By Brian Acton
If the great outdoors is your favorite venue for getting exercise, cold winter weather can put a real damper on your workout routine. Cold temperatures can make it unpleasant to exercise outside; throw in snow, ice, or freezing rain, and an outdoor workout could be dangerous.
Nevertheless, you need to get regular exercise to stay healthy. Luckily, you don’t have to go into hibernation all winter. Instead, you can move your workout indoors.
Here are seven ways to get exercise indoors when the weather gets cold.
- Join a Gym
Gyms aren’t for everyone. But they stock a wide range of exercise equipment, have perks such as showers and fitness classes, and even offer a way to get out and make friends.
If you only need a place to work out until the spring, you could sign up for a month-to-month membership and cancel once the weather warms up.
- Join an Indoor Pool
If you have a local indoor community pool, now is the perfect time to become a member. Indoor pools can provide blessed relief when you’re craving a dip in the middle of winter. Plus, swimming is a low-impact cardio exercise that is easy on your joints and muscles.
- Fire Up an At-Home Workout
There are plenty of home workout DVDs and programs that range in intensity, goals, and price. Whether you’re looking to boost your heart rate or shred your abs, there’s an at-home workout product for you. Even YouTube is full of free workout tutorials and videos. All you need is a screen, some content, and the willingness to hit “Play.”
Of course, do your research before you buy a workout program. They aren’t all created equal.
- Indoor Classes and Recreation
There are plenty of indoor workout classes you can take to shake off the winter blues. Cycling, kickboxing, and boot camp classes are a few of the popular ways to get an indoor workout in a community setting.
Other creative indoor ways to break a sweat include racquetball, indoor rock climbing courses, and even laser tag.
- Get an Exercise Machine
If you don’t mind the expense, an indoor exercise machine could be a good permanent addition to your home. Rowing machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes allow you to get a great workout without leaving the house.
If you want a full workout experience, check out our guide on
building a home gym.
- Create Your Own Routine
Even if you don’t want to buy exercise equipment, you can create your own workout routine at home. Lunges, planks, pushups, and squats can make up an intense workout routine that requires no extra equipment. You can even use stairs to recreate the Stairmaster experience.
- Clean
If you want to multitask, cleaning is a good way to get moving. Cleaning activities can range from light exercise like sweeping to hard labor like reorganizing a cluttered garage. You’ll be simultaneously burning calories and improving your home.
