Chilly winters are known to dampen spirits when it comes to keeping up with fitness plans, but a bit of ingenuity could help you get around. You want to get to the gym, walk or run outdoors, but can’t because of really low temperatures? Turn to a few simple indoor exercises which can be performed easily at home to keep you in shape!
Wondering what they are? Read on to find out:
Bodyweight exercises
Bodyweight exercises don’t need equipment, making them ideal for a home environment. These exercises use the weight of your body as resistance to burn fat and strengthen the muscles. Examples include squats, push-ups, lunges, planks and a host of other exercises. There are different levels of intensity – beginner, intermediate and advanced depending on how fit you are.
Cardio kickboxing
Cardio kickboxing is a popular fitness routine combining elements of martial arts and cardio. It’s a total body workout which involves continuous movement whose many benefits include speeding up the heart rate, enhancing blood circulation, burning calories, building lean muscle mass, and improving balance and coordination. It is a fun way to keep in shape and also serves as a quick stress buster.
Boot camp training
Combining cardio and bodyweight training, this helps burn calories while building strength and endurance. It includes pull-ups, push-ups, lunges and crunches interspersed with bouts of lighter exercises like drills and sprints. This workout needs little or no equipment, making it suitable to be done at home, but what you do require is large space – like an extended veranda. A proper boot camp session could end up burning more calories than a workout at the gym.
Tabata
Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training suitable for those of you who are at the intermediate and advanced fitness levels (not recommended for beginners). Involving a series of movements in short 10- and 20-second bursts where speed and timing are the key, Tabata is a great option if you have limited time on your hands. It pushes the body to its limits leading to pronounced health and fitness gains.
Yoga and Pilates
These exercises use minimal equipment which make them ideal for home workouts. Although there is a variety of equipment for Pilates, the basic movements only require a mat. Both yoga and Pilates don’t work up a sweat but focus on flexibility, muscular strength and endurance instead. Pilates movements are designed to focus on the body’s core muscles.
Strength training
If you are are familiar with strength training you can continue it at home with the equipment, but if you fall in the other category, we’ve got an ingenious solution for your problem – Water bottles or water cans! Fill them up with sand and they replace dumbbells and barbells. Allowing you to train with utmost ease. Strength training during winters has several benefits like raising your metabolism level, preventing you from feeling sluggish or lethargic, and of course burning calories and losing fat.
Cross trainer and stationary cycle
If you have cross trainers and stationary cycles at home you can use them as a substitute for running or cycling outdoors. In fact, try combining exercises using the fitness equipment you possess with bodyweight and floor exercises to create a personalized circuit training regimen that’s in keeping with your needs and goals (get expert help if necessary). This will lead to a complete and well-rounded workout in the cosy comfort of your home.
Dance workout
For all you women who enjoy dance workouts or Zumba get access to the right YouTube videos and DVDs in the comfort of your homes. Dance workouts have a range of health benefits that include weight management, improving the condition of your heart and lungs, while strengthening your muscles and bones.
Since home workouts are generally performed in an unsupervised environment, pay close attention to technique, especially if you’re a beginner. Performing the movements incorrectly could lead to injuries.
Every session must be preceded and followed by a proper warmup and cool down routine respectively, to minimize the risk of injury. Lastly, ensure that the water cans and water bottles filled with sand are carefully weighed and are of the same weight as your dumbbells and barbells. If you plan to buy fitness equipment, ensure that they are the right ones for your needs by consulting experts and carrying out extensive research.
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Written by Meenakshi S.
“Fitness begins at home, the food we eat and daily core activities like sleep and mind, body and spirit relaxation,” says nutritionist and physiotherapist Meenakshi S. Along with a master’s degree in physiotherapy from Oxford College, Bangalore and MD in alternative medicines, Meenakshi is also a child birth educator, pre and post-natal fitness expert and ACSM health and fitness specialist. Attributing the root cause of most lifestyle diseases to today’s sedentary pace, she shares HealthifyMe’s vision that healthy habits must be incorporated into your existing lifestyle. “Do not think of diet and exercise as sacrifice, make it a habit and enjoy it instead,” she says, recommending small changes to ease the mind and body towards a more wholesome life. Being skinny isn’t a sign of being fit or healthy, says Meenakshi, of the opinion that it’s important to test other physical fitness parameters like muscle strength, endurance and body composition. She’s charged for change – are you?
