5 ways your Amazon Prime subscription can make you healthy – CNET

Recently I took up yoga. I like it, but don’t always have time to get to a class. Plus, much as I recognize the value of a good instructor, classes get expensive.

Thankfully, as an Amazon Prime subscriber, I can access a surprisingly large library of yoga videos — effectively letting me take free classes via TV, phone or tablet. 

And it turns out that’s just one of many health-oriented options available under the Prime-perks umbrella. Let’s take a look at ways your subscription can help build a better you.

Yoga videos

As noted, you can find an extensive assortment of yoga videos on Prime — everything from beginner courses to therapeutic ones designed to relieve neck and shoulder pain.

Just search for “yoga” in the video library, then click the Prime checkbox to show only those available with your subscription. At this writing, there were a whopping 572 of them.

Workout videos

Want to squeeze in a cardio workout before work? How about some kickboxing? High-intensive interval training? Full-body Pilates?

You can find all that and a lot more in Amazon’s Exercise & Fitness section, which boasts some 1,300 Prime-eligible videos. One good place to start is with The Gymbox, a collection of 18 different videos offering a variety of workouts: kickboxing, step aerobics and so on.

Meditation videos

There are countless meditation apps, of course, but if you’re new to the practice, you might prefer something visual — a chance to see the guide, the correct posture, etc.

Amazon Prime is home to over 2,200 meditation videos. These run the gamut from introductory sessions for beginners to targeted meditations aimed at combating stress or improving sleep.

Ambient-noise videos

Trouble sleeping? Try one of Amazon’s ambient-noise videos (which number nearly 150 for Prime subscribers), which play hours’ worth of relaxing sounds like thunderstorms, ocean waves or a forest creek — usually with a black screen so you’re not kept awake by the glare of the TV.

Granted, there are lots of other such white-noise options available, most notably apps for your phone. And streaming a video on your TV all night is a waste of not only electricity, but also internet bandwidth. Still, this is something you can turn off with the simple press of a remote, and maybe you prefer sound to come from across the room rather than your bedside table.

Health books and magazines

Another Prime perk is Prime Reading, which affords access to a small, rotating selection of digital magazines — any of which you can access for free via a Kindle app or device.

At this writing, that selection includes Cooking Light, Men’s Health and Runner’s World, all of which have obvious value for the health-minded.

While you’re at it, check out self-help books like “52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You” and cookbooks like “But I Could Never Go Vegan!” The Prime Reading library contains hundreds, if not thousands, of books devoted to health and wellness.

Have you found any other such resources available through Amazon Prime? Share them in the comments!