The Best Free (or Almost) Online Exercise Alternatives ~ Shaping Up with Melissa

Image via Netflix

If you're looking for some inexpensive ways to supplement your exercise routine, searching the internet can be a great option. There are a lot of different fitness videos available online, and the quality can differ depending on what you happen upon. In my experience, here are a few of the best options.

Netflix. After the first month, there is a fee to use Netflix. But if you just wanted to give it a try and see if you like the videos it is definitely worth it. They have a pretty decent selection for instant streaming, including the Crunch series and the 10-Minute Solutions series. The only issue I really had when I was using Netflix was that I felt the cardio burst never really happened for me in the different videos I tried. A lot of the videos were geared toward very quick workouts, or longer strength, yoga, and pilates workouts. If you are looking for a more intense cardio burn, I might suggest looking elsewhere. You can take a look here to see what kind of videos they have.
Hulu. I only recently discovered that Hulu has some completely free exercise options. Through the ExerciseTV and Jillian Michaels channels they have available without paying for the subscription you can piece together a pretty good workout. The major flaw with these is that depending on the video and how Hulu chooses to break it up you can be interrupted with a few commercials, which can really put a halt on any rhythm you've developed or cause your heart rate to go back down when it really shouldn't.
Gaiam TV. This is another service that you do eventually have to pay for (about ten dollars a month.) However, there is a free 10-day trial if you are interested in giving it a shot. Gaiam has some really great fitness and yoga videos on here. Including some recent releases, which is far and beyond a better selection than any of the other streaming services here. The real downfall to this site is that it is only fitness videos. Whereas with Netflix you also get your personal entertainment streaming in addition to fitness streaming.
Yoga Today. This site offers one free class a week, which personally is enough for me to incorporate into my yoga routine every once in awhile. But they also offer downloads of different classes for about four dollars a piece, and a yearly membership that includes unlimited downloads for a much steeper price.
Pilates on Fifth. This site offers free pilates videos through a weekly podcast that you can subscribe to in Itunes. You can also go through and get back episodes of the podcast so you could have enough pilates to last you quite awhile!