How I get a great variety of workouts for FREE!

        I love working out. My body may not show, it but I love to get my sweat on during the day. This time helps keep my body, mind, and mood healthy. Everyone has a hard time finding time to workout. Then there is the how long, is it a cardio or weights day, which body section... and the list goes on and on. I find for my journey now, 30-60 mins is about all I can get in one day, having 2 little girls always at my side, and I try for 4-6 days a week plus walks or morning jogs on top off this schedule during the summer and when my husband is home.

          We do not budget in any gym memberships, which I would love in the future but for us, it's just not a necessity. How do I work out not having a gym membership? We have a treadmill which I use off and on as well as a plethora of weights, bands ect. which help keep my body guessing how heavy and how much work. Other than that we have a few workout DVD series that we have used in the past.

 But I have found a great way to a large variety of workouts for FREE. How might you ask? YouTube.

              What? That is so lame only lame workouts are posted. No, that is not the case I have found recently added workout programs love putting up partial free workouts with different free workout sites on YouTube. Where I normally like the HIIT type workouts keeping me warm and moving, I have been trying out barre type workouts as well as Christian yoga which has helped me continue working on stretching my body and staying very limber in other ways. If you have a Google account such as Gmail, google plus ect. you have ready access to YouTube. I have found so many fitness videos I love that I usually create monthly playlists of a variety of workouts for the month to be repeated and then switch after a month or so to tell my body hey let's wake up some new muscles.

Here are my top 3 favorite YouTube fitness subscriptions: 

1. PopSugar fitness: Led by many fitness professionals, this channel has hundreds of videos with every type of workout you may want. From a beginner workout to extreme ability PopSugar fitness has any workout you need. My latest favorites from Popsugar are; the teaser from Strong by Zumba which is a 20 min power packed quick view of what you would get at a local gym who sponsors this program, but play this video twice and you get a great 40 mins workout which you did not have to pay for. If you like synchronized music to your squats ect. this one is a great one. I LOVE IT. Second is the Kickboxing videos- I have found 2 different professionals that I like who have 30 minute and1-hourr kickboxing classes. WOW what a workout. Lastly, a new workout to me is Pilates- a type of workout I never understood until now- Wow check out Popsugars Pilates workouts and get an amazing burn and learn so much about your body. Check Popsugar on YouTube just type it in on the search and begin working out. I have been using PopSugar fitness for over 6 years and am never bored.

This is my kiddos sweating with me while working out. It isn't always like this but over the years they have learned that getting up and moving is a great thing and fun to do together.

2.  Caroline Williams Yoga: Yoga is another type of workout that I never understood the power of until tapping into Caroline Williams Christian Yoga practices. WoW. First, Caroline is such a sweet, loving, calming, women of God who guides you through yoga with a Christian devotion, unlike I have found before. I use to think yoga was all about slow movements and holding positions that are difficult, but there is so much more. Caroline teaches you, in beginners classes, the fundamental workings in yoga and is so encouraging you feel like even when you falter or can't stretch anymore that it is ok and to relax in the practice. My favorite of these workouts, alongside her encouragement, is her biblical devotions that coincide with the yoga practice. You pray together, learn about scripture together, and use your yoga practice to focus on Christ. This has been eye-opening to me. Along with my body being stretched to new flexibility and strength Caroline also encourages you with the word of God allowing you to have more focused time with God while honoring your body as the temple of the Lord. Amazing. I have used these yoga practices during pregnancy to keep flexible and labor ready, for times when my mind is racing and I can't sleep so I turn on a relaxing meditative calming biblical yoga at night, and in my weekly routine to help strengthen my body and Spirit.

3. Barre and Pilates workouts: Barre and Pilates workouts are another new workout for me. Barre is a combination of dance, pilates, yoga and basic muscle training. If you type in Barre workouts on YouTube you will find so many free hour long to thirty-minute workouts. They have been a staple in my life. The workout, which I have memorized and can do minus the video, is about a 40-minute workout that focuses on upper body, lower body, and core work. To me, Barre is a process of very well known functional movements repeated to overload your muscles, which then increase muscle growth, followed by stretching out the muscles to loosen what you just overloaded. I have found adding this into my weekly routine has given me so much more strength all over my body while the workouts were very simple, not referring to the work you do or the sweat that ensues, technique compared to many other complicated workouts I have done in the past. ( If you are wondering why I spell bar wrong- Barre is referring to a ballet barre and is used in the practice- I use a chair.)



       Even without spending any money you can a large variety of fitness videos you can do to increase the health of your body on YouTube. If you are like us and do not have any extra for a gym membership do not let your body suffer get your kids up and have them workout with you. Mine do most of the workouts with me even if they just jump around they get some energy out and help encourage me to do the same!