Indoor fitness

Jan. 11, 2009

If you’re like the majority of people living in a northern cli-mate - even if you’re more ambitious than most - chances are your exercise routine suffers a bit in the wintertime. The combination of less sunlight,
shorter days, and an abundance of snow, ice, sleet, sub-zero temp-eratures, and wind - all combine to create an outdoor environment
that’s less than welcoming to exercisers.
You could join a health club or gym - but not everyone can afford that, especially in the current economy. So what does a health-and-budget-conscious person do when the winter winds blow? Here are a few ideas on how to take your summer workout indoors - with a few adjustments.

FOR LOW-IMPACT EXERCISERS

If low-impact is your fitness regimen of choice, there are plenty of appealing options for an indoor workout. Most effective are a good yoga mat and a space with a view.
If pilates is your favorite method, you can go a step further and invest in either a full-range professional pilates machine (the Reformer being the most well-rounded), or maximize your mat workout on a less expensive AeroPilates Performer (not quite as refined as “real” pilates, but decently close to the workout if you know your stuff.)
If you’re really short on cash, a top-notch pilates instructional DVD coupled with a balance ball, a pilates magic circle, and a few resistance bands can do the trick.
A good yoga mat is around $15-$20; DVDs can be found for $10-$30; small pilates equipment can be found for $15-$40; and the AeroPilates Performer can be found on-line for around $250.

FOR THE TOO-COLD RUNNERS
Running outdoors in the winter - even if you can muster up the enthusiasm to do so in the cold temperatures - is fraught with hazards. Ice to slip on, snowdrifts to plow through, and good old-fashioned windburn. But running indoors, even if you have a great treadmill, can be tedious if that’s all you’re doing; it’s great to change things up with a variety of “running” options.
Treadmills are available in many different price levels, starting at $129 for self-propelled units and $300 for motored models, all the way up to high-end models that can run over $1000.
If a treadmill is too pricey, a mini-trampoline can also be used for an approximation of “running” with a little practice; it’s a slightly different and slower motion, of course, but offers similar health benefits. A mini trampoline can be found at local sporting goods stores for about $35.
A third option is a mini stair-stepper; you don’t get the flowing pace of running, but, again, it can help raise your heart rate, with prices starting at $40-$50.)

FOR COUCH POTATOES
The Wii videogame system is making a lot of noise in the entertainment and fitness worlds, and with good reason. Wii Fit gets you off the couch and moving. Arriving with the Wii balance board, you can track your daily progress with the workouts which range from tightrope walking to aerobics to yoga in programs that are so much fun, you barely notice you’re exercising.
But Wii Fit isn’t the only option for videogame workouts. If you prefer your workout without a balance board, the Wii itself arrives with stand-up games from tennis to bowling. Adding on a game like Wii Ski, in which, yes, you have to push those ski poles and lean to turn, gives you more exercise than you might assume from “just” a videogame, as do additional Wii games like Dance Dance Revolution, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (in which you get your exercise by swinging a lightsaber around!), The Legend of Zelda, or even Guitar Hero; anything that gets you moving is better than lodging yourself on that couch until May. (Wii system, around $250; games run $30-$50.)

FOR THE OFF-SEASON BIKERS
Bikers have it rough in the off-season, but there are a few tricks you can employ to make your indoor biking a little more fun.
First of all, the bike itself; there are two options here, one, of course being the traditional exercise bike, which can be purchased in several configurations from a “regular” exercise bike to an upright cycle or a recumbent bike.
Another option is to ride your very own bike indoors with a bike trainer, which holds your bike’s back tire via magnetic resistance and gives you a smooth and authentic indoor biking experience.
If space is an issue, you can purchase a pedal exerciser, so you can sit in your favorite chair and pedal away; although this won’t give you as extensive of a workout, it’s still great for the legs and easy on the knees.
This still doesn’t capture that outdoor bike feeling - but there’s something that definitely helps. Rockstone Productions makes a series of DVDs called “Bike-O-Vision,” that take you on a virtual bike ride around such locales as Mexico, the Grand Canyon, or the Bahamas - all, of course, devoid of snow and any cold breezes, so you can do your biking in style and keep an eye - and your feet - towards that warm weather returning.
(Traditional exercise bike, $100-up; pedal exercisers, $20-$100; bike trainers start at around $80. Bike-O-Vision DVDs start at $15.)