Question of the Week
Friday!!!
Ok so who’s ready for this weekend? I know I am! It was ROUGH returning to work after being off for 2 months. 5:00 am never gets any easier, sigh.
What are your favorite indoor exercise methods for when the weather starts getting bad?
I am on a quest to start eating better and exercising. I’ve basically been sitting on my ass for two years doing nothing but being on a computer and IT SHOWS. I’ve already cut out nearly all “white carbs”, cut back on other carbs, am eating better and less. I must say within 3-4 days of cutting out carbs (which I adore and are my downfall) my stomach was about 50% flatter with no bloat. It’s really quite amazing. That inspires me to continue!
But as far as exercise I have a hard time. I have some exercise videos, but don’t really love them. I would love to get an elliptical machine but have nowhere to put it but the cold, dark garage. I like going on walks, but I need somehting more high impact than walking, plus it’s getting rainy, dark and cold out now. So what do you do for exercise in the fall and winter months?
-Kelly
Welcome! My name is Kelly and Vampy Varnish is a animal friendly beauty blog.
Oh, I have the same problem in the dark months. I have this “room bicycle” thing, but it’s in the first floor and I live in the second, so I’m too lazy to get down.
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I would definitely suggest going to a class like TurboKick. If you don’t want to join a gym or anywhere that it’s offered, I believe it’s available on DVD. It’s a great work out and really fast-paced! It goes by so fast and never gets boring! Zumba is also fun if you are into that!
I hula hoop! I bought a collapsible exercise hoop and catch up on my dvr lol
It doesn’t seem like exercise, but it really is!
I have a library of DVDs and try to switch it up to do something different every day. I did Tae Bo for years, which was great, but I wanted to up the weights to improve my bone density. Right now, I am alternating Jillian Michaels’ No More Trouble Zones and Burn Fat, Boost Metabolism, with Jackie Warner’s Power Circuit Training, and Julianne Hough’s Dance with Julianne Cardio Ballroom. I do 20 minutes of yoga a day, which is great for strength and flexibility. I do walk a lot, year round, even in the snow, but I also make sure to keep up with my daily workouts.
Good luck as you find something that you want to do!
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I’ve not done it myself, but plan to check it out this winter: Zoomba! Everyone I know how HAS tried it, LOVES it.
But in the rain, one way to exercise is to dart quickly from overhang to overhang.
How about a Wii? Or a Kinect?
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I try to keep it fun because I get bored really quickly with excercise. So I signed up for a dance class that I do once a week. At work, whenever I get up to go to the bathroom, I also take a walk up and down a couple flights of stairs. I too have a desk job. The last thing I do is use a weighted hula hoop while looking at TV. I feel like a kid again, but I’m still getting a workout.
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I love to go hiking or snowshoeing, I dont know if you have snow or places to go do that where you live (Im from Canada so we have a lot of both…). I love elliptical too, I’m lucky enough to have a gym at my condo. How about running? If its not to cold/snowy its a great, quick and easy way to get some cardio on! And if you combine that with some light weight and stretching (yoga, pilates maybe?) that could work! I feel like going outside always give me energy even if its cold.
Hi Sophie,
I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area so no snow!
I have dance classes twice a week, so that makes me move my ass. And I’m just about to start with the Pilates home videos. I have no idea if I’ll like it enough to keep it a regular thing, but since it needs only 20 minutes of my time a day and a little bit of space, I don’t really have any excuses not to try it out. The studying and internet are really killing my body figure, in 4 years I gained quite a few pounds. It sucks, so I’m trying to lose them again for a couple of weeks now.
I like to do sit-ups. I use my bed frame to hold my feet. I also have a thigh shaper which I try to use maybe 3x a week.
Of course, the best exercise is chasing my cats around the apartment!
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Oh gosh, yuck..5am! I have a gym in my apartment building, and even 20 minutes on the elliptical makes me feel fantastic as well as a few exercises with the ball.
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I’m right there with you Kelly! I’ve had a sedentary job for the past 4 years and I stop going to the gym for the past 2 years…and I’ve probably gained 30 pounds
A really good simple workout to do around your house is LUNGES! They are killer, and you can add arm workouts while you do them as well! If you can’t get on a machine for cardio just do something jumping jacks or jump romp…it will tire you out for sure!
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Zumba all the way baby! If you haven’t tried it get on it! It’s so much fun and you can do it in the privacy of your own home while getting a great workout! XOXO
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Great question! I am trying to cut back on carbs as well. It’s hard because my boyfriend is a man-child and HATES vegetables. HE HATES THEM. A few he can muster up the strength to eat, but most of the green veggies he cannot stand (“broccoli smells and tastes like pee!”. BUT I AM TRYING.
I love going for walks but I HATE the cold. Living in Maine… well I guess I’m going it wrong. I just try and have a routine of weight training exercises to do. Higher reps with lower weights is how to loose weight but not gain so much muscle that you GAIN weight
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I joined a gym near my office, and just have it in my schedule that I’m working out there at least 3 times a week. No excuses. It doesn’t matter if I take a class, use the elliptical machine, bike machine, do strength-training with weights, whatever: 3 times a week, minimum!
I don’t really do any special exercises. Bad, I know! But I walk pretty much everywhere throughout the entire year, even through the snow. I’ve been thinking about trying yoga.
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Xbox Kinect and that zombie game. That should warm you right up. :p I don’t actually have a Kinect yet though, so take my advice with a grain of salt…
For the winter I have a really hard time motivating myself. The house I live in is old, poorly insulated, and the heater isn’t powerful enough to actually circulate the heat. All that nice warm air sits about two feet from the ceiling and we don’t have any ceiling fans to push it down. Ugh.
On the upside, any explosive movement should warm you up quickly. Try a few jumping jacks, about 15 in you should start to feel some warming and by 30 you’ll be ready to move on to something else. I like to do a lot of yoga to compensate for sitting on my butt under blankets so long. But have to be careful to put a hoodie and a thick pair of socks on for the final pose. Otherwise cool down happens waaay too quick on a 50 degree floor, mat or no mat. And I definitely second the previous poster about lunges. They’re quick, easy, and definitely work your butt/thighs immediately. Try 50 jacks to get you started and follow with as many lunges around as your legs can do. If you can end it with some push ups or something for your stomach muscles, more power to you.
We have a gym within walking distance from our house (like, literally across the street), so I’m lucky. We just bought an elliptical, so we have that if I don’t feel like leaving the house. I feel better even if I just do 10 minutes on it. Zumba is great – I’m probably one of the most uncoordinated, clumsy people on the planet, and I got a super-intense workout out of the class I went to! Also, the Just Dance games for the Wii are insane, too.
I wouldnt say its my favorite but its would be the treadmill which I call the dreadmill and weights.
Other than when I run, I exclusively workout at home and have done so for over 2 years now. I am a Beachbody program addict (P90X, Insanity, Brazil Butt Lift), but I know that’s not for everyone although Brazil Butt Lift is targeted towards women and is not going to get you “muscley”. I also find some of the Yoga DVD’s great like Mandy Ingberger’s Yogalosopy DVD ( she’s Jen Anniston’s Yogi), and Core Power Yoga ( which has a studio in Berkeley) has some great DVD’s too. Another alternative is The Dailey Method which has recently released a DVD.
I’m kinda obsessed with workouts LOL Let me know if you have any more questions I can literally go on and on.
Do CrossFit and eat a Paleo diet! You will feel more alive than you’ve ever felt. Find a CrossFit affiliate near you and read the Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. It will change your life!
I go to the gym, just like I do when it’s warm out
. It’s not perfect, no gym is, but it has what I need (indoor pool, weight machines, treadmill), it’s close to home, it’s air conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. And someone else is responsible for cleaning/maintenance 
!
Having a gym away from home also makes it easier for me to incorporate regular movement. (I hate the word “exercise”, as gym class, etc. gave it lots of negative associations.) At home, there are just too many distractions, too many other things I could/should be doing – but with the gym, we know when we are going, so when that time rolls around, we get up, we go, and next thing we know, we’re done with another workout.
I work on a computer all day too and its snowing here already in Alaska. I stole this idea from Dr. Laura, every time she takes a break (every time i need to go to printer or bathroom) I drop down in my cubicle and do as many push ups as I can, started out at 3 and can do about 6-7 now. I also use the the bathroom upstairs instead of the one closest to my desk so I have to climb the stairs. If nobody is in the bathroom I will do 30 jumping jacks before I go back to my desk. Occaisionally I will do 20 leg lifts and some yoga moves at my desk too but put most my effort into the push ups, jumping jacks and stairs. Everything helps. Then I hit the gym on Sunday and do weight lifting, its not enough but its something.
I workout at home. I took up running last April, so running during the winter, in Florida, is a breeze!!
There are about 225 DVDs in my fitness library. I have collected (and USED!) them for over 12 years. I use them for 3 to 4 times a week and do the running 3 times a week. I have everything from step aerobics, kickboxing, straight up weights to kettlebells.
If you want to whip yourself into shape, kettlebells are awesome! The workouts are short but man, it will hit every muscle in your body and burn fat fast! Google Paul Katami or Amy Bento for DVD kettlebell workouts. Kelly, I do think you’d like this type of workout.:)
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I am not a good typical one for an answer to this since I have a chronic bone disease that is killing the blood supply to my bones – then parts of my bones die. Thus my mobility is really challenged. If you have a place you can go to swim indoors it’s wonderful exercise. Like you, I am a whim on exercise only because I have had a # of physical therapist do me wrong and I ended up getting hurt seriously. Water tends to be my best friend when it comes to exercise. Also, don’t underestimate isometric exercises – and even a good 20 min session per day of stretching is really great and shows after a time.
I have a treadmill and weight machine. I love to run. But, I have found weight lifting and Yoga is awesome for toning and the great thing about muscle is it increases your metabolism and it burns fat when resting. The key is finding your target weight and doing slow, measured reps. A great site is realwomensfitness dot com.
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Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Period.
It sucks, but it works, and it’s only 30 minutes
I’m going to echo Laura here – do Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred. Or do Jillian Michael’s shred in 30. Only 20-30 minutes that kicks your butt.
I do JM videos three days a week and bikram yoga twice a week.
I really like Leslie Sansone’s Fast Miles DVDs(especially the 4 mile one). The 4 mile DVD runs about 55 minutes with warm-up, main exercise, and cool down. But if I really want a decent longer workout, I fast forward to the main section and run it twice which ends up being over an hour.
I only exercise at home, so my exercise is always indoors. I love The FIRM, both old and new workouts. I very recently got into Kelly Coffey-Meyer, and I LOVE her! She has a series of DVD’s called 30 Minutes to Fitness, and I currently have 6 of them. I haven’t tried them all yet, but the ones I’ve done are great! I don’t have the time or energy to exercise for an hour anymore, so I need short workouts that actually *work*, and believe me, hers fit the bill.
I also second the recommendation for kettlebells. I haven’t used mine in a while because I have an off-and-on shoulder issue, but they’re great as well. Just make sure you get a DVD from a certified instructor, because there are some lousy kettlebell DVD’s out there. I have two videos by Lauren Brooks which are excellent.
I have several workout DVD’s so I don’t get bored, but those are my favorites.
Clean Eating and P90X or Insanity will whip you into shape in no time. The combo of these two have really changed my body from skinny-fat to lean and muscular. And the best thing about them is that you really have to eat more food because your body will need it.
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You know what I did and I suggest is – join a a dance class. I started in classic Oriental (Raks Sharki) Middle Eastern Dance back in Nov. 2008 (well my instructor in that class actually had a wide range of knowledge in that and taught us many different styles/variations), then I soon became interested in the more “Tribal” stuff and thus began taking ATS (American Tribal Style) Belly Dance in April of 09 I think. It has done alot for me to get more in shape and feel better about myself in general. It’s definitely a dance style that encourages women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, etc to get together and dance (actually entertainment for women to get together and have fun, not the sleazy entertainment for guys like Hollywood might tend to portray), and while it can definitely be difficult, you end up striving to want to get better. So I got practice video tapes to go along with it and also attend various workshops – all of that combined makes it so much fun and less like something you have to force yourself to do like certain types of plain traditional exercise. Look Fat Chance Belly Dance’s (Caroleena Nerichio) site and go from there!
I am sooooo bad at exercising, no matter what month it is. But there are some short dance workout videos on Youtube and I have decided to start doing those starting TODAY!
try thinqfitness.com, they have free online videos available and they are truly great. you can combine dance, aerobics, high bmi, or whatever you feel like doing at that moment…
I’d recommend borrowing workout DVDs from friends and the library. Oftentimes a boring video means I haven’t found something that interests me. And if it does not interest, I will not stick with it.
My workouts of choice are a mixture of Yoga (fairly advanced forms), Weight Lifting, and Kickboxing. This hits the entire body every week.
Advanced Yoga DVDs (all you need is a mat) – Shiva Rea’s “Yoga Shakti and Fluid Power”, Jonathan Urla’s “Yogilates”, Rodney Yee’s “Power Yoga, Yoga Burn, and Advanced Yoga”, and/or JJ Gormley’s “Yoga for Every Body”
Weight Lifting (you will need enough room for a small setup: bench, barbell, and dumbbells) – Cathe Freidrich’s “Slow and Heavy DVD” mixed with a basic weight lifting routine
Kickboxing (no additional accessories besides you) – Cathe Freidrich’s “MMA: Boxing, MMA: Kickbox, Kickmax” and Ilaria Montagnani’s “Powerstrike 5, Powerstrike, Powerstrike Kickboxing, and Bodystrikes”
I really like Dance Dance Revolution. There are versions for PS2, PS3, Wii, and XBox; If you have a Wii, i would recommend Hottest Party 3, since it has a balance board mode and modes where you can use your arms as well as your legs. The standard DDR is very lower-leg intensive (for me, at least), but I really like the songs, and I easily get into obsessive mode where I have to “unlock” all the character outfits on the disk. That is, my urge to unlock stuff or get high scores on all the songs overcomes my natural laziness. YMMV; it’s certainly not for everyone, but i LOVE it!