Ever reached the end of winter and wished you hadn’t gained those extra kilos? I’m sure we have all been there one time or another in our lives. The problem is that winter is so cold and we often find it difficult to get round to exercising, whether it be because of time constraints or because it is just too darn cold. Whatever the reason, we often find an excuse to get out of it and panic right before spring.
Now, there is no excuse. If it is too cold outside, we have some home exercises for you to try at home. And if you happen to be a busy go-getter who doesn’t even have the time to exercise when you get home, then we have some cool things you can try at the office too.
Staying fit at home doesn’t have to entail long hours of sweat dripping down your body. It can really be something small that starts off as a 5 minute exercise and then you can ramp it up to 30 minutes if you have time to do so or even longer. It also does not always require for you to get into your tight gym clothes either. It could just be you, doing something you feel comfortable doing, in something you feel comfortable doing it in. The same goes if you’re at the office, but no one is encouraging you to bring your pyjamas to work. Some tact has to be exercised where the work place is involved. You wouldn’t want to offend your colleagues.
Depending on what you’re hoping to achieve, there are many different exercises out there that are geared at targeting certain ‘problem’ body areas that one has to choose from. We have just decided to go with the most simple and least strenuous exercises that have been known to yield good results to get you started, but can also be intensified at a later stage should you choose to do so.
The first set of exercises that we have chosen are exercises that can be done without breaking a sweat. Which means if you have a have a 5 minute break in your office, you could just close the door and no one would be the wiser, except for you of course. You would be surprised at the results you would get from just doing a simple plank. The plank is designed to target your core and requires little to no movement. The nice thing about the plank is you can literally do it on any floor surface. But, if getting down to the floor is not your thing then you could always shift your attention to the wall sit. This exercise does target a slightly different area, but then again, who doesn’t want a toned butt?
Perhaps you don’t mind breaking a little bit and want to try some more strenuous exercises? The next five exercises are sure to tick those boxes, but you may want to invest in a yoga mat for some of them as the floor will be unavoidable. If you’re looking at targeting your legs and calves, you might want to try calf raises, lunges or squats. All three of those exercises can be intensified by increasing reps and sets the more you get comfortable doing them, but you can start off slow to get your footing.
Sweat is guaranteed for these last two full body exercises and space is definitely recommended. And of course, the longer you do them the better the results. To get the blood flowing and the heart rate up, jumping jacks will definitely put a spring in your step. They’re fun and easy to do and it doesn’t really matter if someone sees you doing them. The last exercise should probably be done at home, especially if your skills are found wanting. It is also better done with the music volume set to high, along with a care-free attitude from yourself. You guessed it, dancing. If you don’t think dancing works then take another look at a dancer’s body. Not saying that that is everyone’s goal, but there is no denying dancing’s effectiveness. It’s great fun and you could always invite a partner.
Whatever your preference, you don’t have to wait until the end of winter to get your sweat on. Start small and don’t give up.