How to Stay Fit in the Winter

[pinefree]

I've always lived in warm climates, and spending my first winter in Washington state has made working out trickier for me. I work a desk job and don't get in too much activity there (I have a standing desk and walk around every hour, but usually I'm stationary). I have a gym membership but often the snow and ice prevents me from getting there. 

Any advice on your favorite indoor workouts to do in the winter? Or in general how to get more activity in when it's snowing and you just feel like sitting around or napping? 😉

[bcalvanese]

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@pinefree wrote:

I've always lived in warm climates, and spending my first winter in Washington state has made working out trickier for me. I work a desk job and don't get in too much activity there (I have a standing desk and walk around every hour, but usually I'm stationary). I have a gym membership but often the snow and ice prevents me from getting there. 

Any advice on your favorite indoor workouts to do in the winter? Or in general how to get more activity in when it's snowing and you just feel like sitting around or napping? 😉

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I do my cardio outdoors so I can't answer to indoor workouts. I do have a total gym knock off that I use for muscular once or twice a week.

I work a desk job too, and today for my lunch break i put on 3 shirts, a hoodie, hat & glooves, and did 4.9 miles at the local park. Power walked the first 1.4 miles to warm up and ran the last 3.5 miles. I think it was like 13 degrees with the wind chill, but once you get warmed up, it's fine.

[kaelarenee7]

I'm in the same boat having lived in Southern California my whole life and then had to adjust to having snow in the winter after moving to Idaho a little over 2 years ago. My first winter here, I just added extra layers and rode my bike around the neighborhood. There wasn't too much snow that it was a problem. This winter though, we've had the most snow this area has seen in 30 years so it's all snowy and icy and I haven't been leaving my house unless I have to go to work or buy groceries. I've been trying some indoor workouts like yoga and contemplated going to the gym yesterday but didn't want to deal with all the ice so I just set timers to walk around my house for 20 minutes, take a break for about an hour, and then walk around the house for another 20 minutes. I just made a circle around my living room and dining room, managed to get in over 11,000 steps that way without every leaving the house! I try to do yoga and exercises using my body weight or resistance bands for stretching and strengthening as well.

[vineviz]

I like to walk up and down the stairs: extra steps + elevated heart rate = good workout.

Walking in circles around the kitchen or dining room while binge watching Netflix is good too.

[MackyB]

I would get some resistance bands - you can mimic almost any gym machine/free weight exercise with them and they are super easy to use. Add them to any bodyweight exercise to make it more challenging. When it's too cold for me to run outside I run the stairs in my apartment building. 

[emili]

welcome to the community @pinefree! you ask a really good question. Me, I am so much more active in the summer because of early morning walks and then my normal work out routine. If the roads are drivable, I go to the gym. I do not tolerate cold weather so for me a walk outside is not an option. I literally shake the whole time. Last year we had a monster snow storm, I bundled up like a crazy person and walked around the neighborhood for a total of 4 miles. I didn't love it, but I did it. Luckily the rest of the winter I could drive to the gym. This winter it hasn't snowed heavily yet, but its been so cold. I am so ready for summer.

[viny2242]

I live in northern IL walk in cold weather but must dress for it, if real bad I do stair steps and what I call standing pushups, stand back from my sink and then lean aginst counter with arms and do push aways helps with uper body strangth. Have a set of workout rubber bands that gives a good workout and there very nice when traveling also have a solad foam block that I've had forever it's 24x14x6 inchs high use it to do repetative stare steping while watching TV. in the livingroom.

[DramaQueenDiva]

I usually dance or do active video gaming when at home. I love Broadway and will dance to a lot of show tunes. However, I'm not picky, I like pop too so I'll put in any CD or Spotify and dance.

As far as gaming goes, my favorite series is the "Just Dance" series. I have a Wii, but they're all available on other platforms. Each game runs generally the same: grab a controller and mimic the movements as closely as possible. Each dance was recorded by professional dancers so the closer you match their movement and fluidity, the higher your score will be. "Just Dance 3" has a few specialty modes: Simon Says, Mashup, and Medly. Medly and Mashup modes run the same as the regular game mode, however, in Medly mode, you will need to watch carefully as the songs change rapidly and aren't always the same style. In Simon Says mode, you will also need to be observant: sometimes your choreography will differ from that onscreen. You may be asked to shake your controller, stop moving, clap, or spin. My favorite versions of the game are "Just Dance" 1 and 3, "The M.J Experience", "The Black Eyed Peas Experience", "ABBA: You Can Dance" and "Dance On Broadway".

My other favorite active games are the Wii Fit Plus (with over 60 games!) and Wii Sports.

Another thought is to take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

[DanielleinDC]

I live in DC, so I feel your pain, sort of. I do workout videos indoors. Leslie Sansone has some pretty good walk indoors videos. One of my favorites is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlEVVzbwnQI I pair that with another ~15 minute video and do her 2-mile workout on Saturdays. (Sunday is my rest day.) She gets a little silly, but I just deal. 

Since I don't drive, I have to deal with the cold while I'm commuting--and eventually that will involve snow and ice--but getting a brisk walk when I'm changing buses is a great way to beat the cold.

I also have a couple of sets of dumbbells and a few fitness videos I like to rotate. You don't need a huge amount of room--I make it work in my efficiency apartment.

[SunsetRunner]

@pinefree Welcome! I'm in Wisconsin so I know how difficult it is to workout in the winter. I have several walking videos that i do in the mornings. I personally like Leslie Sansone, Jessica Smith and Jane Fonda. I also have some hand weights and resistance band that I add in some days. Hope that helps! 

[DoyleBingster]

I live in Michigan, so I'm totally used to the frozen tundra and eternally grey skies. When I'm at home and want to workout, I'll usually just do the basics like push-ups, crunches, and all the other boring stuff. If I feel the need to do something different, I just have to suck it up and go to the gym.

[PastaLuver14]

I can't really relate to the snow as I am in Califonia. We only get rain and sunshine in my area. Although even when a big storm does come in, I am usually outside. I just wear rain gear and have an umbrella if I am walking. Keeps me dry. My friend that used to live on the east coast would go running in the snow. Eventually you should start to warm up as you run. But if you don't want to do that....then....

Comcast offers these free workout videos (at least on my service they do).  It's on Demand. I have done the Jullian Michaels workout before and it got my heart rate up. You could purchase DVD's of workout videos and just work out to them in one of your rooms. It's easy to follow along. Jullian michaels if I remember correctly was doing jumping jacks, kick boxing, lundges and jump roping. if you don't have a jump rope, just jump up and down like you have one imagen it.   There are different vidoes they have by different instructors. 

[modelmalina]

I would say get some exercise dvd's and try doing that.

I do yoga and pilates but there are a lot of others do choose from.

[crazyqueet]

For my indoor workouts, I own a lot of Beach body workouts. I mostly do all 3 stages of T25, Insanity Max 30, Piyo, Insanity, P90x and I have hand weights of different weights as well. Or you could easily look on YouTube for indoor workouts. 

[A_Lurker]

I have a home gym, but since I had a minor slip/fall/muscle pull (that had nothing to do with exercising) it's not getting the use it did.  However, walking is still good.  A circuit of my home including a trip up and down the stairs is ~500 steps.  That's going in and around furniture in some of the rooms.  If you have no fitness equipment you can get good bodyweight workouts though.  I've mentioned this site a couple of times:  http://greatist.com/fitness/50-bodyweight-exercises-you-can-do-anywhere

You can pick one from each section, then once you've mastered them, pick another.  They can pretty much be done any time, any where.  I've used them when I travel (if nothing else it forces you to move if you've been in a plane and/or car for hours).