During the winter, your options for being active really start to dwindle. The cold temperature makes many outdoor activities impossible and when the weather is at its worst, going out to the gym or the local YMCA just isn’t reasonable; it’s best to stay safe at home…Yet, we must stay active!
For those of us who have stationary bikes or treadmills, we naturally can turn to them. Yet, neither seems to be a satisfying alternative to pounding on the pavement or gliding by a changing landscape. Treadmill-running and stationary-biking quickly become monotonous tasks, and it feels easy to let them slide and just forget about being active for a couple days, but we must not let the weather prevail!
Winter is a good time for strength training (for building or toning muscles), an important part of exercise, which you might not do normally. It doesn’t require much room, and if you don’t have your own set of weights, you always can improvise (but remember to be safe)! You can apply the tips from “Use of a Weight Room” within your own home. Strength training doesn’t have to involve weights. In fact, targeting some areas can be easiest without weight. For core training, strengthening your abdominal region, you could try 5 Minute Abs or even yoga!
If none of those options sound appealing to you, perhaps you’re looking for something more “fun”. If your ceilings aren’t too low, jump-roping actually can be brought indoors. It’s a fun, while demanding, activity that you can even include your kids in. (I’d be a little wary of the furniture in this case.) A less traditional but equally, if not more, rewarding activity is jumping on a trampoline. Use of a trampoline can give you all the benefit of normal exercise and can help you increase your sense of balance. Buying a mini-trampoline specially designed for exercise, it will be safe for your joints, might be your next best investment. (You didn’t think I was referring to a full-sized trampoline, did you?)
Last but not least, why not dance? It doesn’t matter what your previous experiences were like, all you have to do is turn up your music and start moving! Who knows? Maybe you can master a cool new move (or perhaps just scare your kids with a resurrection of “Thriller”).
