20 Minute Indoor Workouts

Even though I live mere minutes from my gym, I live in the Northeast so leaving my warm and cozy house in sub-zero weather is saved for near emergencies only! However I can not give up my workouts, especially in the winter when the holidays threaten to put me in my grandma jeans. And we all know how crazy and hectic the holidays get for us, so quick workouts are so important to keep us healthy and sane.

I've always been very active with sports in the winter (basketball, indoor track, and winter sports like skiing.) I think finding a sport that you love and can do in the winter is a great start to staying healthy during these cold months. If you live in an area close to the mountains take up skiing or snowboarding (both of which burn at least 400 calories an hour!) If you don't, seek out opportunities to play indoor sports like soccer and basketball. But for those days when you only have 20 minutes to spare but really want to get out some stress and burn some calories don't fear! There are still tons of ways to workout inside the comfort of your home.

Circuits

These are really the best and quickest way to burn calories and get in shape over the holidays. I often do one strength building exercise for one minute straight (like walking lunges, squats or triceps dips) and then one minute of cardio. My favorite indoor cardio options are stairs, if you have them take advantage! There are so many things you can do with them, take them 2-3 at a time to work on your butt and legs, run/walk them as fast as possible for your cardio minute, or use the bottom stair as an aerobic step. Also work in some sports drills by tapping the very top of that bottom stair as fast as you can, alternating feet, just like you would on a soccer ball. Other cardio options are marching in place, jumping jacks, mountain climbers (downward dog position and run your feet up towards your hands in a quick pace), jumping rope, high kicks, or using an aerobics step if you have one available.

Your strength and cardio options are unlimited during circuits and I encourage you to play around with which sequences and times work best for you!

Pilates and Yoga

During the holidays we get so stressed out and tense, both of these exercises help you to focus on breathing which helps reduce stress and both help you tone at the same time! Finding a Pilates or yoga workout in less than 20 minutes is not hard at all. I usually create my own because I've been doing both for years. However you can find dozens of podcasts on iTunes that have full but quick routines. Or go over to youtube and search for yoga workouts or Pilates routines. Some of my favorites are channels like Roxy, yogatic, yogatoday, and fordmodels.

Please don't think that because you are timed crunched this winter that you don't have time to squeeze in a workout! Do it because you are worth it!