Easy Ways to Stay Active Indoors

Winter’s icy sidewalks and snow-covered roads can make it difficult to go on your morning run or make it to the gym before work. Not everyone has access to a home gym, which means that many people become much less active during the winter months. That being said, it’s no less important to stay active just because the temperature dropped.

It’s not too difficult at all to implement easy and equipment-free indoor workouts into your daily routine. Check out some of these ideas for staying active (and warm!) indoors:

Workout videos

If you like the workout class feel, then workout videos might be the perfect thing for you! There are tons of options available from DVDs to phone applications to YouTube videos, so there’s no excuse for missing a workout.

There are videos of all lengths, expertise, health goals, and much more so it’s easy to find a “class” that suits your needs whenever is convenient for you. Some incorporate weights and other handheld equipment pieces, but more often than not they are equipment-free. Some platforms even allow you to make playlists of videos or save them so that you always have something available when you have time for a workout.

Body weight workouts

These are some of the safest workouts you can do, because they utilize your body weight instead of equipment. Doing this type of workout might take a little bit of upfront research to get into the swing of things, but they can be done anywhere at any time.

Body weight workouts can target all parts of your body from strengthening ab muscles to growing your glutes and chest. The exe ises aren’t difficult to perform, but are easy to both modify and intensify depending on your physical fitness level. Examples of body weight workouts include planks, squats, crunches, and donkey kicks. Do a little research into what moves are best for your personal needs, and you’ll always have a workout to do no matter where you are.

Yoga

Yoga is a great indoor activity to do that promotes all aspects of your health–not just physical. It has been shown that yoga leads to increased flexibility, improved respiration, higher energy levels, and improved digestion in addition to being a good workout for your body. Don’t be intimidated by the pictures of yogis on the Internet pulling off incredible body contortions. Yoga is a very individual workout and can be modified to fit your body’s needs.

Don’t have a yoga mat? Don’t worry. As long as you have some sort of carpet on your flooring, you should be good to go. If not, try setting down a blanket or towel beneath you while you practice.

Get creative

None of these workouts sound appealing? Getting creative with your indoor workouts (or bringing a friend along) might make staying fit more fun. Try running up and down the stairs, having a dance party, or chasing your dog and you might be surprised how easy it is to stay active.

No matter what you choose to do this winter season, it’s important to stay active. Not only are regular workouts good for your physique, but staying active is also important for maintaining good cardiovascular health and can even lower your chance of getting certain diseases.

There’s no need to bundle up and brace the cold this winter to stay in shape. Hopefully this list gave you some ideas on how to stay active indoors this winter season (or year-round!)