this helps give you some ideas if you’re looking to move around a little more.

Hope you’re staying healthy and sane.

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