How to Exercise Indoors in the Winter

If you hate going outside in the winter there is a long list of activities you can do for exercise in the winter - and lots of ways to get yourself motivated to exercise in the winter too!

#1. Make your Cardio More Spicy!

Give yourself a challenge and change the tempo of your workout. Try doing things faster, or try adding weights to your cardio, change the speed of repetitions every 5 minutes, and do it while listening to the most awesome motivating music you can think of.

#2. Take Up Weightlifting for Fun!

If you don't have weights at home just pick up random things that are heavy and lift them 20 times so you can get some repetitions going. Try different weights, different ways of lifting them, standing, sitting, laying down on your back.

#3. Clean the house while listening to LOUD music!

Really loud music gets you in the mood to move. Cleaning your house is cardio exercise and you will get a lot done in a hurry as the music will encourage you to move quickly.

#4. Clear a space just for Exercising!

If you have a cluttered home then doing step #3 first will mean you have space to exercise. Set aside that space for doing jumping jacks, yoga, jogging in place, practicing your high kicks or shadow boxing.

#5. Make a Cardio Medley!

I don't mean just music, pick 3 or 4 exercises you love doing and keep doing them one after the other for an hour 5-6 times per week. Having music to listen to will help you stay motivated.

#6. Try something New!

Be creative and look around for new things to try. If you've never done skip rope, now is your chance to try. You don't even need a "skipping rope" when any piece of rope will do.

#7. Download Exercise Videos on YouTube or FrostWire

They're free!

#8. Exercise Games

Thanks to Wii Fit and similar games now on the market there are lots of options out there to get moving if you want something fun to do.

#9. Take up a musical instrument!

Some musical instruments are also exercises because they require a lot of effort to play them. A drum set for example using a lot of upper body motion or the bagpipes uses breathing exercises and abdominal muscles.

#10. Dancing!

Make a playlist and just dance in your own funky way privately. Nobody can know but you, and everyone will be wondering what your fitness secret is!

#11. Take the Stairs!

If you live in a condo or apartment building find excuses to take the stairs. Doubles as weightlifting if you're carrying packages with you.

#12. Sex!

Believe it or not this is arguably the most enjoyable exercise you can do in the winter. Sadly it will never be a sport at the Winter Olympics.

:)

Vitamin D: Essential for Your Winter Diet

Being outside in the sunshine gives you lots of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is unusual because it can be ingested as cholecalciferol (Vitamin D₃) or ergocalciferol (Vitamin D₂) and also because your body can synthesize it (from cholesterol) when sun exposure is adequate (hence its nickname, the "sunshine vitamin") thanks to your exposed skin in the warmer months.

However as the days grow longer and the sun shines less, people often develop a Vitamin D deficiency in the winter months. A lack of Vitamin D causes your body to start storing extra fat (thanks to evolution, our bodies naturally start storing more fat during the winter months for survival purposes).

Thus as it gets colder humans start wearing more clothing, covering up more (which means less Vitamin D being synthesized through your exposed skin), and the shortage of Vitamin D results in you packing on the extra pounds.

HOWEVER you can fix this through 4 methods:

#1. Go outside and exercise!

Even if you just go for a walk, it doesn't take much to get your daily Vitamin D needs outside. Running around in a swimsuit in the summer you can get all you need in a mere 5 minutes. Wearing a jacket, hat, scarf, etc in the winter and its going to take 60 to 90 minutes outside in the sun.

#2. Vitamin D supplements. Huzzah for Vitamins!

Pay attention to the dosage on the bottle and how much Vitamin D you eat / absorb anyway. Ideally you want 5,000 to 10,000 IUs per day (depending on your size/weight) or the equivalent in micrograms, which is 125 to 250 micrograms per day. A typical Vitamin D pill might have 25 mcg/1000 IUs or 50 mcg/2000 IUs in it.

1 or 2 pills, plus your regular food (depending on what you are eating) should provide all your daily needs. Don't bother to overdo it.

#3. Regular foods. Track your current Vitamin D consumption.

Some of the foods you are eating might have Vitamin D in it already. eg. 125 ml of 2% Milk has 25% of your daily Vitamin D needs. That is roughly the amount you put on your cereal in the morning. It helps to check the label. Thus if you LOVE milk and drink a litre per day you are getting 100% of your Vitamin D needs just from the milk.

#4. Eat foods that are high in Vitamin D.

If you are low in Vitamin D you can increase your intake of foods high in Vitamin D to compensate.

Now immediately you think fruits and vegetables, and you are partially correct. Some veggies are high in Vitamin D, but there are number of foods that are even higher in Vitamin D.

• Shiitake & Button Mushrooms (especially dried shiitake mushrooms). Mushrooms in general are rich in Vitamin B and D.
• Mackerel. A 2 ounce portion of Mackeral provides 51% of your daily Vitamin D needs. Also rich in Omega-3.
• Sockeye Salmon. Same as Mackerel. A 2 ounce portion provides 51% and is rich in Omega-3.
• Herring. These fish eat plankton, which is really high in Vitamin D.
• Sardines. A single small tin of sardines provides 70% of your daily needs.
• Catfish. You won't see catfish in your average supermarket, but like herring its chockful of Vitamin D.
• Tuna. 3 ounces of tuna daily provides 50% of your Vitamin D needs.
• Cod Liver Oil. If you can get past the aroma, 1 tablespoon of the oil provides more than enough Vitamin D for the day.
• Eggs. 1 small egg provides 10% of your daily needs.

Health Benefits of Vitamin D

• Helps prevent cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension.
• Protects and lubricates of your bones, teeth and hair.
• Regulates muscular cellular growth and healthy cell activity.
• Reduces storage of fat.
• Reduces the inflammatory response to cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc.
• Protects against adult osteoporosis.
• Reduces risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
• Reduces the "Winter Blues", the feeling of depression from lack of sun.

 Tracking your vitamin consumption can be quite helpful in understanding what your body needs.

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10 Winter Exercising Tips

#1. Stay Warm

One way to do this is to stick your exercise clothes in the dryer the night before, zap them some heat for 3 minutes in the morning, put them on and then go outside and exercise. You won't notice the cold so much then. Other alternatives are to have a hot shower before you go outside or drink hot tea / hot chocolate before leaving the house. Go to the bathroom before you leave your home too. Your body will be warmer if you aren't wasting energy keeping your urine warm.

#2. Extra Long Warmups

Before you go outside do stretches, jumping jacks, jogging in place to warm yourself up before going outside. The extra 2 minutes of jumping jacks before you go out in the cold air will warm you up significantly.

#3. Interval Training

Doing intense exercises and moderate exercises in varying intervals will both make you hotter while exercising outdoors, but it also burns calories more effectively due to the Afterburn Effect.

#4. Shovel Some Snow

Shoveling snow counts as weightlifting. And having a tidy driveway is just a nice perk.

#5. Wear Layers

Wear 3 or 4 layers and you won't notice the cold so much. Wear 2 pairs of socks, extra thick underwear, etc. Don't forget a neck warmer, arm warmers, a hat or scarves. Think tight-fitting when picking what to wear. Don't ignore silk and high quality fabrics for your base layer. Silk is very breathable and warm.

#6. Mix and Match Cardio and Strength Training

If jogging in the winter doesn't suit you mix it up by adding in chin ups at your local park jungle gym. Find ways to change it up and the extra effort will keep you warm. Climbing stairs also works well.

#7. Try New Winter Sports

Never done ice skating? Road hockey? Winter Archery? Now is a good time to try it.

#8. Reward Yourself

Don't dread exercising outside when you get to reward yourself a simple pleasure afterwards. Listen to your favourite music after you exercise, have an extra long hot shower or bath, enjoy your favourite hot chocolate or coffee, take a nap, listen to an audiobook...

#9. Don't Fear the Cold, Embrace It

Remember that the cold won't kill you. You are only minutes from your home anyway.

#10. Think Positively and Laugh

Laughter warms your spirit and positive thinking doesn't hurt either.

12 fun winter activities for 2012

Love to go outside and exercise in the winter? Here is 12 activities that you (and friends) could do...

#1. Have a snowball fight. Easy!

#2. Build a snowfort.

#3. Build snow people.

#4. Carve ice sculptures.

#5. Ice Skating.

#6. Skiing (downhill or cross country).

#7. Road Hockey.

#8. Snowboarding.

#9. Wrestle in a snow drift!

#10. Have swordfights in the deep snow with a friend!

#11. Learn how to use snowshoes.

#12. Invent a new sport! (ie. Snowball bowling!)