Lifestyle: Your Guide to Home Workouts for 2025.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that this year I’ve committed to ramping up my fitness. I’ve always been really fit (yes, it IS possible to be a forever plus size and fit) but because of my multiple disc herniations in 2021 I completely lost my fitness and flexibility and it has impacted me in so many ways - my mental health, confidence and the way I move through the world. It’s just something that has always been very important to me and my self worth. I’m not for a minute suggesting self worth is attached to fitness with everyone as know it’s not accessible for everyone but for my personal relationship with myself this is an important factor. And a note here that I do offer a variety of workouts below so there should be something here for most folk.

As I’m perimenopausal my lack of fitness has been playing on my mind… a lot. I’m aware that it’s so incredibly important for us in perimenopause to maintain strength. After my own experiences with injuries and having a 5 year stint with arthritis in my ankle after a car accident which has since been fused I always vowed to do what I needed to to keep as much mobility as I can. However, I lost so much confidence when I herniated my discs, because the injury happened while I was doing a very every day thing (putting Monty’s water bowl down) and it caused me to have a year of absolute hell and I became really fearful of movement. It has taken me a few years to slowly regain that confidence but in the past 6 months I’ve been so ready to regain fitness.

But what has been a game changer for me is accepting that I no longer love going to the gym. Because I’ve loved it in the past I couldn’t understand why I couldn't find that relationship with it again. But because of body shaming experiences at my local gym and losing confidence I was having to force myself to go. The exercise classes aren’t quite of the standard I was used to when I lived in Brighton and I was struggling to find the time to consistently take at least an hour out of my day to go. So I took a decision to focus on home workouts and it really has been something! Because I can just roll out a mat and do 30 minute workouts without leaving the house first thing I’ve been able to maintain consistency and build a habit. I’ve been using an app since 2020 but was bored of it and since committing to a regular schedule I have researched and played with lots of different options and I’m sharing them with you today.

The downside with working out at home is that without the accountability of others you may always opt for a lighter weight/shorter workout or not put that extra bit of effort in so do be conscious of this. But also the apps I mention below mostly have challenges where it picks classes for you so they are serving you workouts that might be a little outside of your comfort zone, which I think is really important.

If you are lacking in fitness but want to improve your overall strength, build a foundation for a strong body and are lacking in time I would definitely suggest focusing on pilates before you get into anything else. Pilates is an incredibly effective and low impact workout that will mean you are able to hold yourself with strength while then introducing other workouts into your mix. That’s not to say Pilates isn’t an incredibly powerful practice on its own.

Strength workouts.

The most recommended exercise for perimenopausal women, a strength workout may come in many forms and the joy of them is there is something for everyone. Whether it’s a dumbbell or body weight workout there are low impact versions and you can take it as heavy or light as you need. I keep a small stock of equipment at home - a slam ball (8kg), dumbbells (4kg and 5kg), kettlebells (6kg, 8kg, 10kg) and some other equipment I’ll get into in a mo. There are some great fitness apps out there but I find the best for strength are FIIT or Apple Fitness with the latter being my current choice because I prefer the design of it (the colours used in fitness places really stress me out - I hate intense colours and flashing lights!) and the trainers. I buy my fitness app subscription annually by putting £10 a month into a pot and my Apple Fitness subscription cost me £70 this year which works out under £6 a month. You can filter on both apps by equipment and parts of the body you want to focus on.

There are also a few other ways to effectively work on strength. I bought the Decathlon version (£20) of the TRX (£150) but subscribe to the TRX app and it is really challenging me and building my strength - this suspension trainers means you can get super deep into moves and gives stability if balance is an issue but also provides a challenging workout without the need for lots of equipment or space - the TRX can be attached to a door frame if you don’t have a solid beam to hang it off.. I’m still getting my head around it and trying to work on my push up strength for the plank exercises which they make look so easy but are sooooo hard! Again, this is a fairly low cost app at $7.99 a month which works out to just under 7 quid. Also, I would imagine once you have the hang of it you can set your own workouts so may need to only subscribe for a few months. They do have some great free workouts on YouTube too - here’s my TRX playlist. You can also find a video here on how to set up your trainer.

And I’m new to resistance band training but this is an incredible workout and I’ve become slightly obsessed - I feel the burn and have really felt much stronger since introducing these into my fitness schedule. I bought a set of Peloton bands for under a tenner from TK Maxx and they are really good and I noticed my local Sports Direct often have some in stock. Decathlon also have a version - I recommend getting a selection of different thicknesses because you will use heavier tubes on lower body than upper body. As far as workouts go, there are some great free workouts on YouTube (so grateful for those trainers sharing these great videos) - see my resistance band playlist here.

pilates.

As mentioned earlier, if you only add one exercise to your life make it Pilates. I used to work at a chiropractors and saw people come in with varying levels of back pain and Pilates transformed a lot of peoples lives - it’s incredible for strengthening your core and building a solid strength all over the body but especially your back. It is also incredibly toning - before my Mum’s dementia she was doing one pilates class a week and had a 6 pack at the age of 70! Do not underestimate Pilates. Also, don’t be fooled - it may look low impact and like the moves are small but pilates burrrrrrrns. While I’ve been dipping my toe back in Pilates for a few years I’ve not really seen results until recently and that’s because I’m now doing at least 2 short sessions a week and I can really feel my balance and core strength coming back.

I love the pilates on Apple Fitness (see note in strength section about Apple Fitness) - especially with Marimba. But if you’re looking for something different I’ve got a few to recommend. I have enjoyed a January challenge with someone I used to work with Bonnie - teaching from Portugal here classes are bright and enjoyable. There is no website or available YouTube video playlist but she does offer low cost challenges you can join - find out more by following her on Instagram. There is also Lottie Murphy whose videos are so good - you will definitely find something to inspire you on her YouTube.

A popular channel is Move with Nicole, while I haven’t tried them it looks like there is a variety of good classes on offer. I know there are also apps like Glo and Alo but never been attracted to the apps myself (lack of inclusivity.

Spin and cycling.

If I had to have a dessert island exercise it would have to spin. My obsession with spin started in Brighton and while you can’t stream I have to shout out RogueCycle for just being the best spin class there is out there and for those ex ravers of us it’s the new nights clubbing except you get to do it in the morning and leave after an hour dripping in sweat with a croissant in hand! I tried spin at my local leisure centre after moving to the Derbyshire Dales and I was sorely disappointed - the classes just didn’t hit in the same way at all so I stopped going but I missed my cycle workout so bad, they have just become my dopamine hit of choice. So I hit Facebook Marketplace and picked myself up a secondhand JLL IC400 PRO bike up for £200 - this bike is perfect for what I need it for and the budget I had. There are better bikes out there but this does me - if you’re interested in a home exercise bike this article was helpful. I will add don’t bother with the Elite version (for the JLL IC400 there is the Elite and the PRO) - I did try it before the pro and it was rubbish.

As far as finding classes there are quite a few options. I love to get immersed in the music so want a deep, well executed class. For me Apple Fitness provides this and my trainer of choice is Sherica - she has the best playlists and just motivates me massively and always has me laughing which is the best tonic as I’m usually doing these spin sessions in the mornings. I also did a free trial with London spin studio Digme fitness - I love the live element of these online classes and they are fairly low cost at £6 considering the quality of the classes or you can opt for a membership giving you access to all the live classes for a monthly fee of £25. They also have an on demand membership starting from £8 a month. Another service I have tried is Pixie Acia - her classes recorded in an LA studio are insane with the coolest music and is under £15 a month but I cancelled because I couldn't justify having this and Apple Fitness but are a good option if you really want to push the bar and you like techno.

HIIT + cardio.

If your goal is to get lighter on your feet and increase your cardio stamina then HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts maybe a good fit for you. I like them for a burst of energy on days where I feel stagnant! I’ve found YouTube to be a minefield with HIIT - the trainers tend to be quite calories/weight loss focused and with someone with a history of disordered eating I just don’t need that energy in my life and my safe space is Apple Fitness HIIT sessions - they have good music and the trainers are really good with slick production. FIIT also have good HIIT classes but I still find the trainers slip in some stuff about flat stomachs/bingo wings etc which isn’t the vibe I’m looking for.

Also, if you know what you’re doing you can install a Tabata app (an interval timer app) and craft your own plan. I like using my equipment for this - my slam ball and kettle bells. And then bodyweight exercises I’ve learned from various classes/trainers over the years. My favourite workout comprises of 6 exercises done for 45 seconds with a 10 minute rest between exercise for 3 sets and a 30 second rest between sets. The workout includes slam balls, jump squats, kettle bell swings, clean and press, TRX pull ups and press ups.

If you are plus size and want to join fun group classes online then Missfits Workout might be a great option for you - these dance inspired classes are so fun and a far cry from the classes you have done in the past where you felt out of place and judged!

Yoga and wellbeing.

Yoga has been my consistent throughout the last 5 years. While I’ve had to keep it light at times because of my back I’ve enjoyed many different yoga sessions at home but what I was finding was for on demand classes I was always picking the ‘safe’ option and not pushing myself. I started with the FIIT app and absolutely LOVE Cat Meffan and Richie Norton’s classes. However, FIIT have stopped updating the yoga sessions regularly and I wasn't enjoying them anymore after exhausting the classes by the aforementioned trainers and with Cat no longer contributing to the app I wanted to see what other options I had. I don’t love the yoga sessions on Apple Fitness - I found a lot of them repeated moves which made them feel like more of a workout than a holistic class but I know many people swear by them so maybe just personal preference. There are excellent on demand and live options for many studio. For a spectrum of different classes I drop in with my old Brighton studio About Balance which are great when you want to be part of a class.

But for me the offering that has the wow factor is Cat Meffan’s Soul Sanctuary app - I’m so glad I looked her up after doing her classes on FIIT as this platform is so wonderful - the production is lovely and there is an array of sessions for everyone with the slowest practices through to strong asanas and handstand classes (of which I did one of the other day and of my word - even though I could barely do any of it I felt so powerful afterwards!). I find Cat’s way so welcoming and she speaks to everyone - never forcing a pose and mindful of what peoples needs might be with all different body shapes. She also has guests in for different practices and meditations/sound baths. I joined the 30 day January challenge and it might well be one of my favourite things ever - I’m finding I am trying new things, challenging myself and showing up to just see what might happen if I give things a go. At £14.99 a month I think it’s an absolute bargain and worth every penny.

I did also recently try Yoga with Adrienne - she absolutely blew up in Covid times and now I’m realising for good reason - her videos are wonderful and such a wonderful free resource to be out there. If you want to see if yoga is for you then I recommend starting here. For those that want to do yoga with a bigger bodied yoga instructor I loved Lucy B Yoga - for me the timings didn't work and felt if I was paying £20 a month I wanted to have the live aspect and for me it was between Lucy B and Soul Sanctuary and I settled on the latter for a more varied platform but I highly recommend Lucy.