Winter’s in Wisconsin are often too long and cold leaving us cooped up in our homes for what seems like an eternity. Daylight fades too quickly and temperatures drop in the evening. We crave fresh air, sunshine and movement. To make the days a little brighter, one thing we can do is try to keep an active home.
Now you’re probably wondering what we mean by “active home.” Let’s discuss. It’s pretty simple actually, by “active home” we mean having a designated space in your home where you can be active indoors during the winter months. There are many ways this can be accomplished; we’ll give you some ideas to get the wheels turning!
A Dedicated Space: If your home has enough room, make a dedicated space for exercise and activities. A corner in the family room, the basement, the spare room you haven’t done anything with. Make sure that the space will give you adequate room to move around. Make sure the ceilings are tall enough, especially if you plan to do workouts that involve jumping. Watch out for ceiling fans and light fixtures. Make sure that the flooring will suit your needs. If it’s hardwood or tile floor, take caution and make sure you aren’t going to slip. If you are in the basement and on concrete floor, considering buying an exercise mat which will protect you from the hard surface.
Equipment: Having equipment is not the only way to be able to stay active indoors. There are plenty of body weight exercises you can do at home. If you are going to add equipment to your exercise area, there a few things you will need to consider. To start, what floor is the active space going to be on? If it is not the main floor, carefully choose your equipment. Treadmills, ellipticals, weight benches, etc. tend to be heavy. Make sure you will be able to get the equipment where you want it! Also, if you plan to do workouts via video instruction, make sure you are going to have a screen to watch the videos on! When choosing where to put your screen, consider what type of exercises you will be doing. You want the placement of the screen to be one that will allow you to keep proper form while watching. If you are doing yoga for example and will be spending most of your time on the floor, place the screen at a lower height. If you will be watching while on a treadmill, place the screen at eye level.
Décor: Décor is simply optional. You can easily keep what you need in a closet or in the corner of a room. But if you have a designated space and want to make it more of an active atmosphere feel free to add whatever décor keeps you happy and motivated!
Lastly, if you have a small space, small budget, or just simply no room for such an elaborate active space don’t worry! Take commercial time and walk around your home. Call a friend or loved one and catch up while you walk around. Make a game with your children of hide and seek. Use stairs to your advantage. Set a timer and see how many flights you can go up and down within a certain time. Get creative!
There are lots of ways to get your body moving inside! Don’t let the dark winter days slow you down.
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