A little over a year ago, I made a commitment to myself to start incorporating some exercise into my daily routine. It wasn’t really about losing weight — I just wanted to feel better and feel like I was more physically fit. However working 30 hours a week, taking care of my home, and keeping up with a two year old makes working out each day pretty challenging. I don’t have a lot of spare time to give towards an exercise routine. Somehow though, I’ve been able to maintain working out 4-5 days a week for a least 30 minutes…sometimes 45 minutes. I’m lucky enough to have a treadmill in our basement where I’m able to run some days. On the days that I don’t run, I do other workout videos through YouTube on my phone or iPad. So I thought I would share with you 3 of my favorite YouTube channels that help me squeeze some fitness into my busy day!

Blogilates – This one is probably my most favorite! I love Cassie’s upbeat and bubbly personality; it really helps to motivate me during the workouts. Another thing I love about the Blogilates channel is the fact that she creates a workout playlist for each day of the week. She’ll have a playlist titled “August 21- Killer Arms Day” and then a list of 4-5 videos based around that. Normally there is one warm up or cardio video, and then the rest will be all about exercising a particular body part or area. Depending on how much time you have, you can do the entire playlist or just pick a couple you want to do. The best part about her videos though is that they are quick and effective! Most of her videos are less than 10 minutes, and I don’t think I’ve seen any that are over 15 minutes. This makes it perfect for a busy schedule because I can just turn on a short 5 minute video whenever I have time and get some exercise done.

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If you don’t want to follow her workout playlist, you can just as easily create your own 20 or 30 minute workout by choosing different videos. For example, I’ll choose an 8 minute warm up, a 6 minute arm video, then a 5 minute ab video, and a 7 minute butt and thighs video. Then I’ve basically gotten in a full body workout in about 30 minutes. I love being able to choose what part of my body I want to work on that day, and I love that the videos are short and to the point. Also, almost all of the workouts are body weight workouts, meaning no special weights or equipment are required!

Fitness Blender– I was using this channel a lot before I found Blogilates, and I enjoyed it for many of the same reasons. There are a variety of different types of workouts available with quite a few of them being under 30 minutes. There are some that are longer and I’ve done a few of them when I have extra time, but usually I stick to a half an hour. Fitness Blender is a husband and wife duo and they each take turns leading the videos and leading them together to show modifications for low/high impact. Also like the Blogilates, a lot of their videos are body weight only. I love that I can still feel like I’ve gotten in a good workout without having to use weights or any other special equipment. Lord knows I don’t have any extra storage in my house for clunky weights!

Xhit Daily – This channel I don’t use as often as the other two, but it’s still a great option to get a quick workout in. They have so many different playlists available: upper body, lower body, core, abs, stretching, yoga, and pilates. They also have some really great instructional videos that show you how to do specific exercises in case you are unsure of form/technique. The instructors are really upbeat and motivating and it makes the workout go by so much faster, which I appreciate because although working out makes me feel better, it’s not entirely my favorite thing to do.

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If you haven’t tried doing workouts through YouTube I would strongly encourage you to try it! I love the ease and versatility of being able to workout whatever and whenever I want. Plus working out at home is much easier for me with having Mini Pbj. I don’t have to find a sitter or drop her off somewhere. She can just play in her room or in the living room with me while I’m working out, or I’m able to do them while she’s napping which is even better!

How do you make time for fitness in your busy schedule??