Best Indoor Workouts

If you’re a dedicated runner, a die-hard cyclist or a committed after-dinner walker, what do you do when outdoor temps plummet and daylight hours dwindle? During the darker, colder months, you’ve got numerous ways to stay fit by working out indoors.

Sure, you can join a fitness center, but gyms aren’t everyone’s jam. They can be crowded, expensive and a hassle to get to—making it hard to stay motivated. The staff at the California Pacific Medical Center Outpatient Physical Therapy share their best solutions for exercising indoors that’ll help keep you fit year-round.

Get Into Yoga

If you’ve never tried it or never committed to a class, winter is a great time to give yoga a shot. Besides toning your muscles and increasing flexibility, yoga can help you manage stress—especially important during the calorie-bomb holiday season. If you’re a beginner, find a basic gym class or instructional video to start.   

Hit the Mall

Nope, not for shopping—for walking. Malls are fantastic venues for walking miles and miles, and some malls even open early to accommodate walkers before stores open or arrange walking groups to help people commit and stay motivated. Think outside the mall, too; any large public building can serve the same purpose, and if you live in a city that has an indoor skywalk system, use it. 

Dance!

There’s Zumba, NIA, Latin, hip-hop, jazz … so many different dance types that you’re almost certain to find one you like. Take group lessons, turn weekly classes into date nights with your partner or dance along to an instructional video at home. Dance gets your whole body moving, engaging muscles you never knew you had. Plus, dancing is just straight-up fun—a great winter workout that might make you forget you’re exercising.

Turn TV Time Into Go Time

If you watch TV or stream online programs several evenings a week, use the commercial breaks or pause between episodes to your advantage. Do squats, lunges, crunches or jumping jacks or simply march briskly in place. Throughout an hour-long program, several five-minute stints add up to a decent amount of exercise.

Put Away the Credit Card

Don’t purchase treadmills, elliptical trainers and other big-ticket exercise machines for your home. Gym-caliber equipment is insanely expensive, and many cheaper models are poor quality, unstable and even dangerous because they lack proper safety features. Besides, most people who purchase home equipment don’t end up using it. If you favor a treadmill, stair-stepper or other standard exercise machine for indoor workouts, you’re better off joining a fitness center.

Shake up Your Cardio

If you typically run or bike outdoors, use the off-season to diversify. Mix in other types of cardio—plus strength training—to give overused muscles a break and engage lesser used ones. Variety is key to whole-body fitness, and it helps keeps exercise interesting. Two or three weeks before you anticipate resuming your regular outdoor runs or rides, switch your focus back to those specific exercises by running on a treadmill or using a stationary bike at the gym to prime your body.