Hey! I'm Alexa.

Glowlexa

A blog about my journey with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Chronic Illness, Lifestyle, Uncategorized ·

The Best At Home Workouts I Use to Stay Fit

I’ll admit, there’s way more days where I ~don’t~ workout than days that I do. Often times my swollen feet, achey hips, or weak hands make physical activity incredibly difficult. But for the days I am feeling good, I make it a point to exercise because I love the way I feel afterwards. It’s empowering, stress relieving, and a giant take that! to my arthritis. 🙂 As it did for all of us, quarantine completely changed the way I work out. Pre-Covid whenever I was healthy enough, I had a membership to a gym or took various workout classes nearby. Since the pandemic, I’ve found amazing videos online that I could follow along with (for free) and I’ve said adios to paying for classes! Here’s a list of some of my favorite at home workouts that you can do without ever having to leave your house!

ARM WORKOUTS

This 10 minute arm workout will have your arms BURNING!!! I follow along with 2.5 wrist weights but you can do it without and it’ll still be difficult. I love Kelly’s videos because she doesn’t talk her way through them — she puts music over her videos instead 🙂
Ohhhh Chloe Ting. She single handedly got me and my friends through quarantine with her free workout programs. I don’t even bother with wrist weights on this one because it’s hard enough as is. It’s been so neat to watch Chloe Ting’s career progress! She has her own line of workout equipment and outfits now at Walmart!
If you have a pair of light-ish dumbbells this is a perfect workout. I love MadFit videos because she is very down-to-earth and relatable. She is never over the top or annoying, which I HATE when watching some workout videos.
Here’s a fun one! A complete upper body workout using a dish towel— yes, a towel!!! I did this all during quarantine because my options for equipment were limited and you’d be surprised how tired you can get using items around your house…

LEG WORKOUTS

I love Fit By Larie’s barre videos!!! Pre-pandemic I was a huge fan of Pure Barre, so when classes were cancelled I searched for the best barre-inspired workouts and hers are by far my favorite. This one will have your legs shaking by the end!!!
Another great MadFit video!!! I love this one because 90% of it you’re laying down (lol). But I kid you not this is one of the hardest leg workouts I’ve found…and she makes it look so dang easy. Add a resistance band around your thighs if you want to make it even more challenging!
Another great barre inspired workout!! This one you’ll do standing and will need some sort of support like a chair or countertop to act as your “barre”!
This video is a little more high energy than the others I’ve posted, but it’s a great one! I like that they start off with some stretches before jumping into it. This video has lots of lunge and squat variations that can be completed with or without weights!

CORE WORKOUTS

F45 will be the death of me. I used to loooooveee their classes but ultimately left because they became a little too hard on my joints. This one is doable because most of it takes place laying down! I watched these videos all throughout quarantine and was actually in great shape! You’ll see a few other F45 videos on this post. 🙂
I love this “lazy 6 pack” video…because you lay down the ENTIRE TIME! …I bet you can see I like laying down while working out…. Anyways, despite the word “lazy” in the title…your abs will thank you later!
Chloe Ting has more ab videos than you can imagine, but this is one of my favorites. Let me warn you, those plank jacks will kill ya…!
If you have TRX bands at home…you gotta try this one. While this video isn’t very flashy, with minimal talking and no music…it. is. insane. I can barely finish the second round. Play some of your favorite songs of your own since she doesn’t play any music and your core is good to go.

CARDIO WORKOUTS

Cardio is hit or miss for me. It all depends on how my joints are feeling but if I can fit in 10-20 minutes of cardio on a good day, I’ll do it! Here’s another great TRX cardio (and core!) video by Fit By Larie.
You’ll hate me for this one….I’m sure of it. But this f45 cardio workout is killer. I can only do this one on REALLY good days and even then I make a lot of modifications. It’s set to their “Foxtrot” timing which consists of 12 exercises, 1 lap, and 4 sets at each station. Sounds easy…. it’s not.
Burn calories with this high interval intensity training workout. Only 20 minutes and you’ll be sweating. Again, Chloe has all sorts of cardio workouts so if you like this one, she has plenty of others you can do day after day.
Low impact is best for my joints so I love these “no jumping” cardio style workouts. Even though you’re not hopping around you’ll get your heart pumping.
This is a great half-hour cardio bodyweight workout. There’s no equipment needed and they give modifications on all of the exercises for low-impact options which I love!

Cool-Downs / Stretching / Meditation

This is my favorite stretching video I’ve found so far. I love that there’s no talking and find the music very relaxing. This is a great video to start or end your exercise routine.
A great yoga-based, full body stretch by Yoga With Bird. I love doing this one when I wake up to get my body moving and blood flowing.
Calling all Rheumies with morning stiffness! This video is for you. This is another great one to do first thing in the morning when you may be filling stiff and achey.
A great 30-minute meditation for chronic pain. I play this at night before I go to bed and often times fall asleep to it! It’s very comforting and gets my mind off of the pain I’m struggling with.

There you have it! Some of my go-to at home workouts! Let me know which ones you love (or hate)!

Talk soon 🙂

-Alexa

Get on the List

You’ll Also Love

What is Graves’ Disease?
How to Navigate School and Chronic Illness (K-8)
What is Fibromyalgia?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Glowin’

Join Alexa's mailing list for exclusive content, health tips, & inspiration.

welcome!

I'm Alexa...welcome to Glowlexa! This is my personal blog where I share my medical journey and aim to inspire other individuals living with invisible disabilities. Thanks for stopping by!

Latest on Instagram

Copyright © 2024 Glowlexa · Theme by 17th Avenue