When winter hits, along with cold winds, rain and even some snow, it can make us want to give up on exercise completely – who wants to run around in the cold weather?
And with a baby, it can be very difficult to make the time to exercise, especially when the weather forces us to stay indoors.
On Day 3 of the Winter Weight Loss Challenge we talked about the benefits of walking for weight loss.
So when the weather turns nasty, here are some ways that you can still get your recommended daily 10,000 steps in.
Combine this with the Lose Baby Weight healthy eating plans and you will be able to lose pregnancy weight this winter.
- If you have equipment, use it. A treadmill is an excellent machine to use if you have one – it’s an easy way to get your daily 10,000 steps in and it’s also an excellent way to hone your walking form. Most treadmills also come with the option to add an incline into your walk, which is a great way to improve the intensity of the exercise.
- If you don’t have any equipment, consider buying a stepper. You can pick them up for about $25-45 and they are lightweight and easy to pack away in a cupboard once you’re done with your exercise. Steppers are also great for exercise as they are so small, you can use them anywhere in the house. If you can, use the resistance bands that come with the stepper to add intensity to the exercise and work your arms in the process. If you don’t have a stepper then use the bottom of a set of steps.
- Run up and down the stairs. It might be boring, but running up and down the stairs is a really easy way to add more steps into your routine.
- Pace around your house. Your house or flat might be a lot smaller than the great outdoors, but there is still floor space – so use that floor space and pace around the house when you’re on the phone, walk around your living room or jog on the spot whilst watching television and do laps of the house when your baby goes down for a nap.
- Boogie with your baby. Put your baby into a sling and have a gentle boogie to some music with them. You’ll burn off calories, step your way towards your daily total and also bond with your baby.
- Go to the shopping centre. Shopping centres are usually huge and almost always located entirely indoors – so strap your baby into their car seat and go for a drive to your nearest one. Walk around the shops whilst also pushing your pram and you can easily get your 10,000 steps in – plus, you’ll be close to coffee shops and cafes if you want to stop for a rest.
- Do a step aerobics DVD or video. There are many home workout DVDs available, and to get your steps in, opt for a step aerobics DVD – this way, the instructor will guide you through a step aerobics routine that will help you to increase your step count whilst in the comfort of your living room. Why not borrow one from the library and then buy it if you like it.
- Practice inefficiency. This one might sound strange, but instead of taking one trip to do something, take four – for example, get up and change the television manually instead of using your remote or walk around the supermarket numerous times to get your shopping instead of getting everything in one circuit. One woman in an activity program in America increased her daily steps by taking one piece of clothing from the clothes dryer at a time – she took one piece out, folded it, put it away upstairs and then returned to the dryer for the next piece of clothing. This was obviously not the most efficient way to do this chore, but she really increased her daily step count.
So today’s challenge is to use 2 new ways to get to your 10,000 steps per day.
Choose from our list above, or use your imagination to find new ways to get there. Let us know if you come up with anything inventive that you want to share!
Pregnancy can really take it out of you and so when you return to exercise after having a baby, it’s important not to overdo it – ease yourself back into things gradually and you should find that you become fitter, stronger and healthier.
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