Humans don’t technically hibernate, but …
Between short daylight hours and freezing temps, winter in the Heartland sure does seem to make it a lot harder to get moving.
Well, while we wait for the daffodils to pop out all the way, we gathered some ideas for easy, free, indoor exercise. You don’t need gym equipment, you don’t need hours and hours of time. You just need to get off the couch because that’s hard enough this time of year.
Walking in place
Sometimes people approach exercise with an all-or-nothing mindset: If I can’t run a marathon, why bother? But something as simple as walking in place can get you up, moving and shedding calories, and it’s a great place to start if you’re currently sedentary.
Here’s a how-to, including how to up the intensity when you’re ready:
https://www.verywellfit.com/housewalk-your-way-to-weight-loss-1087907
Free online classes
Did you know AARP has a virtual community offering free online exercise classes? No membership required! Everything from chair yoga to tai chi is on offer, in addition to other classes on drawing, healthy cooking and more.
Go here for a constantly updating calendar:
Use your body weight
No weights? No problem. You can build strength and muscle just using the weight of your own body. There are lots of online tutorials, but here’s a simple one with lots of options, from reverse lunges to donkey kicks:
https://www.self.com/gallery/bodyweight-exercises-you-can-do-at-home
Dance it out
Can you find your way to YouTube? Then you can join an infinite variety of dance-for-exercise classes from your living room, where you can truly dance like no one is watching … because no one is. Here’s a great example:
What are you waiting for?
Listen, you know you’re going to feel better and be ready to greet the spring when it finally does get here if you get going now. Still need more ideas? Here ya go.
A ton of choices:
Breaks it down by body part:
The military knows a thing or two about exercise:
https://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/stuck-inside-indoor-workout-ideas
Good for beginners:
And keeping it simple:
https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/at-home-workouts#beginner-routine
Good luck! See you when the sun comes out.