Get moving with my favorite workout guru
I usually curate content that involves sitting on your ass, so to balance it out, this month I compiled a list of workouts.
For me, working out at home is optimal. If I have to leave the house to exercise, I probably won’t. Since I don’t have the space for equipment like an elliptical machine or treadmill, I rely on workout videos.
I’ve been a Kathy Smith fan for a really long time, like longer than you may have been alive, and her workouts have always been consistently solid. Over the years, I’ve purchased most of them. Luckily, though, thanks to the power of the internet, you don’t have to purchase anything if you want to exercise with her; she provides a number of workouts on her website for free.
I’ve compiled several of her workouts here. Almost all them are a manageable 20 minutes or fewer. If you exercise moderately, these videos will be a good fit for you. If you’re a workout fiend, they will be on the easy side, maybe good for light days. I’ve included strength, cardio, and my favorite, stretching.
(Note: If you poke around Smith’s website, you’ll find that it is, in a word, bad. But I promise, that is not a reflection on her workouts.)
Strength training
Staying Strong Legs
Sculpt your lower body with plies, lunges, and squats with the 15-minute Staying Strong Legs.
Lean Legs, Lifted Butt
At 30 minutes, the Lean Legs, Lifted Butt workout is a more intense workout than the previous one, and for me, it’s a killer. Proceed with caution.
Lift Weights To Lose Weight Upper Body
A 20-minute workout for your arms, back, shoulders, and my nemesis, the triceps.
Holly Jolly Buns
Don’t judge me, but I actually enjoy doing glute exercises, as much as I can enjoy any exercise. Apparently, the 15-minute Holly Jolly Buns was posted around the holidays, hence the title, which is a bonus reason to enjoy it.
Tummy Trimmers
You’ll like the Tummy Trimmers workout if, like me, you only want to work your abs for a few minutes at a time. The workout is only 10 minutes, and a portion of it is back exercises. If you need extra motivation to work your abs, keep in mind Smith’s words: “Core strength is what powers you through an adventurous life!” (I added the exclamation point.)
Cardio workouts
Cardio Fat Burner
The 20-minute Cardio Fat Burner is split into four 5-minute combinations, which makes it feel shorter than it is.
Cardio Dance
The 15-minute Cardio Dance Workout is really old, from back when we still called this kind of exercise aerobics, and yes, I owned it on VHS. I’m including it for the early 90s hair.
Total Body Circuit
Circuit workouts burn more calories for faster weight loss, should that be a goal of yours. The 20-minute Total Body Circuit features short bursts of cardio interspersed with strength training segments.
Stretching
Stay Strong Stretch
Stay Strong Stretch offers 15 minutes to a more flexible body. Smith recommends doing these stretches at night in order to release tension and improve your sleep.
Yogilates fusion routine
I don’t know if Yogilates is a real thing, but according to Smith, it “fuses the relaxing essence of yoga and the therapeutic value of Pilates.” If you work from home, try the Yogilates fusion routine in midday when you start flagging. Due to insomnia medication, I have energy issues, and doing this video gives me a boost.
How do you work out?