Mustering up motivation to exercise can be difficult at the best of times, yet when you throw winter weather into the mix, your shred of motivation can quickly disappear. That's why it's great to have an arsenal of alternative indoor exercises for cold weather. Obviously there are tons of benefits to exercising and according to The Huffington Post, many of these are mental health benefits including reducing stress, lessening anxiety, and improving creativity.
We know what we should be doing in terms of exercising for our bodies, minds, and souls, but actually doing it is another thing altogether. As a gal who lives in England, this year I enjoyed the warm summer months and cycling in the sunshine and fresh air; however, when winter came around, it was a totally different story. I found it difficult to get up in the mornings because it had become so cold and dark, and I would find myself curling up into a ball and hibernating like a hedgehog instead of getting up and exercising before work. When it got to the evenings, all I wanted was stodgy comfort food, so a bike ride after work was incredibly unappealing.
It was then that I discovered indoor exercises I could perform when it was cold outside. So here's a bunch you can try, so you too can feel at your best when the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful.
1. Yoga
Yoga is wonderful, and if you've never tried it before, I highly recommend you give it a go. I used to do yoga as a teen and it really helped me feel relaxed and balanced. This year I decided to rekindle my relationship with yoga; I attended weekly classes and I fell in love with yoga all over again. Due to work commitments, I can't make my local class anymore, but I really want to try YouTube yoga classes online, like this great workout for beginners. There are many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits to practicing yoga, but you may not know that yoga can improve your sex life and orgasms. So get practicing your downward dog now, girl!
2. Swimming
Diving into a swimming pool might not be at the top of your to do list when it's raining and miserable outside, but hear me out: Swimming is a fantastic exercise. Bustle's own Ashley Mateo spoke to USA triathlon coach Scott Berlinger and discovered that swimming tones your entire body; so it's literally a full-body workout. Mateo also reported that swimming can be "meditative," and she found that by swimming, "You'll burn more calories." All you aspiring mermaids out there – jump in!
3. Weight Training
Did you know there are a lot of myths around women and weight training? The most common of these is that if a woman weight trains, she will become bulky. CrossFit Coach Erica Giovinazzo eradicates this myth telling Bustle her experience, "No woman has ever come to me while training with me and said they were getting too bulky. Actually, more women who are not my clients come to me and say, 'I want to look like that!'"
4. Jump Rope Workouts
You may think that skipping rope is a pastime which belongs to your childhood, but in fact it's an indoor exercise you can definitely have fun with as an adult. According to The Huffington Post, "Jumping rope is the best full body workout." It sure looks incredible when you watch the video they posted in the same article (created by Vogue,) showing The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 star Patina Miller pulling some awesome shapes with her jump rope. It may be time to dust off your old jump rope and start skipping your way to fitness.
5. Tennis
According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), there are many reasons why we should play tennis — they inform readers on their website that these range from improving your eye-hand coordination, to improving your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels, to developing your discipline. These are just the tip of the iceberg of the benefits of tennis, so scope out your local indoor tennis courts and get channeling Kirsten Dunst in Wimbledon .
6. Pole Dancing
I've wanted to try pole dancing for the longest time, and now my curiosity has peaked further with the news that one of my friends has taken it up. Irmingard Mayer wrote in her article for Mindbodygreen that, "Most pole dancers, regardless of age, are in the best shape of their lives." Although she explains that it's not all about staying in shape, "The physical benefits are great, but the feeling you get from mastering a move or expressing a particular emotion is indescribable." Find out if there are any local pole dancing classes in your area or you can purchase a pole to discover this amazing workout in the privacy of your own home. It's probably a good idea to have some lessons first to understand the health and safety aspects of pole dancing, before you embark on teaching yourself alone at home.
7. Netball
Netball holds a place deep in my heart, as it is a sport I used to play at school. If you've never played it before, I highly recommend you try it, because it's a really fun game. Think of basketball, but instead of running with the ball, you must stay put when you receive it and tactfully pass to another player or attempt to score. Grazia discusses the benefits of netball explaining, "Taking part in an actively competitive game makes you work harder than you ever would normally, if only so you don’t feel like you’ve let your new mates down. Also, it keeps you mentally healthy — when you only care about getting your mitts on that ball, you can’t help but clear your mind — and mentally agile, whilst being infinitely more fun than a Sudoku." Find yourself a team and run, pass, and block to your heart's content. The sense of camaraderie and being a part of a team is just the best.
Have fun trying out some new indoor exercises when it's cold outside, so you can feel your best all year round!
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