By, Lauren Kolacki
When it comes to us there are multiple steps we can take in order to improve our well-being. Some are easier, like slightly increasing our water intake or meditating for five minutes every day. While others are more difficult, like getting ourselves up and to the gym on a cold rainy day. Fortunately, there are several gym alternatives that you can do right in the comfort of your own home, which provide considerable results.
Aaptiv: combines the instruction of a personal trainer with high- beats-per-minute playlists. If your favorite indoor cycling class is booked, a trainer’s voice can guide you through a studio-style session with great playlists, to boot. Choose from hundreds of classes like running, weight training, yoga and meditation.
Couch to 5k: Targets beginning runners who want to train for their first race. It only requires 30 minutes per day, three days a week for nine weeks.
Qinetic: an app where you get stream classes from experts in the fit- ness industry, whether you’re looking for a fun zumba routine, morning yoga, or a challenging HIIT workout.
Daily Butt Workout: two different five- to 10-minute butt- and leg-toning workouts. Workouts were developed and are demonstrated by a personal trainer. The routine comes with a video and timer, so you can follow along and understand each exer- cise. Try the free version or check out the full version that features more workouts.
Sworkit: provides easy-to-follow videos with adaptable workouts and plans that can fit into anyone’s busy life. Choose your workout and how long you have to exercise. Then, Sworkit shows you exactly what to do. You’ll find workouts like cardo, Pilates, stretching, yoga and strength training. Everything is equipment free and each workout offers video demos, verbal cues and instruc- tions.
Freeletics Bodyeight: You first undergo a fitness test to customize a weekly workout plan that’s tailored to your body type and physical needs. Also, tailors workouts to the space you have, it has a 2×2 mode that provides workouts to fit a 2 meters x 2 meters space
Yoga Studio: 75-plus ready-made classes. Try Yoga for Back Pain, Yoga for Runners, the new Hip Hop Collection and more. Select your level (beginner, intermediate or advanced), time (15, 30 or 60 minutes) and focus (strength, flexibility, relaxation, bal- ance or combination) to help you find the right class for you. All classes come with an HD video and teacher commentary to teach you how to move from one pose to the next and learn the poses themselves in ways that are clear and easy to follow.
Headspace: If you’re not ready to commit to an exercise routine just yet, start off your wellness journey by learning how to meditate. You can begin with a free 10-day beginner’s course that shows you the essentials of practicing mindfulness on a daily basis. Meditating is known to help battle insomnia and increase productivity at work.