24 Sep 5 Ways To Stay Active Indoors
With the Fall season approaching and Winter soon thereafter, it can be a challenging time to stay active with colder temperatures and fewer daylight hours. However, staying physically active is one of the best ways to improve your mental and physical health and keep yourself on track to reach your fitness goals.
Use the following list of creative ways to be active indoors to help pass the time, find inspiration, and to stay fit throughout the cold months:
YouTube Exercise Videos:
YouTube has a wide variety of exercise videos to choose from including yoga, cardio, HITT, strength training, kick-boxing, stretching, zumba, etc! Finding a YouTube channel and exercise that works for you is KEY. You may want to purchase equipment that will help you to perform these workouts such as a yoga mat, weights, and resistance bands, but it isn’t necessary! Ultimately, listen to your body and keep moving even if the exercise in the video is not working for you because it is too complicated or painful, you can do an exercise swap and continue your workout with a move of your choice that is more enjoyable.
Body Weight Exercises:
The military has used calisthenics (or bodyweight exercises) for years to build up strong soldiers. You can do calisthenics in your house easily without purchasing any special equipment. Just perform three or four of these exercises three or four times a week to grow stronger all winter long:
- Push-ups
- Wall-sits
- Squats
- Crunches
- Planks
- Lunges
Do Some Chores:
You can take your period of time indoors as an opportunity to get things done around the house, things which still require you to be active and burn calories. Housework such as vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, walking/running up and down stairs, and folding laundry all count towards your physical activity goals.
Dance Party:
Go ahead, crank up your favorite tunes and just dance like nobody’s watching! Dancing is an exercise that you can do in your living room or bedroom, and it can really burn a lot of calories and most importantly, it’s FUN! You can freestyle dance or look up guided dance videos on YouTube.
Running Alternatives:
If you’re a cardio lover, you probably don’t want to give up that runner’s high, but you might not want to venture out into frosty conditions either. During the cold months you can still get your heart pumping indoors with cardio workouts you can do at home, such as:
- Climbing stairs
- Jumping jacks
- Mountain climbers
- Burpees
- Jump rope
- High knees
Maryann Walsh, MFN, RD, CDE
Registered Dietitian/ Nutrition Communications Specialist