Exercise at home for body and mind health

Don’t let the cold keep you from moving

As the temperatures drop, your motivation to exercise outdoors may also be in free fall. What’s more, you’re probably staying away from the gym with cases of COVID-19 on the rise.

So what can you do to keep moving?

There’s a lot you can do at home to stay fit and keep moving during the colder months — and that’s critical for both your physical and mental health.

“Exercise changes your mindset and your attitude — the more you do it, the more you want to do it,” says MESSA Health Promotion Consultant Rhonda Jones, a fitness trainer and registered nurse. “Taking care of your body through movement and exercise also benefits your mind by lifting your mood.”

That’s because exercising releases endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters that can help elevate your mood.

Bringing movement and exercise into your day may not be as hard as you think. Here are some tips from Jones:

Make sure you stand up at least once an hour. It seems like an easy thing to do, but it’s easy to get caught up in work and forget to move around.
Find free exercise classes on streaming services and YouTube.
Blast your favorite playlist and dance for 15 minutes. You’ll increase your feel-good hormones, enjoy your favorite tunes and gain fitness in a fun way.
Do housework. Vacuuming, scrubbing, mopping — they all add up to more steps and more movement. As an added bonus, you get to relax in a clean house after you’re done.
Use common household items for weight-bearing exercises. Plastic beverage jugs can be filled with water for biceps and triceps curls. Canned goods work well for light weights.
If you have to run errands outside your home, choose a parking spot that’s farther out so you can get some extra steps. (Also, remember to mask up!)

You can also invest in low-cost exercise equipment that can be used in many different ways:

Resistance bands can be used to do a variety of muscle toning exercises.
A good old-fashioned jump rope is excellent for cardiovascular exercise and overall body toning.
An aerobic fitness step can be used to do step aerobics or as a bench to do strength training exercises.
A stability ball is great for core work.

Even though it’s cold outside, don’t let it discourage you from getting fresh air and sunshine. The cold could even boost the results of your workout.

“Exercising in colder temperatures requires our bodies to work harder to create heat,” Jones says. “This means more calorie expenditure compared to the same work done in warmer temperatures.”

So keep up the brisk walks that became part of your routine this summer. Check out your local parks to see if they have walking paths or fitness equipment that focus on strength training, endurance and cardiovascular activities. If there are no physical distancing restrictions in place, locate a nearby park to get a workout.

The bottom line is that exercising is an important part of maintaining your physical health and mental health. So do yourself a favor and make a plan to prioritize your health. You deserve it.

Note: Check with your health care provider before starting any new exercise regimen.

At-home exercise routines

MESSA Health Promotion Consultant Rhonda Jones is also a certified fitness trainer. Here are two routines she shared for motivation and inspiration.

20-minute stair workout

Set an interval timer for a 5-minute warm up, 90 seconds of stairs and 40 seconds of toning work.

5 minutes: Warm-up and stretch
90 seconds: Up and down stairs
40 seconds: Crunches
90 seconds: Up and down stairs
40 seconds: Body weight squats
90 seconds: Up and down stairs
40 seconds: Push ups
90 seconds: Up and down stairs
40 seconds: Lunges
90 seconds: Up and down stairs
40 seconds: Hip thrusts
5 minutes: Cool down and stretch

Quick break workout

Set a goal of moving for 5 to 10 minutes, modifying as you get stronger. Repeat the following exercises 3 to 5 times:

50 jumping jacks
50 squats
50 crunches

You can also build your own workout using this handy guide from MESSA Wellness.