If you typically stay active by walking, hiking, gardening, or engaging in other outdoor activities, don’t let bad weather slow you down! Limited daylight hours, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), wind, and precipitation can make outdoor activity unappealing, uncomfortable, and unsafe. Take advantage of the many options for indoor activities at home or in your community. You might even find an activity you’ll enjoy year-round!
Regular physical activity can support heart health, improve balance and mood, strengthen muscles and bones, support quality sleep, and help maintain weight loss. It may also help lower risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers and help lower blood pressure. Consistent physical activity is even associated with lower risk of age-related cognitive decline.
The recommended 150 minutes (two-and-a-half hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week for adults includes everyday activities like walking and household chores as well as exercises like running and weightlifting—all of which can be done indoors. With indoor activities, the weather doesn’t matter, so let it snow (or sleet or sizzle)!
The Home Front. Exercising at home can be just as effective as outdoor or gym workouts. There’s the convenience of not having to face bad weather or travel time and the flexibility to carve out your own schedule and space and choose activities that align with your lifestyle and fitness goals. Home workouts can also be more cost-effective than gym membership fees and classes. Free and low-cost online classes or programs are widely available, as well as livestream or Zoom classes. They can get you stretching, dancing, doing yoga, and building strength. Breaking out that old workout video works, too!
Staying active at home requires nothing besides your own bodyweight. Strengthen muscles with moves like squats, lunges, pushups, and planks. You can utilize a jump rope, use everyday objects like canned food and water jugs as weights, or dust off any exercise equipment you have, such as a treadmill, an exercise bike, dumbbells, or resistance bands. Get your heart pumping by marching in place, dancing to your favorite music, or climbing stairs. Give some extra gusto to household chores to get your heartrate up (and get them done faster, too).
Take a Class. Working out with a partner or group adds a social component, and it can help you be accountable to show up for workouts. Check out the variety of options at your local Y, gym, and community center. If you go regularly, it can be well worth the membership or class cost. Many gyms allow a seasonal hiatus, so you can put your membership on a temporary hold when the weather improves.
Walk the Mall. Walking in an indoor mall makes it easy to keep physically active year-round. It’s a climate-controlled, safe, and has access to seating, restrooms, water fountains, and Wi-Fi—and it’s free. Many shopping malls open early for mall walkers, whether you’re solo or with a friend. Take along headphones and enjoy your favorite music, audiobook, or podcast, or chat with a friend and fellow mall walkers. Challenge yourself by increasing the number of laps you walk each week or by increasing speed. Some malls even offer a mall walking program for free or low-cost. These programs organize mall walks and may offer exercise classes and social events.
➧ Keep Active. Regular physical activity supports overall health, benefiting muscle strength, balance, stamina, heart health, mood, sleep, and cognition.
➧ Count It. Everyday activities like household chores, walking, dancing, and climbing stairs count toward the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
➧ Stay Home. Get your heart pumping at home with online workouts and routines, or design your own with bodyweight exercises like squats and planks or home equipment.
➧ Join a Class. Gyms and community centers offer a variety of classes to improve your skills or to try something new. There are plenty of online classes and videos (many of which are free) available as well.
➧ Hit the Mall. Indoor malls are a great place to walk.
Indoor Alternatives. Stormy skies or heat waves don’t have to mean the end of your favorite sport. Indoor courts for sports such as tennis, pickleball, basketball, squash, and racquetball may be options in your community. Continue to play your favorite or take lessons and learn something new. Indoor swimming pools are another option for lap swimming or taking a class like water aerobics or strengthening.
When the weather doesn’t allow for your usual physical activities, keep motivated to move with indoor opportunities that can be just as enjoyable and effective.