Sometimes just the thought of working out at the campus gym was enough to give me a near-panic attack. When I wanted to have a solid sweat session (usually donning sweatpants, no makeup and a worn out sorority event t-shirt), the last place I wanted to be was on display in front of the whole campus. Where, let’s be honest, I would inevitably run into my uber-attractive grad student TA, that boy I may or may not have made out with Friday night or my ex-boyfriend’s new annoying girlfriend who seemed to think it was a good idea to get fully made up before the gym so that she resembled a melting troll on the treadmill.

All of those reasons are why the idea of working out in the privacy of my own apartment or dorm, was much more appealing from time to time. When I lived in my sorority house, my roommate turned me onto Denise Austin and her DVDs. Unfortunately, our floor space was limited so we couldn’t easily exercise at the same time, but somehow we each managed to squeeze in quite a few workout sessions in that tiny room.

Luckily, that experience prepared me for living (and working out) in a tiny NYC apartment post-college. However, funds are limited to say the least, so I can’t afford to buy DVDs extraneously. That’s why, in the time since I’ve been out of college to now, I have discovered a number of great, FREE workout options that you can follow to get fit, toned and best of all, do them in your underwear at home!

Here are some of my favs:
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Katrina doing the Fitness Model Circuit Workout

Do you ever look at pictures in Shape or Self magazine and wonder how the models get their perfect bodies? Well, most likely they have been Photoshopped to perfection, but in real life, they are not far from it.

When I was in California recently, I was lucky enough to have Karena Dawn, a fitness model, show me and my pal Katrina the workout she used to get in shape for a recent shoot with Shape Magazine. It’s a total body fat burning circuit workout you can complete in just 20 minutes! Try this routine three days a week and you will have a magazine-cover body in no time.

Self Magazine Fitness Model Workout

This workout is 20 minutes, and includes a resistance move followed by 30-60 seconds of cardio, like running up stairs, jumping rope, running, or even jumping jacks. Best part: you do not need any equipment or a gym membership to complete this workout. You have no excuse not to get in shape! Read More »