I'm going a little crazy here with this snow because I'm a walker and love to either go outside and walk or go to the gym. Because of the snow I can't go out and do either, at least not on a regular basis.

I've been walking a path through my house. I have a good pedometer that I paid a little (ok a LOT) more for to get an accurate reading and keep track of aerobic steps. My problem is, even though I feel like I'm putting a good effort forth to keep on track with exercising, it just doesn't seem like I'm working it enough. Outside I can tackle hills and at the gym I can set an incline. In the house I'm on a level surface and just running around in circles. I've been careful to make sure I'm hitting an aerobic workout and averaging about 30-40 min each day.

Anyone have any tips? I'm thinking maybe I need to focus a little less on getting in 10,000+ steps a day and logging aerobic steps and maybe focus more on other types of exercise to give my body and workout a little boost. Part of me feels like I'm letting myself down though if I'd go under 10,000. Oh, and just to clarify those steps are not ALL aerobic, they are just the total I shoot for each day, and my aerobic usually averages about 4000 steps. It's definitely less than what I was able to do during the summer and it's kind of bumming me out.

TIA!

I used to live up north in the mountains, the winters were very snowy and cold. I couldn't bring myself to go outside most days. At that time, I was using hiking as my daily activity, I also strived for 10,000 steps. I was otherwise sedentary, so it basically all had to come from my hikes/walks.

My solution was to buy one of those $40 rebounders. I used to step/jump/jog for about 2 hours each day (an hour in the morning, an hour in the afternoon). It sounds like a lot, but when you don't move at all, it's not that much. I'd listen to my Ipod or watch tv, it went by fast and I made sure that 45 minutes of the 2 hours, I was sweating for my cardio.

If I had a snow-shoveling day, then that was my workout no doubt!

First, I have to mention vealcalf2000 - every time I see you post somewhere, I look at your avatar and think 'my goodness she's gorgeous'. As for indoor pursuits....

I like stairs. Well, not really, but they're pretty handy for working up an indoor sweat. Step ups, upstairs sprints, the whole up-a-step-down-a-step thing (not sure what that's actually called)....you get the idea.

Burpees are also great (well, again, not really - they kinda suck, but they do what it says on the tin) for getting your blood moving, and you can do them pretty much anywhere.

Um, I won't go into detail on my last idea - but if you have a romantic partner hanging around, they might be able to help you work up a sweat once in a while. Personally, that's one of my favourite kind of workouts.

Unfortunately, I can relate to your problems with the weather (outside my house is pretty much a skating rink at the moment) and walking. But surely shoveling snow should count for extra!?

'Hope that helps - I'm so impressed by your insistence to stay active despite a great excuse to take a break!

I know what you mean, I love to be outside walking but with these temperatures and ice all over the roads it's a nightmare. I also have a 2.5yr old that I take out on the stroller for my walks and it's not fair to him to have him outside in this cold. So.... I rely on youtube work outs.

This is one I do 2-3 times per week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMGUk6efduY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Pw4zCC4Qg I only do it for about 15 minutes or so, it really takes care of my aerobic needs. The rest of the time I make sure to be active around the house like you. But doing daily chores takes care of that This video is killer so don't worry if you can't do much of it lol. The good thing is that it only requires you, no props.

I also use Youtube, but I do a Just Dance circuit, using the uploaded videos of the Just Dance songs. I found it on fitnessblender, but I can't post a link. Basically I do:

1 song of 1 sweat drop rating (you can find the intensities of the songs on Wikipedia)

1 song of at least 2 sweat drop rating

15 sumo squats
15 pushups
30 toe touch crunches (these can be substituted for something more beginner)

1 song of at least 2 sweat drop rating

15 Pilates kneeling leg raises
50 pilates hundreds (there's a link to how to do these in the article)
1 minute of arm circles (30 seconds each direction)

1 song of at least a 2 sweat drop rating

15 alternating lunges
15 tricep pushups (these are hard, I usually do half, then another arm workout)
15 russian twist situps

1 song of 2 sweat drop rating

Cool down/stretch

It gets hard towards the end, but the reps can be reduced at first to ease into it. I've found that it's a great mix of cardio and toning activities. And you can do it in your room with nothing more than an internet connection!

I also use Youtube videos for working out. There are a couple of good yoga videos there that are 20-40 minutes.

I also use a Zumba Wii game that is so much fun and a nice change.

Thank you for all of your lovely responses and compliments! Sorry for the delay. It's taken me a bit to reply back to this thread because, well, I've been working out more! LOL! The weather cleared a bit here too and I was able to make it to the gym too! I think I was really missing an extended workout. While I've been working out indoors I've been kind of limited at times to these short workouts (I shoot for a minimum of 10 min at a time to kick in the aerobic walking), but it truly didn't feel like it was enough.

In addition to working in more indoor workouts (walking, exercise balls, etc.) I also reevaluated what I've been eating and found I was sorely lacking vegetables in my diet too so I was able to work on that.

I am happy to say I am FINALLY back to 190. My weight had been going up and down these same 6 lbs or so and it was driving me nuts! It was also nice when I went to my gym I weighed in there and got a good weigh in (I need to replace my home scale because I spend to much time moving it around and recalibrating it for a good reading).

Thanks again everyone! I love the forum here and all the tips I get!