Work Out. Eat Well. Be Patient.

Colder temperatures are on their way if they haven’t already arrived in your neck of the woods and that can take your motivation to workout to a low rivaling that of the frigid temperatures outside. So what to do? Hibernate for the winter and work on getting your beach body back come the spring? No, way! You can work out in the comfort of your own home, improve your health, fitness, and strength and keep warm all at the same time!

You may be thinking but I don’t have a bunch of fancy exercise equipment at home like they do at the gym. You don’t need any of that stuff because you can get a full-body workout at home without it. If you happen to have some dumbbells or kettlebells lying around that’s great, but if you don’t that is no problem either. Did you know that you can use water bottles as dumbbells and when you are ready for more weight you can fill an empty milk jug or two to the precise weight that you need?

Here a few ideas that you can use to get a workout in, even when you don’t want to venture out into the cold.

 

Jump Rope

Jumping rope is not just for kids! It is actually a very effective full-body workout, and it is great for getting your heart rate up. When you jump rope you are working out your core, arms, and legs. You are also increasing the strength level of your entire body! Did you know that for every minute you spend jumping rope you are burning about 16 calories, and that is if you go slowly! Increase your speed and feel those calories melting away! Jumping rope also helps to improve your balance and coordination, builds up bone density, and some studies have even concluded that it makes you smarter! So what are you waiting for? Grab a rope and get to jumping!

 

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises, sometimes also referred to as calisthenics, have been used for years as a fast, and very effective way to build strength, burn calories, and increase your lean muscle mass. Did you know that the more muscle mass you have the more calories you burn, even while you are sleeping? So, what are some bodyweight exercises that you can do during your indoor winter workout?

Jumping Jacks

Push-ups

Crunches

Lunges

Shoulder Touches

High Knees

Chair Dips

Squats

Arm Circles

Planks

Calf-raises

Leg lifts

 

These are just a few bodyweight exercises that you might want to include in your workout routine. Keep in mind that there are quite a few variations of many of these exercises, like crunches, planks, and lunges so that you can keep things interesting!

 

Yoga

Looking for an indoor workout that is a little less intense? Why not try yoga? Yoga provides a lot of different health benefits including increasing your flexibility, relieving stress and making you feel more mentally balanced as you make your way through the different poses.

There are lots of different kinds of yoga, but if you are new to it you might want to stick with some easier poses. If you are not sure of how to complete the poses there are lots of videos that you can watch online to show you the proper technique.

Many people find that starting their day with a yoga routine, helps them to feel more relaxed throughout their day. The gentle stretching is also a great way to get your muscles ready for the day ahead.

 

Dance Party

Did you know that dancing for 30 minutes can burn up to 250 calories? You can’t ask for a more fun way to stay indoors where it’s warm and still get a great workout in. So grab your kids, put on your favorite high energy dance tunes and get moving! Dancing is a great way to get your heart rate up too, so this counts as your cardio workout for the day, and music is a great mood booster for a gloomy day.

Can I recommend some Beyonce?

Pilates

Pilates is another great form of exercise that you can do right in the comfort of your bedroom or living room. Pilates is a form of low impact exercise that strengthens your muscles, increases your flexibility, and improve the alignment of your spine. The exercises are focused on your core, but you will feel the results all over your body. If you are new to Pilates you can find lots of workout videos online for beginners. If you don’t have a thick yoga mat at home, you may want to make a pallet out of blankets to keep bony pressure points, like your hips, away from the hard floor.

 

Clean the House

Did you know that cleaning the house can be considered a workout too? You have to love that you can get your workout in and have a clean, fresh-smelling home all at the same time. Sweeping, mopping, dusting, even cleaning the windows is all very physical work.

Fifteen minutes of scrubbing your bathtub to a sparkling shine and you will give your arms a workout and burn about 100 calories. Spend 30 minutes sweeping or mopping your floors and you will burn about 150 calories. Scrub all the gunk off of your stove and oven, and then wipe down your fridge to rack up another 200 calories burned! Make a few adjustments to how you complete your other chores like completing a squat when you have to pick something up off of the floor, or doing some lunges while you are vacuuming the hall and burn even more calories.

 

It can be difficult to motivate yourself to work out when it is cold and gloomy out, but the benefits of exercising can make such a difference in your overall health. You will feel better both mentally and physically, in addition to getting and keeping your body in shape for warmer weather. Try incorporating some of these at-home workouts for those days when you can’t make it to the gym, or when it is so cold that you just really don’t want to.