Online Workout Websites

Thank you for all your suggestions in the comments (and via email) on my last post regarding online workout websites. I checked out all the suggestions and thought it would be helpful to list them in a post. So here we go:

• http://www.bodyrock.tv/

Bodyrock.tv has a great variety of workouts, and they are short and intense. It’s a great site to explore and get ideas for new and exciting exercise routines. Some of the exercises are clearly beyond the scope of what I’m looking for in my workouts, and I really don’t want to (re)injure myself (having a weak ankle and a lingering lower back injury). It’s a great site to explore, but I think one has to know one’s limits (which is always the case when one exercises).

• http://www.yogadownload.com/ 

I really like yogadownload.com and used it years ago but had sort of forgotten about it. The site has a wide variety of yoga classes as well as audio and (some) video downloads. Some of the shorter classes are even free.

• http://www.yogavibes.com/

I hadn’t heard of yogavibes.com before (well maybe I had, but I don’t remember for sure…). The site has an extensive free collection of short videos (each 1-4 minutes in length) demonstrating and explaining individual poses. There are also a wide variety of yoga classes (beginner, prenatal, athletes, kids, etc.) that can be accessed with a paid plan. First-time customers can download a free 15 day trial, and an unlimited monthly pass costs $20.

• http://www.crossfit.com/ and http://www.dogtowncrossfit.com/

I always see the “crazy” CrossFit people doing their WOD (workout of the day) at my gym, and I have been intrigued for a long time. The CrossFit site provides lots and lots of information, but if I ever decide to give this (crazy) workout plan a try, I think I’ll start by taking a few classes at a CrossFit gym to make sure I understand the basics. Groupon and similar sites frequently run great deals on CrossFit classes.

• Mike Chang videos on YouTube

Some good, basic workouts. I look forward to exploring his YouTube channels a bit more.

• Jamie Eason’s LiveFit

Jamie has a 12-week program, consisting of three four-week sessions focusing on training, nutrition, and supplementation.  It’s definitely too intense for what I’m looking for at this point, and I wouldn’t want to follow such a strict eating and supplementation plan. But I may explore the exercises more in the future. I also like that the workouts are available as printable logs.

Questions: What’s your favorite workout right now (online, outdoors, indoors, at home, at the gym, anything)? I still love barre classes. They are a great workout, and they have really helped me to manage my lower back pain. However, my favorite workouts are still long, challenging hikes. What’s a workout you want to try but are scared of? 

Be well,
Andrea

Veggies, Meals & Workouts

Bike riding, running, climbing, and soccer are some of the kid’s current favorite activities. It keeps us all very active, which is a good thing!

We got another CSA box. Over the years, I have learned that it’s best to eat the lettuce right away as it quickly wilts, so we had a nice, simple salad with radishes on Friday night. We really enjoyed it.



Now on to this week’s meals:

Meal 1: Chicken cilantro dumplings – some pan fried, some in a veggie broth; steamed veggies
Meal 2: Veggie stir fry with mushrooms over brown rice – I’m really looking forward to using the mushrooms from the CSA box
Meal 3: Mushroom ravioli with pesto and veggies
Meal 4: Grilled salmon with lemon dill sauce and smashed cauliflower
Meal 5: Butternut squash soup, leftovers and other refrigerator finds

My workouts didn’t go at all as planned. I came down with a bad cold and just couldn’t exercise at all on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday I thought I’d give a short workout a try and did 20 minutes on the elliptical. Afterwards, I went into the steam room (which was challenging as I couldn’t really breathe, but I felt better afterwards). Thursday and Friday I rested more. Finally, on Saturday I felt well enough to go to a barre class. In the past, I never took a break from working out even when I was sick, and there were stretches when I was always sick. Looking back, I think it was because I didn’t allow my body to heal properly. Glad I’m older and bit wiser…

Here are my workout plans for this week:

• 2 barre workouts (I got a couple of questions about barre workouts. I wrote a post about barre workouts last year, but in short barre workouts are a mixture of ballet, yoga, and Pilates; there is lots of thigh work, core work, and push ups; light weights with high repetitions are also used – much harder than it sounds)
• 1 weights workout
• HIIT
• Short workout DVDs (The 30 Day Shred, etc.), which I will do before work – I really miss Exercise t.v. on demand (which apparently shut down its on demand channels as well as its website on December 31.) We just got cable t.v. again recently, and Exercise t.v. was one of the things I really liked about it. I know many people like www.bodyrock.tv, and I’ll have to give the site a try soon.

Questions: Do you have any suggestions for online exercise sites? If so, please share in the comments! What workouts do you have planned for this week? What’s on your menu?
 
Be well,
Andrea