Cold Outside? Bring Your Workout Indoors!

November 15, 2018 Tim@inhometherapygr.com

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Regular exercise is an important component of any healthy lifestyle. According to the Mayo Clinic, working out regularly prevents certain diseases, helps you lose weight, improves your mood, and provides you with more energy. During the warmer months, many people enjoy exercising outside. They may run in the park, take a walk around the neighborhood, or go for a bike ride.

But what happens when winter arrives? Do you just give up on exercising until warmer days return? Not if you want to continue your goal toward becoming a healthy, strong person. If the temperature plummets, there’s no need to hang up your running shoes. Just take your workout indoors. In fact, you don’t even need to leave your house to work up a good sweat.

DVDs and Streaming Videos

One of the simplest ways to work out at home is to use an exercise video, whether it’s on a DVD or the internet. There’s a workout available for just about every interest. Kickboxing, cardio dance,strength training, ballet workouts, Pilates, yoga, indoor walking, and bootcamp workouts are just a small sample of what you can try.

If you don’t want to pay money for an exercise DVD, check some out for free from your public library. Go to YouTube and find thousands of online workouts you can do from home. If you find a workout system you really enjoy, you may be able to pay for an online subscription to get new workouts on a regular basis. Shape magazine reports that “it doesn’t get much more convenient than online streaming.” No matter how busy your schedule or how terrible the weather, you can work out in the comfort and warmth of your own home.

Create a Home Gym

It’s too cold to go outside, and you don’t feel like going to the gym either. Create your own home gym instead. You can spend as little or as much as you want. One of the cheapest but effective pieces of exercise equipment is the jump rope. According to NDTV, jumping rope for just 30 minutes burns around 300 calories. It makes your heart stronger and tones both the lower and upper body.

Jump ropes are just one piece of exercise equipment you can use to get a great workout indoors. Other exercise equipment you might try are dumbbells, adaptable resistance bands, or a Bosu balance trainer. If you plan to do yoga or Pilates, invest in an inexpensive yoga mat. Treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and rebounders are other good choices for home gyms. Check out reviews.com for recommendations of the best yoga mats, treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes.

It is easy to start to equip your home gym.

Staying Focused

It’s difficult to stay motivated when you workout from home. The many distractions can prevent you from getting your workout done. Ringing cell phones, text messages, taking care of your family, work obligations, and a hundred other things can interfere with your exercise goals.But it’s possible to stay focused when you work out from home if you schedule your exercise time into your day.

Add exercise into your calendar so you make a date with yourself to get fit. Skinny Ms. suggests you use a music playlist to “keep your energy up and keep you excited about moving and exercising.” Consider calling a friend over so you can work out together. It motivates you to stick to a regular exercise regimen if you know someone is coming to your home to work out with you.

Just because it’s freezing outside doesn’t mean you have to forget about working out. Exercising to DVDs or in your home gym can help you burn calories, lose weight, and build muscle. When you stay motivated and commit to a regular exercise schedule, you can reach your weight-loss goals or maintain a healthy weight without leaving the warmth of your own home.

This was a guest article written by Jason Lewis from Strongwell.org. He can be reached at info@strongwell.org if you would like to contact him.

Photo via Pixabay

The information contained in our website, blog, guest blogs, e-mails, programs, services and/or products is for educational and informational purposes only, and is made available to you as self-help tools. I strongly recommend that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercise.

Prevent Pain. Stay Strong.

April 5, 2018 Tim@inhometherapygr.com

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Pain

You know exercise is important to your health. It helps you feel better physically, gives you energy, and helps you deal with the stress of your busy life.

But what do you do when life gets too busy to take an exercise class, go for a run, or get to the gym?

It’s easy to start skipping exercise when life gets busy, but that leads to less energy, and aches and pains cropping up. This makes you feel like exercising even less, and leads to a downward spiral. That means that finding time to exercise when life is busy is even more important.

If you can find 8 minutes, you can maintain your strength even on your busiest day.

three woman doing yoga inside room Exercise doesn’t have to take lots of time. In fact, your 8 minutes don’t even have to be all together. You can break them up throughout the day. Doing one exercise for one minute every hour while at work counts just as much as doing 8 minutes of exercise after the kids are in bed and before you collapse on the couch. The following exercises use your body weight for resistance, so you don’t need any equipment. They also use many muscle groups at onces so you can maintain strength in your whole body in a short amount of time.

Exercises

1. The plank; Lying on your stomach, with your forearms on the ground, elbows under the shoulders, and arms parallel to the body. Toes tucked under, engage your stomach muscles and lift your body up. Hold for 20 seconds, rest 5 seconds, and repeat 3 times.

2. Push up; (do on your knees if you need an easier version). 20 seconds of push ups, 10 seconds of rest and repeat.

3. Quadruped – Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders, and you knees under your hips. Lift and reach with one arm and the opposite leg, maintaining a stable core. Hold 10 seconds and repeat on opposite side. Repeat 5 times.

4. Bridge; Lying on back, with your knees bent, engage your abdominals and lift your hips. Hold 20 seconds, rest 5 seconds, and repeat 3 times.

5. Lunge; Stand tall and take a large step forward with the right leg, shifting your weight forward. Lower your body until the right thigh is parallel to floor and your right shin is vertical. (do not let the knee shift past right toe). Return to the start and repeat on the other side. Repeat 20 times.

6. Squat to heel raise; Feet shoulder width apart, core engaged and arms raised high above the head. Perform a squat and return to standing then rise onto your toes. Repeat 20 times.

Contact In Home Therapy of Grand Rapids if you would like more information about the exercises or are in need of therapy to recover from your pain or injury.