It 's miserable outside . The whole world is a depressing gray color that just makes you want to lie on the couch and watch reruns of `` Sex and the City . '' You do n't have time to pack your gym bag , drop off the kids , drive to the fitness studio , shower and change , pick up the kids and get back home before dinner . Plus , you 're really tired of floor mats that reek and that woman in the back row who always steps left instead of right , effectively knocking you down on your out-of-shape gluteus maximus . Whatever your reason is for not wanting to hit the gym , Kristin Knee of Flirty Girl Fitness understands . `` I do n't even want to go to my own studio when it 's raining , '' she said with a laugh . That 's why late last year , she and her sister , Kerry , launched Flirty Girl Fitness LIVE , a Web service that streams three or four of their franchise 's group classes every day . Subscribers can log in at home and participate in classes like `` Bikini Bootcamp '' or `` Hottie Body Boxing '' from their living room . The classes stay online for 24 hours and then are replaced with the next day 's workouts . Unlimited subscription passes are $ 15 a month . Online video streaming is just starting to blossom in the fitness industry , IDEA Health and Fitness Association editor Sandy Todd Webster says . Several sites offer similar programs , including Yogis Anonymous , Connect Online Fitness , EMG Live Fitness and DailyBurn . `` It seems like the next natural progression to home fitness DVDs , '' Webster said . `` It 's another way of making fitness more convenient for yourself . '' Knee was shocked by how quickly the LIVE service caught on with her regular members . People were doing classes on their lunch break at work or logging in while on vacation . `` You know you have a [ workout ] DVD , and it 's an awesome DVD , but the girl tells the same joke every day , '' Knee said . `` This is always live , always fresh , and you feel like you 're there . '' Variety is one of the reasons Joyce Wells loves group fitness classes . But when Wells moved to the suburbs from New York , she was disappointed with the caliber of local studios . The businesswoman remembered how much her colleagues at Microsoft had loved video conferencing during meetings . Her subsequent research on online paid content revealed astonishing numbers : In 2010 , the National Football League raked in $ 500 million in revenue from its streaming services ; Major League Baseball earned $ 450 million . Netflix 's digital revenue totaled more than $ 1.5 billion . So Wells launched EMG Live Fitness , an Internet-based fitness studio that streams classes from instructors across the country . There 's no subscription for Wells ' site ; classes are bought for $ 5 apiece . In Wells ' opinion , the fitness industry is dragging its feet in making the transition online . The brick-and-mortar gyms are afraid of catalyzing their current market , she says . `` It 's going to be like Netflix was to Blockbuster . Blockbuster refused to let go of that model , and look at what happened to them . '' ( Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in September 2010 ) . Wells ' target market is stay-at-home mothers and people who are obese . But online classes appeal to anyone who 's uncomfortable in a gym setting , Webster says . `` You hear , ' I ca n't go to the gym until I get in shape , ' `` Webster said . `` This gives them privacy ... to experience it on their own without feeling self-conscious . This could go a long way to promoting compliance because it 's convenient and portable . '' Webster says personal trainers also use online video libraries to encourage clients to keep up with their workouts . While on-demand fitness video libraries are nothing new , they 're becoming more elaborate . Fitness company Daily Burn recently introduced HD-quality , customized video workouts on DailyBurn.com . The workouts are led by the `` DB6 , '' a team of six instructors who have a variety of areas of expertise . DailyBurn asks new users questions about their ability levels and goals . It then uses the site 's `` IntelliBurn '' technology to analyze and stream a personalized workout . By adding the video service , CEO Andy Smith and his producers have turned the site into one giant personal trainer . `` It does n't put you in a certain bucket , '' Smith said . `` It learns about you as you go , constantly monitoring what workout you did yesterday , are you hitting a plateau . ... People really want to stay motivated and be told what to do . '' Nearly 20 % of all TVs worldwide will be connected to the Internet by 2016 , according to Digital TV Research , which will make it even easier for online fitness videos to infiltrate America 's living rooms . Put bluntly , there are no more excuses . `` People are realizing more and more that there 's not a magic pill for [ weight loss ] , '' Smith said . `` You just need to get started . ''
Fitness studios are streaming live classes online or compiling video workout libraries . Flirty Girl Fitness LIVE , EMG Live Fitness and DailyBurn are all using this technology . People uncomfortable with going to the gym will enjoy these online options , expert says .