I need some recommendations

[ladybuggoldfinch]

Evening, I really need some advice and guidance. I want to get back into exercise but I don't want to join a gym. I want to do some workouts at home but have no idea where to start. Does anyone have any recommendations for anything on you tube or exercise platforms that are good for beginners?

To be brutally honest OP unless you are insanely motivated, you won't keep up doing stuff in your front room on your own.

Most people do best when there is a regular schedule of activities where people they know (even a tiny tiny bit) expect to see them every week. Exercise classes of all kinds (in a gym, in a church hall, boot camp in a park) and parkrun, join the badminton group at work, sign up to a jive class etc.

The best thing you can do is find one of your friends or even the loosest of acquaintances, who does something every week, and go along with them. Doesn't matter too much whether it's no-contact karate or cycling or Morris dancing. Just a group and a commitment.

What sort of thing do you want and what are you looking to achieve? Weights are amazing for losing weight, HIIT is better for building overall fitness.

I like fitness blender workouts. They’re on YouTube but they also have their own website where I think the search functions are a bit better. They’re really challenging but I wasn’t very fit when I started them - I do HIIT ones where you have to really push yourself for 20 seconds and then rest for 10, and sometimes I could only do 10 seconds but I got fitter very quickly. So they’re not really for beginners but if you’re a beginner you can just tone it down a notch. They have all sorts of other ones - Pilates type ones or weights (but you’d need to invest in different weighted dumbbells) or body weight exercises which is stuff like press ups and tricep dips.

Joe Wicks is similar and has loads of work outs on youtube. The 30 day shred is on there too (Gillian somebody?).

Yoga with Adrienne is good for something a bit more gentle.

I disagree that you won’t get fit at home. I’m much more likely to workout at home than I am to haul myself out somewhere, and if I’m going to get childcare and go out I want to be in a pub or nice restaurant!

Oh also the barre type workouts are good too - tend to just be ten minutes long (but fiendishly hard!) if you’re short on time.

@whenwilliwillibefamous I would love to have a schedule or a group but I just can't with shifts, my partners work and childcare it's not possible right now. But maybe in the future. I need to do something I can fit in around everything else.

@Flangeosaurus a bit of both I think. I want to tone up and slim down and improve my overall fitness

@Hobbes8 thank you I will have a look into some of these suggestions

If you can get into a virtual /online group OP that's better than nothing - FB or whatever - I used to belong to a run/walk every day group - extra motivation ... Again, ask around for something a friend is already in, a bit of accountibility always helps!

I use bodyfit by Amy. She's got loads on YouTube, there's a great variety of workouts from 10 minutes to longer ones at 40 ish minutes. If you sign up to her Newsletter on her website you get the free monthly workout calendar too which gives you a schedule to follow. There's also a facebook group if you want some interaction with other people. They are really supportive.
I also agree that I am much more likely to workout at home than I am dragging myself out to the gym or a workout class. I've been following Amy since the start of the pandemic and do about 3-4 workouts every week.
Yoga with adrienne is also nice for something a little less sweaty.

@Namele thank you for the bodyfit by Amy recommendation. I had some free time this morning and found a great 12 min workout for beginners which I loved!! I'm going to try doing that daily for a few weeks and see how I get on 👍😊

Glad you enjoyed it. She's got quite a few 10 minute ones. I find them good to fit in when you otherwise are too busy. The standing abs one is good. Also don't be afraid to try her other ones. She usually has modifications so they really are suitable for all levels.

I also prefer working out at home. I am much less likely to do something if it involves being organised and leaving the house 😅

I've found most success when I have paid for a plan - body coach 90 day plan was really good for me during lockdown and I also did one by a love islander called the 'Happy Body' plan where you do just 10 mins of hiit a day, 7 days a week and follow an eating plan. The user interface of that one wasn't very good but I found the 10 mins a day really easy to commit to. You can of course find loads of comparable free vids on YouTube but for me, paying added more of an element of commitment.

I also like the bodyfit by Amy vids and also Caroline Girvan. If you get some light dumbells the dumbell workouts are very achievable and you can increase the weight as your strength/fitness increases.