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Working Out From Home - Harnessing the Power of the Internet!

The internet is full of great online exercise resources, but sifting through them to find one that matches your intensity level and your interest can be daunting. Here are a few of my favourite links, hopefully they will lead you directly, or indirectly, to find something that is a good fit for you!

Tips for reputable online exercise

  1. Watch, or skim the video first to make sure it is the right intensity for you. Some exercises will build as they get near the end and you can feel committed and overdo it if you haven’t looked ahead!

  2. Look to see if the video is part of a Channel, with a variety of videos, and lots of “views”. These are generally more established fitness professionals. 

  3. Approach videos that promise “Rapid Weight Loss” or “Pain Relief” with skepticism.

  4. As always, listen to your body and don’t do any individual exercise in a routine that causes pain. Modify all programs to fit your body and condition, and ease into things gradually. This is NOT the coach’s first time, so don’t feel like you have to do it exactly like them.

Community Care for Seniors - Activity Calendar

FUNctional Fitness with Jennifer Cobb

Live Classes of seated gentle exercise through the Picton Library Facebook page.

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11 am

Fitness Powers

CardioFit for Beginners

Stretch Break

Chair Piloga

UHN (Toronto) Cardiac Rehab Website - HealthEUniversity.ca

Gallery of Individual Resistance Exercise Demonstrations - useful for adding one or two more exercises to your current routine

Walk and Talk with Rob - 11 sessions of Rob Bertelink (Cardiac Rehab Supervisor) doing a gentle 30 minute walking/resistance training workout in the kitchen, talking about a wide variety of cardiac rehab education topics. It’s low tech, but it’s the most efficient combined Cardiac education/exercise you’ll find!

Chair Workouts (Donovan Green)

This series of energetic, positive videos are all done in sitting. He has a wide variety of workouts, from beginner intensity to high level cardio, and also has several that focus on stretching and low back pain management.

20 min workout for Power/Strength Training (Beginner)

10 min Cardio Workout (I love his positive self talk in this one!)

20 min Cardio Workout (Intermediate) 

The Body Coach 

Joe Wicks, from the UK, went viral during the early days of the pandemic when he streamed a daily workout series aimed at kids (or grandkids stuck at home), but he has been creating online workouts for 4 years. He is still a regular on screen presence at our house. He has a wide range of workouts - I’ve included a few basic ones here, but there are lots of very tough options too. (scan ahead to make sure you haven’t chosen one that’s too intense). Use caution if you have osteoporosis or low back pain, as he does include rotation/twisting.

10 min Chair Based Workout for Strength (Beginner) 

YMCA At Home 

The YMCA has created several streams of free exercise classes (no membership required), including Cardio, Strength, Gentle Fit, Yoga/Pilates, Core and Stretching videos.

30 min Aerobics Class Style Cardio (Intermediate Level)

For Lower Intensity or programs specialized for balance retraining the Gentle Fit stream has a lot of variety.

20 Minute Controlled and Focused

Gentle Fit Functional Training

Leslie Sansone’s Walk At Home

My favourite recommendation for when the weather turns unpleasant is to go for a walk with Leslie Sansone. She essentially walks you through a 1,2 or 3 mile walk in your living room, with good music and a few extra moves thrown in for variety.

3 Mile Fun and Fast Walk (15 min)

Nick’s Men’s Mile (15 min)

Dark Horse Rowing Coach 

Rowing is a great, but intensive workout. If this is something you’ve worked up to in your cardiac rehab, however, Dark Horse is a great coach who gives excellent emphasis on technique rather than speed.

The Girl With The Pilates Mat - Standing Pilates/Stretching

This channel has a variety of regular pilates and standing pilates videos. This one is low tech, but a nice, unintimidating way to data-start= into this style of exercise.

Tai Chi

There are many Tai Chi videos - choose the length (from 5 min to 20 min), style, and level of verbal instruction that appeals to you. This is a good 5 min beginner video with instructions.

Dance Workouts (Seated and Standing)

On the internet, you can find anything! These workouts are dance based, seated workouts. These are some of my favourites…

Paul Eugene’s Seated Disco Dance Party (20 min)

Fitness Marshall - High Intensity - Taki Taki (4 min)

Get Fit with Daisy Chair Zumba - low intensity - (30 min includes warm up and cool down)

Bollywood Chair Workout (lots of arm workout) - 1 song (4 min)

Zumba (Latin Dance Workout) - get reacquainted with your hips!) - Despacito (4 min)

From Soup To Tomatoes - YouTube - it has 250 (!) recorded 30 or 45 minute basic workouts. This is a great option for people who hate doing the same video over and over again.

Enjoy, have fun and stay healthy!

Nancy Lock, Physiotherapist