How to Creatively Exercise in the Winter

Start making up excuses to neglect your work out when the weather starts to chill. You have to keep your willpower thawed out! If you think that the start of cold weather is the end of your exercise routine, think again. The cold weather is no excuse to shelve your exercise goals until next season. With a little creativity and a lot of fun, you can still keep moving during the winter. When bikini season rolls around again, you'll be ready to hit the beach well ahead of everybody else.

Instructions

1. Start walking inside. So you may have to wait a few months before you can enjoy a brisk walk after dinner, but you can still pound the pavement...or at least the living room floor. You can use an exercise video that specializes in walking at home. You'll walk an indicated of miles within the work out video without feeling like you have! Also consider walking at the mall or indoor business arena that is open to the public. Using a treadmill is always a great idea if you can afford it.

2. Take a dip. While the thought of swimming makes your winter bones shiver even more, remember that indoor pools are well-heated: Once you get acclimated to the temperature of the water, you'll soon forget how cold the water may have felt when you first plunged in. If your local gym does not have a pool, check around with neighboring high schools and community colleges. Find out when the organizations hold open swim hours to the public. Swimming is a fabulous way to stay in shape. Since it is a low impact form of exercise, risk of injury is low.

3. Hit the slopes. If you live in an area that sees some of the white stuff, consider taking up skiing. If the speed of downhill skiing turns you off, scope out a few neighboring state parks for a great cross-country trail to blaze. Even if you despise the cold, cross-country skiing is such a vigorous form of exercise that you'll be peeling off your ten layers of polypropylene digs before you hit your first mile mark. One hour of cross-country skiing burns over 500 calories. Remember to play it safe: Take a friend with you, and time your skiing so that you're finished before the sun sets.

4. Take a trip down memory lane. Salsa dancing, ballet, jazz, and belly dancing all may seem like activities you did when you were a teenager, but dance classes for adults are in full swing these days. They are designed to be fun! Once you lose your inhibitions and just let go, you'll forget that your goal was to exercise. Adult community classes, local dance schools and colleges with dance programs are good places to start learning dance all over again.

5. Start downward-dogging. If you have put off finding out what the yoga craze is all about, then the cold winter months might be a perfect time for you to see if the hype fits your taste in exercise. Yoga works its magic by stretching, toning and strengthening the muscles in your body. It also calms your nerves and quiets your mind. Yoga classes are almost always held indoors. You'll be safe from the winter chill!

Tips & Warnings

Before beginning any new exercise, consult with your medical practitioner.