The plus side of the winter chills is that the base metabolism rate of your body increases slightly in order to keep your body warm. If your body is cold enough to shiver then be sure that you are burning some calories by just existing.

The Week wanted to make sure you took advantage of this season and talked to Niharika Kharel, Zumba instructor at Salsa Dance Academy, to try and get the most out of your winter and talked about some home workouts you can do to stay in shape. 

Winter season makes you very prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is a kind of depression that is related to the changing seasons, usually staring around fall and continuing through the winter seasons. Exercising can help dispel these winter blues. 

Niharika says don’t wear warm clothes while working out during winter as that will make you be more active in order to be warm. Try doing indoor exercises like Zumba, yoga and mat exercises or hit the gym. Working out outside in the cold weather might make you want to cut your exercise short to get back inside. Don’t wear baggy clothes when you work out, you will not be able see the progress you are making which will only discourage you.

Core workout

Sit ups

This simple exercise is a very effective to strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles. Use your shoulders to pull yourself up instead of your head and make sure you have your hand at the back of your head. Start with around 25 sit ups and work your way up to 200 sit ups a day. You don’t have to do them all at once, space them out in your routine by doing four reps of 50 sit ups each. 

Planks

It is an isometric core strength exercise that involves maintaining a positing very similar to a push up for the maximum possible time. The most common plank is the front plank which is held in a push-up-like position, with the body’s weight borne on forearms, elbows, and toes. The arms should be directly under the shoulders, with the entire body in a straight line (from toes to head) and the back completely flat. Make sure that the back is neither arched nor rounded.

Crisscross exercise

The crisscross abs exercise is also known as “the bicycle” due to the simulated pedaling motion you make with your legs. This exercise initially isolates your abdominals by lifting your knees and shoulders off the ground. By rotating your shoulders towards your pedaling knees this exercise attacks your obliques.

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Make sure your elbows are pointing out to the sides. Bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor and contract your abs. Lift both your feet off the floor. Extend your left leg while drawing your right knee toward your chest and at the same time, raise your shoulders off the floor, and bring your left shoulder across your body toward your right knee. Don’t pull on your neck, pause for a moment, then switch sides. Repeat and alternate the sides throughout the exercise.

Leg raises

Lie flat on your back with your legs stretched out in front of you. Your legs should just be a toe’s width apart. Make sure to keep your hands down flat on the ground near your sides, with your palms down. Bend your knees and raise your legs, your calves should be parallel to the ground, while your thighs are perpendicular, keep your toes pointed while you do this, drawing your abdominal muscles toward your spine.

Straighten your legs until your feet are pointed at the ceiling. Keep your toes pointed and raise your legs as slowly as possible. Remember not to let your lower back arch off the ground, or you may injure yourself and you won’t be getting as good of a workout. Slowly lower your legs. Bring them down as far as you can while keeping your back flat against the floor. Your eventual goal is to reach about an inch off the floor. Don’t just let gravity work for you – make sure you’re in control to get the best results. Hold your arms in the same place, but use them for strength and support as you lower your legs. 

If the exercise starts getting too easy for you, slow down.  For more workout, you can lift your straightened legs all the way up on a count of ten, and then lower them down while counting to ten again. This will definitely give your abs a great workout, but it is a bit more of a challenge. 

Thigh workout 

Lift and hold

Sit down on the floor and use your elbow to help support your body weight. Fold your knees and lift your legs up from the ground and hold them up for as long as you can. This puts pressure on your thighs and you can immediately feel the burn. 

Side lunge sweep

Side lunges are great for toning the inner and outer thigh region. The extra cross over in this move works your inner thighs even more and adds a balance challenge for the core.

Stand with your feet together, hands on your hips. Take a wide step out to your left side and lower into a lunge, bending your left knee and pushing your hips behind you. Push through your left heel and stand back up, crossing your left leg in your front of your body without touching the floor. Swing your leg back out to the left side and repeat. 

Upper arm workout

Pushups

Place your hands firmly on the ground, directly under your shoulders. Ground your toes into the floor to stabilize your lower half and tighten your abs as if preparing to take a punch, engage glutes and hamstrings, and flatten your back so your entire body is neutral and straight. 

Begin to lower your body, keeping your back flat and eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck, until your chest grazes the floor. Don’t let your butt dip or stick out at any point during the move; your body should remain in a straight line from head to toe. 

Draw your shoulder blades back and down, keeping elbows tucked close to your body. While keeping your core engaged, exhale as you push back up to the starting position. 

Fist pump

Tighten your hands into a fist and raise them above your head on the side. With the fist tight, push back down as if pulling a lot of weight from above and repeat. 

 
• beat the chill
 
• winter
 
• home workout