Try these fitness apps and websites for inexpensive, effective workouts.
Skimble’s Workout Trainer: free to $10
Skimble’s Workout Trainer offers thousands of free individual workouts, complete with step-by-step audio and video instructions for everything from pain relief exercises to kickboxing to prenatal workouts. Multiweek workout programs cost $10 each, or you can pay a $7 monthly fee to access the app’s full range of content.
Sworkit: free
Derived from “simply work it,” the Sworkit app offers something for everyone, whether you’re a strength-training newbie or a Pilates pro. Users can create and share custom-built routines from the app’s library of over 170 exercises. The Sworkit website also includes a selection of user-built workouts that can easily be accessed online, or downloaded directly to the Sworkit app on your phone.
Pocket Yoga: $3
This app, conveniently available on tablet, phone and Apple TV platforms, acts as a portable studio. It includes adjustable intensity and session lengths, as well as detailed instructions for each pose. Pocket Yoga’s website includes a searchable glossary of yoga poses for all difficulty levels, with a range of body focus areas.
Fitness Blender: free to $15
Offering individual workout videos and multiweek workout plans, Fitness Blender is built for exploring a wide variety of workouts. The site also offers healthy recipes and short instructional videos for individual exercises such as Pilates, crunches and muscle stretches. Workout and instructional videos are free; multiweek plans range from $5 to $15, depending on length.
Bonus: Gaiam Restore Massage Therapy Kit: $20
If your goal is to release tension rather than burn calories, consider Gaiam’s home massage therapy kit. The kit comes with three massage therapy balls of differing sizes and a 25-minute DVD program of relaxing exercises. Add air with a pump to increase air pressure for a deeper massage, or keep the pressure low for a gentler approach.
Photo courtesy of Gaiam
