My Life Changing At-Home Workout Routine
The fact that I’m even writing a post about my at-home workout routine & how it’s affected my life is absolutely laughable. You want to know why?
Because back in the day (probably around 6th grade-ish) I was known as “The Girl Who Hated to Sweat”.
I’m not kidding.
I didn’t like it. Never liked PE class or even recess (you could find me on the swings or chatting with my teacher). My only outdoor activities involved jumping on the trampoline in my backyard. Other than that, I was indoors. I actually vividly remember that day in computer class where I said that when I introduced myself & had to share my hobbies & sports (sports-HAHAHA, that’s funny because I was not, and am still not, athletic).
Anyway…I love working out now. Love it. It has totally changed my life & mental attitude. It was on an afternoon during my senior year of high school that I discovered yoga. I honestly do not remember why I decided to try it or how I stumbled across the yoga video I did that afternoon after a stressful day at school but I did that one video & I was totally hooked.
My at-home workout routine started with yoga but evolved into running, strength training, & HIIT classes. All at home. Because I’m not a group fitness person & I prefer to work out at home. So what workouts do I do? Let me share them below.
Tone It Up!
I discovered them in 2014 & I have not looked back. They started out on YouTube (and all of their old workout videos are still on there), grew to putting out workout DVDs for their summer series every year & now they have their own app. Their app has SO MUCH variety & they have multiple challenges (with new workouts) each year which really keeps me motivated. They introduced me to HIIT classes, which is high intensity interval training (think: what you can do during a 1 hour run you can do in a 20 minutes HITT class, plus HIIT adds strength training to the cardio). They introduced to barre classes and kickboxing which I love. The app has dance classes but I don’t take those because I am, well, um, I can’t dance. Hahaha #justkeepingitreal
The best part about Tone It Up? Besides the variety of workout classes with a variety of equipment & a great community?
-There’s a variety of trainers. I got started with the co-founders, Karena & Katrina, but they have also added some other amazing trainers that make working out so fun and that I truly enjoy getting to workout with.
-You can do them at home with little equipment. I’m talking bodyweight workouts, dumbbells, kettlebells, and resistance bands all in the comfort of your own home or in even outside in your backyard. You really don’t need much.
So Tone It Up covers my strength training & cardio but what about yoga? That is how I got started with fitness after all. I have two yoga teachers that I love & their classes suit me no matter what mood I’m in. First up is…
Bad Yogi!
Her name is Erin but I call her Bad Yogi & she taught me just about everything that I know about yoga. I’m not 100% sure how I discovered her but I believe it was on DoYouYoga.com six years ago. I signed up for her 30 Day Challenge in 2014 & that was my first foray into yoga. Once that challenge was over, I started doing her classes that she had on YouTube.
She taught me the basics & if you want to start doing yoga, I definitely suggest Bad Yogi. She keeps it simple & doesn’t use any of the fancy words so you can easily find your footing & learn all of the poses. Thanks to her & her teaching, I eventually became able to craft my own little yoga classes if I’m not in the mood to take a specific class. (Yoga & working out becomes fun when you can craft your own little class & do whatever you want for that day.)
She has a YouTube channel with a yoga class for just about anything you need. She also has an app that you can subscribe too with a ton more classes if you need more from her. If it wasn’t for Erin, I don’t know if I would’ve stuck with yoga. You have to love the workout (though I don’t typically consider yoga a workout because I prefer the stretchy kind rather than a power flow/power vinyasa class) but you also have to love the teacher. If she hadn’t been so approachable and made it feel like we were friends, I don’t know if I would’ve stuck with it long-term.
The second yoga teacher that I love is…
Yoga with Adriene!
As my yoga journey progressed, I started looking for a little something more. I was getting to the point where I could just go on auto-pilot & not really think about the poses & flows I was doing which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I found myself needing a little more. Enter Adriene. She is mega popular on YouTube & for good reason: she is very personable while providing a little bit more of the mental & soulful aspects. She has a class for everything too. Adriene really helped re-invigorate my practice when it was becoming a bit stagnant & I fell back in love with yoga.
I always recommend Bad Yogi for those just get started on their yoga journey. But if you’re looking for yoga to be a bit deeper for you (adding in the mental & soulful aspects) then I would recommend going with Yoga with Adriene. Anytime I need a little more…I go with Adriene’s classes.
She also has a dog named Benji & he is so cute & chill during her classes. My dog, Zoe, loves to watch Benji & she has occasionally followed him as he walked off the screen. Haha. Zoe didn’t care much about yoga but after she met Benji, she always comes downstairs with me whenever I do yoga (& workout too).
What is my Literal At-Home Workout Routine?
It varies based on the week & if Tone It Up, Bad Yogi, or Yoga with Adriene have a challenge going on. If Tone It Up has a challenge happening, then there’s a 99% chance I’m doing that challenge. I also try to add in yoga 2-3 times a week; 10-15 minutes is enough for me. It’s absolutely necessary to stretch & lengthen out each week especially after some tough workouts. I also prefer 1 complete rest day a week.
If there’s no challenge happening, I tend to do yoga & strength training/cardio about 50/50 each week. I choose which Tone It Up workouts I want to do while balancing all parts of the body (you get the hang of this over time) & then I do yoga on the other days. Usually a full 20-30 minute class, not just a quick 10 minute warm-up or cool-down. It usually ends up being Tone It Up one day with the yoga the next over & over. If there’s no challenge, I find that’s the time to scale it back a little bit & not push myself as hard because I know the next challenge is coming & that’s the time to really push myself & grow.
What am I doing right now?
Right now (as of the publish date), I’m in-between challenges so I’m doing 50/50 workouts & yoga. In October, Tone It Up usually has a challenge called the 31 Day Challenge so I’ll be doing that then with 10-15 minutes of yoga a day (yoga is great for a warm-up & cool-down). Then I’ll go back to a 50/50 split for a few weeks. Tone It Up has plenty of challenges to choose from in their app so I’ll choose another around the holidays so I have something to keep me motivated. Then in January, Yoga with Adriene does a challenge & I’ll do that one then followed by a Tone It Up one in February. Then it’s 50/50 again. Working out & doing yoga is a great routine to have but it’s also important to mix up that routine itself to keep things fun & motivating.
As for how workout out & yoga has impacted my life? Well…
Physically it’s had great impacts. I can honestly say that I’m stronger & in better shape than I was before I started working out. But I’m also a much more positive & happy person. Mindfulness & gratitude is something that you learn during yoga but Tone It Up also teaches that too & I think that’s made a big impact on me throughout the last several years as my life has gone through ups & downs. Anytime I’m mad, sad, & happy, working out & doing yoga is always the answer. I truly could not imagine my life without it anymore. “The Girl Who Hates to Sweat” is long gone! Working out starts or ends my day on the right note & helps me feel so much better mentally & physically.
Tell me below: do you work out? Do you have an at-home workout routine or are you a gym person? If you’re an at-home person, I would love to hear whose workouts you do & what type you like. Comment below & share!
Love,
