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Exercising in the Winter
When the temperatures are frigid and it is freezing cold outside, I often find myself wanting to hibernate in my house. The thought of having to go out in the cold to get to the gym or an exercise class is not appealing at all, but I also know that I need to maintain a level of physical activity throughout the year, no matter what the temperature gauge reads. It took me a while to realize that I can workout in my home. The more I got into it, I realized there are many creative ways to exercise in your own home...without exercise equipment or a crowded exercise class!
It is important to carve out time during the day to exercise, and if you have not exercised in your home before, it may take a little extra time planning at first. Therefore, I have included some ideas to get you started on your in-home workout.While time is of the essence, especially around the holiday, I have to remind myself of the numerous health benefits of regular physical activity, such as preventing winter blues, weight control, controlling blood sugar levels, lowering blood pressure, and improved energy level. Therefore, I have included some ideas to get you started on your in-home workout:
When the temperatures are frigid and it is freezing cold outside, I often find myself wanting to hibernate in my house. The thought of having to go out in the cold to get to the gym or an exercise class is not appealing at all, but I also know that I need to maintain a level of physical activity throughout the year, no matter what the temperature gauge reads. It took me a while to realize that I can workout in my home. The more I got into it, I realized there are many creative ways to exercise in your own home...without exercise equipment or a crowded exercise class!
It is important to carve out time during the day to exercise, and if you have not exercised in your home before, it may take a little extra time planning at first. Therefore, I have included some ideas to get you started on your in-home workout.While time is of the essence, especially around the holiday, I have to remind myself of the numerous health benefits of regular physical activity, such as preventing winter blues, weight control, controlling blood sugar levels, lowering blood pressure, and improved energy level. Therefore, I have included some ideas to get you started on your in-home workout:
- Stair stepping: if you don’t have stairs, find a block or a large book to get your steps in.
- Lunges: do regular lunges, jumping lunges, or add weights to make your lunges more challenging (can use water bottles or other household items as weights).
- Planks: Get into a push-up position, but instead of bending your arms and moving down towards the floor, hold the position with your arms extended. Start off holding the position for 30 seconds, and add an additional 10 seconds every day.
- Cardio: jumping jacks, high knees, burpees, and jumping rope (if you have one and have the space) are great ways to get your heart rate up while indoors.
- Use homemade weights: If you are looking to do some arm, shoulder, or back strength training, you can make your own weights by filling up water bottles. If using water bottles becomes too easy, use milk jugs. You can tailor the exercise to your level by filling the jugs to the exact weight that you need. For a greater challenge, increase the water amount just a little bit each time you workout.
- Dancing: Dancing is an excellent way to burn calories, and get your heart rate going while having fun. If you are in the privacy of your own home, there is no need to worry about what you look like- a pro or novice still gets the job done.
- YouTube workouts: There are a lot of workout routines on YouTube. You can search “workout,” or you can search by the specific type of workout that you would like. This eliminates the need to use workout DVDs, and it allows you to mix up what you are doing. YouTube is also great if you want to do a traditional workout with push-ups, squats, and crunches, but are unsure on how to properly do these types of exercises. There are tons of videos that instruct you on how to use correct form as you exercise.
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