If you're determined to get fit, but don't have the budget for a gym membership or an endless parade of exercise DVDs to keep your interest piqued, try getting your workouts from the Web.
Streaming workout videos -- for cardio, Pilates, strength training, yoga and more -- are now available on dozens of sites for absolutely nada. The only thing they'll cost you is your patience: Most have less-than-perfect picture quality, a barrage of advertising and the occasional broadband hiccup or video lag to contend with.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 2 inches; 77 words Type of Material: Correction
Online workouts: In Monday's Health section, an article about online workouts said workout videos from Netflix are available for streaming to PCs but not yet to Macs. Since October, the videos have been available for streaming to Macs that are Intel-based. Also, the wrong website was listed for Ultimate Pilates Workouts. It is www.ultimatepilatesworkouts.com. The accompanying photo of a woman on an exercise ball was incorrectly credited. The correct credit, including the source's ".tv" domain, is www.exercisetv.tv.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, March 23, 2009 Home Edition Health Part E Page 5 Features Desk 2 inches; 77 words Type of Material: Correction
Online workouts: A March 16 article about online workouts said workout videos from Netflix are available for streaming to PCs but not yet to Macs. Since October, the videos have been available for streaming to Macs that are Intel-based. Also, the wrong website was listed for Ultimate Pilates Workouts. It is www .ultimatepilatesworkouts.com. The accompanying photo of a woman on an exercise ball was incorrectly credited. The correct credit, with the source's ".tv" domain, is www.exercise tv.tv.
But for the time-strapped individual who doesn't mind doing a squat thrust in front of a computer, these workouts are a perfect way to squeeze in a few minutes of exercise at home or in a hotel room, says Gregory Florez, chief executive of health coaching service fitadvisor.com and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.
"Not only are these [free] workouts fresh, they can give you new ideas, and they're available to the person just getting started," Florez says. Plus they're available 24/7, unlike your running partner or the gym.
The hardest part is finding them. A Google search for "free online workouts" turns up a lot of sites that appear to be free, but most are merely peddling minute-long snippets of DVDs they want you to buy or a one-time sneak peek at paid-membership content. Even more frustrating is wading through the hundreds of thousands of fitness videos at sites like YouTube. ? Don't worry -- we've done your homework for you. Read on for a sampler of some of the best Web workout sites and what you can expect from them.
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SparkPeople
( www.sparkpeople.com)
This 8-year-old diet-and-fitness site, established by EBay millionaire Chris Downie, is full of cardio, strength and Pilates routines to stream.
The no-frills workouts, videotaped in SparkPeople's Cincinnati offices, range in length from five to 20 minutes and can be put together as part of a free, customized diet-and-fitness plan for site members.
There are no hourlong workouts to be found on this site. The idea, Downie says, is to get beginning exercisers to commit to short ones rather than nothing at all.
"One of my favorite tips for people is to try to do 10 minutes of fitness every day," instead of shooting for the recommended 60 minutes, Downie says. "You'll end up doing more than 10." Downie says he founded the site after he logged 700 consecutive days of short exercise stints, greatly improving his health.
