The Best Workouts for Weight Loss

What are the best workouts for weight loss? They are the ones that will actually do on a regular basis!

At the end of a workout, do you EVER say, “I wish I hadn’t done that?”

NO!

You are always glad you did it! No matter how you feel when you start, it almost always feels great to have done it.

Doing a workout really boosts my mood and always helps me feel much better as I do it and when I’m done.

One of the ways that I use to get workouts in, is to work out at home. This really helps me because I can do a workout whenever is convenient to me without having to drive somewhere.

Another reason I love these workouts is that they work the entire body and incorporate movement that works your body as a whole rather than isolated parts.

You build grace, balance, strength, and flexibility all in one workout! Now that is efficient.

The gym is not the only way to get fit. And believe it or not, you really don’t have to do crazy-hard workouts to get in shape.

I love being fit! It means I can go for long walks, bike rides, hikes, and most importantly play all day with the grandkids!

To help YOU get started, here are 10 FREE exercise videos that you can mix and match to burn fat and lose weight.

August 2023 Update: Since I wrote this post, I’ve added more great videos that I’ve found, so there are more than 10 now. The more the merrier I say!

Why Use Exercise Videos to Stay in Shape?

YouTube has a ton of exercise videos for women. But they aren’t all great or appropriate for our needs.

The challenge is sifting through them all to find the best ones for our unique needs.

Total body fitness videos are the best workouts that I’ve found and enjoy.

I’ve done the work for YOU! I’ve found the best workouts that support you that are as good or better than some workouts that I pay for already!

Exercise alone won’t usually make you lose weight but I find it essential to workout often to help with weight loss or maintaining my weight. 

These YouTube exercise videos deliver on high quality and a great workout that fits all fitness levels.

This page is a handy reference to 10 videos you can use throughout the week to look and feel great all the time! Be sure and bookmark it.

Sara

I have been an avid at-home workout enthusiast for my entire adult life. Back in the day, I worked out to fitness videos by Jane Fonda and Kathy Smith.

Now, I subscribe to a few websites that have workouts that help me conveniently stay fit. I use free YouTube videos and I walk outdoors as much as possible

I felt sure there had to be workout videos for women that you could access for FREE on YouTube that would allow you to build a great workout routine through the week.

The best workouts for weight loss are ones that you actually do! That’s why I love at-home workouts. When I have time, I just pull on some workout clothes and get to it.

Working out at home is a great option for getting fit because it’s just so darn convenient. These days the choices are so endless it can be totally confusing.

So, I went on a MISSION to find workouts that would provide strength training, cardio, and stretch in the most efficient way.

The Best Workouts for Weight Loss

These free exercise workouts are all available on YouTube and will help you build an effective workout in your very own home that you can do at any time that is convenient for you.

When I started looking for great free workout videos on YouTube, I wasn’t really convinced there were any high-quality ones.

Let’s be honest—there are a lot of workout videos on YouTube but many of them are poor quality.

So, I set out to find free workout videos that include the three main components: strength, cardio, and strength.

To qualify for this post the YouTube fitness video needed to:

• Be excellent video quality.
• Have excellent sound.
• Have an instructor who was calm and showed expertise.
• Be easy to follow.
• Have first-rate cuing from the instructor.
• Have modifications for different fitness levels.
• Be low-impact and generally safe.
• Feel like “it worked.”

Many videos are lacking one or more of these qualities. In the end, I found these great YouTube workouts for women, that I am happy to add to my own workout rotation.

Types of Free Online Workout Videos

There is every type of workout you are looking for out there. I limited this post to four types that I use on a regular basis to stay fit and lose weight when needed.

• Walking
• Body Sculpting
• HIIT
• Stretch
• Barre

To start off the workouts, I picked two Walk at Home workouts by Leslie Sansone.

I started doing these workouts when I wrote this post. To date, I’ve lost 22 pounds. These walk-at-home workouts work!!!

Sara

She’s the original when it comes to in-home walking and these videos on YouTube are great quality. As much as I love walking outside, it’s just too hot most days.

These workouts are a little different than your usual walking but they use basic moves.

Leslie keeps the workout moving and even though there are just a few basic moves, it doesn’t get boring. And instead of just saying, “I worked out for half an hour”, you can say, “I just walked two miles.”

I picked several full body sculpting workouts. Some used weights and some didn’t. Most of these are relatively short. However, the instructors have other videos that you could try out if you need a longer workout.

But don’t let the short time fool you! Because they combine strength and cardio, you are getting a great workout. HIIT maximizes the time you spend by getting your heart rate up while you are also building muscle.

To add the final component to the week, I added some yoga workouts. I believe that stretch is just as important to physical fitness as cardio and strength.

How to Use YouTube Workouts to Get in Shape

During the week, I will do full body and HIIT workouts three or four times. I love working several body parts at one time and giving the body a good workout all in one go.

For me, working out 5 or 6 times a week is ideal. I mix high intensity workouts with more gentle exercise such as walking or yoga. 

Sometimes I will do more than one workout if they are short. Two 20-minute workouts gives me a great workout when I’m feeling energetic!

When the workouts suggest hand weights, you can use light weights to get started. Even two or three pounds will add great resistance to your workout.

I also included three yoga workouts. Yoga was the trickiest to find because I find most online workouts to be too difficult for me to follow.

While I don’t mind making some modifications, in general, I like to be able to do all the moves in a workout.

I found two instructors that I really liked. I’m including two for beginners and one flow that I was able to follow along.

Testing Free YouTube Workouts

I did each of these workouts and was pleasantly surprised each time. These free workouts had new moves that I hadn’t done before and each one was a good stand-alone workout.

The other surprising thing was that even though they were relatively short, they gave me a that feeling of having had a good workout.

The other cool thing about short videos is that you can combine them to make a longer workout.

For example, I can use a walking video to warm up and get some cardio in. Then follow that with a full body workout. And if I still have time, add a short stretch. You can get a lot of different things done in 45 minutes!

Or I might do a longer walking video one day, and combine a couple of the strength videos on the next day. Then a long yoga video on the third day.

Having a mix of workouts allows you to create a routine that works for you!

How to Use Work Out Videos to Get in Shape

If you haven’t been exercising much, start gently.

Use lighter weights or no weights and use the easier options.

The important thing is to build a consistent practice of exercising that you enjoy and that makes you feel great.

Besides toning, exercise can also be a stress reliever.

Reducing stress is really good for helping you lose weight! So, don’t be in a hurry to get to the hardest level.

Work at your own speed and gradually work up to the more difficult levels!

My Favorite YouTube Workout Videos for Women

Balletone with Wellthy Boss

9-2-2020 This is my new favorite workout. 50 minutes of low-impact cardio that worked my body from head-to-toe! There’s a short standing leg section and then cool down.

I was sweating by the end of the workout. The moves are all gentle and you can use arms or not as you want.

I’m going to incorporate this workout into my schedule weekly. I think it will be a fantastic toner for my butt, core and legs!

Leslie Sansone: Fast Walk

This 30-minute walk is fast-paced and has a lot of arm and core movement. I really enjoyed the workout.

During the summer of 2019, when I had gained weight from traveling, I used this very video to help work off those pounds. It also really shaped up my waist!

I love combining cardio with other movement. As always the steps and movements are easy to do but because it is fast-paced, you get a great workout.

Leslie Sansone: 1-Mile Walk

If you haven’t ever done at Home Walking, here’s a basic one-mile to try. There are four basic steps that combined with arm movements get you in your cardio zone.

30 Minute No Equipment Barre Sculpting Workout

This is another favorite workout! I did it completely no-impact and got a great workout and lots of stretch. I really liked this instructor. I’m a fan!

Jessica Valant: Non-Impact HIIT

This is a 10-minute low impact lower body workout that doesn’t require any special equipment.

Kathy Smith: Total Body Workout

Kathy Smith leads this full body workout.

She is 68 years old and just as amazing as always. Her cuing and helpful hints keep you moving and safe at the same time.

Jenny Ford: Total Body Strength Workout

This workout has a 5-minute cardio warm-up, followed by about 25 minutes of exercises for the entire body using light weights and a chair.

Modifications are given so you can do it at your own speed and with light weight or no weights.

The directions are clear and the video quality is very good.

It’s very no-frills but I really enjoyed the progression of the workout. I felt like I was getting at some muscles I don’t always hit with other workouts.

Body fit by Amy : Quiet Low Impact Cardio Workout

This is a great full body HIIT workout that is also a low impact and a quiet workout.

If you live in an upper apartment this can be very helpful if you don’t want to bother the neighbors downstairs.

Sometimes I have 20 or 30 minutes before dinner and I want to move my muscles and get my blood flowing. After sitting for a long time, something like this can really help get the kinks out.

Body Fit By Amy: Low Impact HIIT Workout

Another great workout by Amy. Her videos are so easy to follow but you can get a great workout. She gives you modifications to make it easier and modifications to make it harder.

You can customize your workout as you go. If you just need a light workout, use lighter weights and take it easier. Craving something rigorous–go for it!

Five Parks Yoga: Yoga for Complete Beginners

I’ve been looking for yoga on You Tube for a while. I really like Erin Sampson from Five Parks Yoga.

Her speed and direction are excellent and easy to follow. Her routines are not always easy for me though. This first workout, is Yoga for Complete Beginners and is thorough and slow moving.

Yoga for Beginners with Adrienne

Yoga With Adrienne is another resource for high quality yoga videos.

This is a collection of some basic stretches. I think this could also work as an after workout stretch. Adrienne has tons of other videos on her You Tube channel.

Five Parks Yoga: Full Body Hold and Flow

I wanted to include on yoga workout that was doable for people that are not quite beginners.

This flow workout from Erin at Five Parks was nice. I could follow along with a few modifications. It was great for my shoulders and had lots of forward bends and twists.

How to Use the Best Workouts for Weight Loss

The key to any fitness goal is to be consistent and to do it long enough to see some results.

Find three or four workouts that you really enjoy and exercise five or six times a week.

You can do walking and stretch every day if you want.

Do the sculpting workouts every other day.

Aim for 30 to 50 minutes on most days. If it helps you can split the workouts up and do one early and one later in the day.

It can take up to 12 weeks to see results. Give your body time to adjust to regular working out and progress to higher intensity as you get stronger.

Sample Week of Workout Combinations

Day one

One-mile walk (15 minutes)

Total Body Workout Kathy Smith (35 minutes)

Day two

Yoga for Beginners (50 Minutes)

Day three

1-Mile Fast Walk (15 minutes)

Cardio Sculpt Workout (25 minutes)

Day four

1-Mile Fast Walk (15 minutes)

Low Impact Lower Body (10 minutes)

Yoga for Beginners: Yoga by Adrienne (20 minutes)

Day five

30 Minute Fast Walk (30 minutes) or 1-Mile Walk (15 minutes)

Jenny Ford Total Body Strength (30 minutes)

Day six

Yoga: Full Body, Hold and Flow (30 Minutes)

Be Consistent to Lose Weight

Exercising is essential to your body, your health, and your mental well-being. Finding convenient workouts that are perfect for your level of fitness is a perfect way to integrate more movement into your life.

I love to move my body often. Most of us sit way too much these days. Not because we are lazy, but because our work day is often at a desk.

Our entertainment is often sitting too. So, it’s important to get up and move as often as possible.

Workouts like these, move your entire body! They actually feel good as they are doing good.

Be sure and bookmark this page and do one of these workouts each day as well as taking a walk.

Your body will thank you.