It’s that time of the year when every gym is packed to the brim with new members, part of the “resolution club” hoping to uncover a new them through hours of dedication at the gym.
For some, they are in it to win it and ready to commit. For others, it is a short lived relationship that will end far before their annual membership ends.
But, what if you can’t fit a gym into your lifestyle right now? For some this may be due to a new child, an ailing parent, a demanding job, frequent business travel, or simply budget. Across the nation the cost of a gym membership continues to increase each year as gyms offer more perks for their members such as child care, thorough class schedules, scented towels, and improved service.
Just today, my friend Lindsey lamented on Facebook about the fact that her reliable fitness partner, Exercise TV, no longer existed. Before last week many people relied on this as an at home fitness solution.
Luckily, for both Exercise TV addicts and people who can’t fit gyms into their life right now, there are two great new options available for far less than the average gym membership: Daily Burn and Gaiam TV. I’ve tried both of these over the past few weeks and have really enjoyed each of them!
When Gaiam TV reached out to me about reviewing their new site, I expected to find a website with streaming yoga videos and workouts. While this excited me, I can’t live on yoga alone and therefore doubted how often I would use the site if I purchased as subscription. However, a few weeks ago, when my trainer cancelled last minute I turned to Gaiam TV for a workout substitution and was very pleasantly surprised. Within seconds I was logged into the website and browsing their library of Jillian Michaels workouts, organized by categories, which included far more than yoga alone. The site is very easy to navigate for even first time visitors, even featuring a what’s trending section to direct visitors to their top videos and features.
I also love that Gaiam TV makes working out while I travel an easy option. Since you can access it via computer, iPad, television (using HDMI adapter) and iPhone I can break a sweat in the comfort of my hotel room when doing a yoga, fitness, or strength video. Gaiam also features films and documentaries which can be enjoyed during a plane trip, commute, or lazy evening at home. Unlike other websites, which only deliver yoga workouts, I love that this site incorporates over 2,000 workout videos in one place which are accessible, on an unlimited basis, for only $9.99 per month. In addition, they offer a free 10 day trial so you can try it risk free.
While Daily Burn isn’t a new kid on the block, they have recently launched new features on their site that have made it a comprehensive fitness and nutrition power house. Daily Burn provides workouts and nutrition advice customized to help you meet the goals you share with them during the questionnaire portion. For example, I said that I had an average of 45 minutes to work out each day and wanted them to provide me with very specific nutritional guidelines which would make it easy to follow.
Within minutes, I was provided a full menu along with suggested recipes.
My favorite part isn’t the menu but instead the grocery list it creates so I can ensure I have all the ingredients accessible when it comes time to prepare and cook each meal or snack.
In addition to the nutritional information Daily Burn suggested, it also provided me with a first workout based on the feedback I provided.
If only I could figure out how to let them know that I need a workout that can be done in my small, New York City apartment. Oh well. After you complete the workout suggested, or any of the other workouts, you provide feedback which allows them to alter the workouts moving forward.
Daily Burn is a great option for people who are looking for a holistic nutrition and fitness program, not just a live streaming workout video. In addition, subscription is only $9.99 per month which is far less than a gym membership alone. While I think some of their nutritional suggestions needs to be taken with a grain of salt, this is a great starting point and provides inspiration and ideas!
Similar to Gaiam TV, you can access Daily Burn from your computer, iPad, iPhone, television (using an HDMI connector) or Droid.
Question: Have you tried either of these workout options yet? What are your thoughts? If not, what is keeping you from trying them?
Today’s Food:
I haven’t tried either of these, but I am big on workouts that can be done in my hotel room, since I travel so much! I just recently heard about BodyRockTV website, which has at-home workouts, so I may start doing those soon. I’ve tried the infamous “1000 rep workout” (except I only did about 400 or so) and really liked it, so hoping the rest is great too!
I have a HuluPlus membership, and a number of ExerciseTV workouts are still available there (but with ads, which is kind of hilarious and a little annoying during yoga). Comcast OnDemand seems to have recorded a bunch of new exercise videos to replace ExerciseTV, but the ones I tried are pretty hit-or-miss.
I’d be interested in trying both of these but would probably only commit the money if I knew I’d be away from the gym for a while. I’d also love to be able to buy single workouts from Gaiam especially. (I’ve done that before with YogaToday.)
Exercise does not have to cost much.
We can find all kind of tools around that house that we can use for our exercises. A small water bottle can be the perfect weight for instance.
Here in Calgary (Canada) we even have free outside workout parks with machines that you can use. OK when it’s freezing that is not real fun but it is still an option.
I haven’t tried either of these – but I will definitely check them out. I’m a SAHM and it’s hard for me to get out with my son – especially when it’s so cold out! It’s great to know that there are a few reliable options out there that I can turn to in a pinch!
I love that you’re posting your meals. I’m actually using the e-tools as well to monitor how many peanut butter cups I eat each day 🙂
It’s great to see what others using the same tools are using. It gives me meal inspiration.
Have a great Thursday!!!!
I’m doing WW too (I’m 4 pounds from goal) so I’d love to see your daily food lists. Haven’t tried any online workouts yet. Mainly just because between running and my gym and yoga studio memberships, I have lots of other workout options. I wouldn’t be opposed to trying them though.
Great job Jana! Congratulations on almost making your goal. I too love seeing other people’s food ideas on blogs and then figuring out how they can fit into my routine. I only use these sites when I’m traveling or in a situation when my trainer cancels and I need weight inspiration!
i am a big fan of the at home workouts…really just to switch things up from the gym. i use bodyrock.tv quite a bit for workouts and ideas. check it out!
I’ve never tried Body.rock.tv but feel like I need to check it out now since so many of you all have suggested it.
GaiamTV looks really interesting! I am going to have to check it out. $10 a month is really not that bad and I like that they have so many different types.
I agree, you really can’t beat the price and they are adding new workouts every week!
I’ve only done a few workouts in my own home [versus at a gym or outside] and used the free on demand workouts on our TV- the workouts definitely got me sweating! I haven’t done any since moving into the apartment though becuase I worry about how loud I’d be to the guy under us :/
If you liked free on demand workouts I really think you’ll like these sites. I was amazed how much I was sweating only a few minutes into the Jillian workout! If you put a yoga mat down it may help keep the sound from your neighbor?
If you already have netflix, their workout videos are fun and available streaming in many different genres.
Thats a great suggestion! I didn’t realize they had streaming videos!
I love that you are posting your food. I don’t really know the acceptable point spread for you for the day but it’s awesome to see what you eat. I post pics of my food & my total calories for the day on my blog.
Great review of these websites! I’ll miss Exercise TV but I’m ditching cable soon anyway.
I’m going to continue sharing my food on my blog and points at least Monday through Friday. I hope you find that one of these two websites is a good substitution!