Postcard Workouts: Like a Personal Trainer in Your Mailbox (With a Giveaway!)

For many moms, at-home workouts are where it’s at. Literally: getting to the gym is way too much trouble with young’uns. I’m lucky that my gym has great childcare, but even getting there can be difficult. And when gym memberships aren’t an option and babysitters are scarce, it’s easiest just to throw the kids in the stroller and go for a run or do a workout DVD in the comfort of home. But there’s a new service for home workouts that will bring fresh workouts right to your mailbox each month: Postcard Workouts.

For as little as $9 a month, members of the service receive a packet of three postcards at the start of the month for one of the programs tracks. I tried the Home Workout, which didn’t require equipment other than a stopwatch and a chair. The Bikini Body and Total Body Toning tracks require fitness equipment and target problem areas and strengthen while reducing body fat, respectively.

I tested out the Home Workout version and got three cards with workouts in the mail. They look like this:

I like that they’re easy to carry with you for your workout — whether you take them to the gym or use them at home — and that if you’ve been around the workout block a time or two, you’ll know most of the exercises. They do include a url on the card where you can look up the exercises if you need further instruction. I got out of breath moving quickly from one move to the next, and I was able to complete three sets of the workouts in anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes. On the back of the card, you can log notes or progress — or if you forget what a certain move is, you can jot down a description so you don’t have to head to the web next time.

It’s a bit old fashioned to get your workouts delivered by postman these days, but I can see how it might help keep some people accountable. You’re paying for the service, so you are probably more likely to use it. And it’s more in your face than an email you can delete. It’s like a bill in your mail box: you have a physical reminder of the workout that you need to be doing.

That said, they might not be the most exciting workouts you’ll ever do, but if you need something fast, simple, cheap and that will hold you accountable, Postcard Workouts might be the ticket. Head over to Twitter and Facebook to follow them for more details and motivation. And if you’re interested in trying Postcard Workouts for yourself, readers can use coupon code FBG20 to save 20 percent off all subscriptions. And three readers will even get a free one-month membership to try it out! Leave comments below telling us how this service would get you moving, and consider yourself entered. U.S. residents only, please. Winners will be notified by email.

Do you like the idea of a workout delivered to your mailbox? Would it hold you more accountable? —Erin