Staying active in winter

[Owlie]

I'm trying to find ways to stay active that don't involve a gym (money's tight, and I hate them). I may be getting a trainer for Christmas, but until that shows up...
If it can be done indoors with minimal equipment purchases, so much the better. I'm dealing what I suspect is Raynaud's, so I'll be staying indoors if it gets much below 40...ie, most of the winter if I can't get beefier gloves. :(

Thanks in advance!

[NbyNW]

There's always Pilates matwork.

Jumping rope is pretty good too, you don't need a lot of space, maybe just enough ceiling clearance for your rope. And I bet a jump rope is cheaper than any machine you could buy.

I'm not a fan of gyms, either, but they're a necessary evil if I'm going to swim. Which is a goal of mine this winter. (There, I've shared it, now I have to do it!)

Oh, and do you get much snow? I shoveled some snow this morning and it was a great workout.

I've decided if we get a good amount of snow this winter (right now we only have about 4-5 inches) I'm going to build some snow furniture in our backyard. At least a table and a couple of chairs. Trouble is that our snow is so dry it doesn't stick together very well, it's tough to make even a snowball, but I digress . . .

My best advice for working out at home, is try to have a space that you devote to it. If you have a mat, roller, small weights, resistance bands, or any other kind of toy, they should be organized and close by. Your space might be in front of the TV, which is not ideal, but if it's the space you have, set it up so that it works for you, so that you don't have to go through a bunch of hoops in order to start your workout. Getting started is sometimes the hardest part.

[jessmarimba]

Do you have netflix? There are some interesting yoga/pilates/other workout dvds and streaming programs.

[malkin]

Hand warmers for your pocketses.
Then you can go for a walk outside while your fingers think they are on vacation in a warm tropical place (which they kind of are).

[Crankin]

I let my gym membership go about a year and a half ago. I did do a 10 week yoga/meditation class once a week at a studio, but other than that, I've been on my own.
I bring my bike in, sometime in December and do a semi-structured training program (i.e., I modify some of the stuff) on the trainer. I have several DVDs, with core work, yoga, functional weight training. However, I do still do a lot of stuff outside, which keeps me sane. Snow shoeing, nordic skiing, hiking, running. I second trying out the chemical hand warmers, to see if you can get outside, even if it's just to do a quick fitness walk. Last year, we bought a treadmill, which I use for intervals, with running/walking, or hill climbing. I figured it was worth it, since I do use it even in the warm weather, if it's raining hard/thundering out.
I know you can't spend to buy a treadmill, but what about getting some aerobics DVDs or buying a step and doing some step aerobics with DVDs or from the TV? You can get quite a good work out with a step routine and it's a nice change from riding.

[indysteel]

Shiva Rea yoga dvd's. Which one depends on your experience.

Sorry for the hijack, but which of her dvds do you like? I just got one that I think is called Daily Energy Yoga Flow. I've only done the Fire and Earth segments. I liked it generally, but there were lots of asanas I wasn't familar with, even though I have a fairly advanced studio practice.

To answer the OP's question, though. I've had pretty good luck using fitness DVDs at home. I worked out all through law school with a handful of Kathy Smith step aerobics videos and used Gilad's as well. He's a little cheesy, but I actually like his routines. You might tool around Amazon and see if anything jumps out at you. You can usually pick used DVDs up for a fraction of retail. Winter is a good time to work on core strength, so Pilates and yoga are great in that regard.

[Owlie]

Duh, handwarmers! I'll see about getting some, so I can go for walks or short bike rides (when I'm back home). Now, where do I find them? :o
Great idea on the jump rope. I have plenty of ceiling clearance, and I have time to do it while the people upstairs aren't home! I'll also check to see what the library has in terms of DVDs. I found cheap yoga mats and weights at TJ Maxx last year, so I can check there for some things.

I have DDR and WiiFit to change things up a bit back home, and I'll see about getting a DDR pad for DBF's Playstation.

Keep them coming! Even if they don't work for me, they might work for someone else. :)

[GLC1968]

Goodwill and Salvation Army stores (and yard sales) are great places to find used weights/mats/steps and fitness DVD's.

A REALLY great resourse for fitness DVD's is Collage Video (http://www.collagevideo.com/). They have good prices, good shipping and excellent customer service. More importantly, they have excellent detailed reviews and previews of all their workouts, so it's a great place to do some research even if you buy elsewhere.

I was super fit before I bought my first road bike from using predominantly home workouts. There are some amazing workouts out there!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Brisk walks can keep you pretty warm. (Tip: real wool helps, you can get some cheap in thrift shops too.)

i do fitness walks, snowshoeing, ....and I go to contra dances in my area for an incredible 3 hour workout twice a month, complete with lots of laughing and fun!
Here's what contra dancing looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9L0dz3qmsc
One 3 hour dance actually gives me a much bigger workout than a 50 mile bike ride! :eek:

[NbyNW]

The in-laws gave me a giant pack of handwarmers and footwarmers for Christmas last year, from LLBean. I still haven't used them all!

I think Costco carries them as well.

[bluebug32]

I'm avoiding the gym this winter too, but still want to do yoga/pilates. I was surprised by how many yoga workouts my Direct TV has. I did a search for yoga and then programmed a few to record. Now I've found one that gives me just what I'm looking for.

[Becky]

My county's recreation program has yoga and pilates workouts- no gym membership required! The facilities aren't fancy, but the instructors have been really good and, at $6 per class, it's a bargain!

Might be worth looking around in your area...

[NbyNW]

Just had another thought: our dog keeps me pretty active year round. Especially on days when I don't wanna get out of bed.

[Zen]

Indeed.No excuses there. Once you get out and going it's not bad at all as long as you're well dressed.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Like they say- there is no bad weather....only bad clothes. ;)

[Red Rock]

I have a variety of DVDs that give a great workout.

Also, I came across fitdeck.com. They sell a variety of different types of card decks that have different exercises on them. I'm looking into that since it is a cheap and economical way to get exercise in the house or outside whichever is best for you. The major decks are about $20 and others that are more specific are about $10 US. I hope that helps.

[tulip]

Walking my dog twice a day (no getting out of that!), turning my compost pile once a week, riding my bike to the post office and back every day (because I work from home, that's my commute), and yoga and Pilates keeps me active in the winter. My riding is limited to 1-2 longer rides per week on the weekends. I do not have a mountain bike, but if I did, I would ride in the woods.

[Jolt]

Like they say- there is no bad weather....only bad clothes. ;)

I agree. Even with Raynaud's--I have it as well. Actually, I find that as long as I am active (and properly dressed), I don't tend to have a problem being out in the cold. It's the stopping and cooling down that is good for bringing on an attack...for example, coming in from a run (happened tonight and I freaked out my roommate with it). It's annoying but not the kind of thing I would let stop me from staying active outside during the winter--THAT would not be good for my mental health (or that of people around me)!

[Owlie]

Jolt, if you're going out in MA, then I have no excuse!
No dog here, but I love walking in snow, provided it's not the really heavy wet stuff. I've got a warm coat and lined pants, and I found that if I wear fleece gloves and keep my hands in my pockets, my fingers are fine. In fact, I was sweating on my way home from campus on Monday. Now, I just need to figure out what to put on my feet--the wool socks and hiking boots aren't quite cutting it.
Since I have to walk to the grocery store, I'll be doing that at least once a week! I'll look into yoga and see what I can find. I took a yoga class last fall and loved it.

[NbyNW]

I have actually found myself reaching for thinner socks since moving up north. I still stay with wool, but instead of thick, bunchy squishy hiking socks, I'm wearing the thinner socks that are designed for other sports or even for casual wear (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodSW_10580.html). It's all about allowing the blood to circulate.

Also, once the temperatures get below a certain point, you're right -- hiking boots are not the warmest. They are designed for support, not for warmth. I have snow boots that are rated to -40℃ (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442630985&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302734249). They are not pretty, and they don't provide much support. Which is fine, because I'm trying to strengthen my foot muscles anyway. But they do keep my extremities from getting dangerously cold when I'm out walking the dog.

If I want to wear something a bit nicer than my snowboots, I've got Uggs-that-don't-look-like-Uggs (http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3088861?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=0#/1). Nice and cozy!

[lauraelmore1033]

I bought a new trainer and some spinning dvds a couple of years ago and I HATED it so much that riding in the cold and rain were a pleasure by comparison. So I did it. I will never spend another dime on another fitness dvd! (although I might actually check out the offerings on netflix)

[Jolt]

Jolt, if you're going out in MA, then I have no excuse!


:) It's all a matter of dressing properly for the conditions, and I suppose it has a lot to do with what you're used to as well; I've lived in MA most of my life (but I'm currently looking for a job and will most likely have to relocate...positions for which I am in the process of being considered right now are in Maine and Minnesota so I might shortly be needing to learn how to deal with even colder weather). Some activities are better than others in the cold, too--I don't like riding in the cold b/c I find my extremities just don't stay warm (of course, that could also be a function of not having figured out the optimal clothing for it) but I love running on a cold day, especially on a trail. Just got back from a trail run, actually--it was about 28 degrees and I ran for a little under 40 minutes. I was wearing a midweight pair of pants and long sleeved top, a vest, wool mittens and a lightweight hat, and was quite comfortable. My hands were even sweating by the end...maybe I could get away with just a light pair of gloves.