[Rosinante]

Since re-starting, I walk every day. It's good for fitness and a bit of calorie burning; it's also great for my Seasonal Depression, which is more or less being kept at bay, just the odd tentacle oozing in.

However, the paths round here are lethal with ice. Yesterday, even with trax on my shoes, walking into town was scary.

I don't want to lose exercise momentum, for both physical and mental health reasons, but I ain't going out while the risk of broken leg is so high.

Does anyone have any suggestions of some indoors exercises I could do? I don't have any fitness DVDs or any equipment.
All suggestions welcome!

[silverbirch]

Turn on the radio, a music station. Walk on the spot for a minute or so to warm up. Then get in touch with your inner dance-mad teenager. She's there.

[Rosinante]

She wasn't the first time round - but I'll give it a go!!!!!

[RoseRodent]

Walk in circles around your room, walk up and down your stairs if you have them, a little circuit of the house going around the living room, up the stairs, around whichever upstairs room has a clear path around it, back down the stairs, start again.

Ballet exercises: I'm sure you can Google enough information to do some pliés in assorted positions, some springs i.e. little jumps using your feet to push off the floor (great for strengthening arches), that one I can't remember the name of where you stretch your foot out to the side in point and back in, in front, back in, to the back, back in. It is astonishingly hard work considering it's tiny movements, and you get to feel tall and lean and graceful.

Fake cycling - sit in a chair, stretch out your feet, engage abs to keep them there and cycle in the air.

Old standards - crunches, push-ups, leg lifts, stretches...

Literally just jump up and down (in good shoes) until you are out of breath.

[Eliana]

I second the stairs if you have them. Awesome workout! Just be careful as it packs a mega delayed onset muscle soreness. I shredded my legs a few years ago and was barely able to walk for a week. LOL! I'm more careful about it now. I run up and down the stairs for three minutes, then do 20 squats then a 2-3 minute wall sit. Repeat for three sets.

If you want to add some strength, which I highly recommend, this is the perfect time to do it! You can do push ups followed by jumping jacks to get the heart rate up and alternate for three sets.

Dips using a sturdy chair.
Invest in 5, 8 and 10 pound weights (not terribly expensive and you could start with just 5's) or use canned foods or jarred foods to do bicep curls, tricep exercises, etc.

Maybe purchase an exercise ball? That's the last "but-it" I'll suggest. There's just so much you can do at home with an exercise ball and a few weights.

[puddlejumper13]

I have my moments where I am a tv addict so what I started to do is work out when ever the tv is on. In my house the tube is in our rec room and there is also a treadmill in there (a very dusty treadmill ). I made a rule, if the TV is on so am I. I usually just walk on it but if I haven't exercised in a while I will try to jog or walk during the show and jog during commercials (who watches commercials anyway...) the main thing to remember is to keep moving!