Many of us may have made goals to be more active in this New Year. The unfortunate thing about New Year’s is it occurs in the dead of winter. This makes keeping our resolution to work-out quite challenging, especially for those of us who live in cold and wet climates. In this frigid and dreary January stretch, it is hard to find the motivation to exercise, and options are limited because we can’t be outside. These obstacles can making staying active quite difficult.
Yet, activity is a key to maintaining a positive mood on these often gloomy days. I would like to share with you some creative ways I have found to keep my fitness routine fresh and fun, without a gym membership. I think staying active is both possible and affordable, even in this challenging time of year.
Use Technology
If you have a Wii or any other electronic work out system, use it. Right now I am really into the The Biggest Loser Challenge
If you don’t have a Wii fit, exercise DVDs are another great option. Don’t have any, or are you tired of the ones you have? Good news, you can often rent DVDs from you local library for free. They often have a large variety of fitness DVDs. This is a fun and free way to keep your routine fresh. Another good place to find work-out DVDs is your local used book store. They usually have a variety of work-outs at great prices. Other options include online workouts (see my article on ExerciseTv), and if you have On Demand cable, you usually have access to free workouts from your On Demand menu. If you don’t enjoy videos, never fear, there are other options…..
Find Unique Indoor Spaces
When I first think about indoor options, I automatically think mall walking. Some of you may groan at this idea, but it really can be a good option if you add friends. This may not be something you want to do every day, but find a friend and make a weekly walking date. I did this with a friend a few years ago, and it was a highlight of my week. You can also increase the fun factor by adding music or switching up locations. If you make the date on a Saturday, you could take extra time to drive to a more exciting location (a bigger mall, different city, etc). You can also increase the challenge by adding ankle or hand weights.
Another fun thing to do with a friend is walking stairs. A friend and I used to do this on our lunch break. We worked near a building that had ten stories, so before lunch we would spend thirty minutes walking up and down those ten stories. If you don’t work in a place with stairs, good places to find them include, local universities, large offices, and medical buildings.
An additional idea for free indoor walking/jogging is to check with your local community center. Our community center has a free indoor track. They also have an indoor pool I can use for $5 a day. Speaking of pools, if you are interested in swimming, check with your local high school. Some schools have free use of their indoor pools during specified community hours.
A final indoor option is taking an exercise class from a local studio, community center, or church. These are usually cheaper and less intimidating than gym memberships. Keep an eye on local deal sites such as Groupon or LivingSocial for fitness class sales.
A couple of final suggestions
First, don’t completely give up on the outdoors. Keep an eye on the weather, and look for days that it is feasible to be outside, even if you have to bundle up. If it does snow, going sledding is a great way to stay active and it is fun.
Secondly, if you wish you had exercise equipment at home but can’t afford it, keep an eye on Craigslist.org. People often list used treadmills, bikes, and other equipment for free or rock bottom prices.