5 Indoor Exercises That Build More Strength Than Cold-Weather Walks After 55
Cold, wintry weather can make it challenging to maintain a regular exercise routine. When temperatures drop, outdoor workouts also require extra caution, as our bodies take longer to warm up and are more susceptible to strain without proper clothing and preparation. While walking remains an excellent form of exercise because it’s low-impact, accessible, and effective, taking your workout indoors may be a safer and more comfortable option during freezing conditions.
As always, please be sure to check in with a medical professional before beginning any new exercise regimen.
Once you are cleared to go, here are five exercises that will help you build strength indoors.
Heel Lifts
Stand with your feet together, toes pointing forward. Lift the heels so that you rise as high as you can on the ball of the foot, maintaining straight legs without locking the knees. You can gently rest your fingertips on a supportive surface, like a kitchen counter or the back of a chair, if you need extra support for your balance. Be careful not to grip your support or change your posture. Keep your torso upright with the shoulders stacked over the hips for the duration of the exercise.
These are great for building calf strength and improving posture and balance.
Standing Woodchop
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing forward, core engaged. Reach your arms up on the right diagonal, slightly in front of your torso. Lift your left knee into a marching position, with the thigh parallel to the floor. Bring the arms down on the diagonal, to the outside of the left hip. Replace the left foot. Take the exercise on the opposite side.
To increase the intensity of this exercise, you can hold a dumbbell lengthwise, so that one side is resting in each hand. To prevent injury, ensure that you can maintain a straight spine and that you are not sticking your seat out as you complete the twist.
This exercise is great for improving balance. It also works the core and obliques.
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Standing Marches
Standing marches are a great abdominal workout that does not require crunching or getting down to the floor. Standing marches also help improve single-leg balance activities.
Stand with your feet parallel, shoulder-width apart, hands on your hips. Gently raise one foot until the thigh bone is parallel with the floor. Then, replace the foot and perform the exercise on the other side. The higher you lift your foot, the bigger the impact on the abdominal muscles.
If you need more support, you can gently rest your fingertips on the back of a chair, couch, or kitchen counter. Be careful to remain upright for the duration of the exercise, so that you are bringing your leg to your torso to achieve maximum benefits.
Split Lunges
Lunges target your glutes, quads, and even your hamstrings. As a bonus, they even stretch your hip flexors.
Begin with your feet pointing forward, shoulder-width apart. Place the right leg directly behind the hip with space between the feet. Only the ball of the right foot should be on the floor; the heel should be raised. As you gently bend both knees, ensure that your front knee does not go over your toes. (If this happens, shift your weight and right foot further back and try again.) As you rise out of the lunge to return to your straight-leg position, squeeze your glutes.
Repeat the exercise on the opposite side.
Squats
Begin with the feet pointing forward, shoulder-width apart. Engaging the core, send the hips back as if you were going to sit in a chair. The thigh bones should be parallel to the floor. Ensure that the knees point forward and do not knock inward. Be careful to ensure that your feet remain flat on the floor. Return to your starting position by squeezing the glutes.
In addition to being a great lower-body workout, squats are also a powerful functional movement. We can improve our squat form so that we can better support ourselves in everyday activities, going from a seated to a standing position and vice versa.
I recommend doing each of these exercises at your own pace for two minutes. For the single-leg lunges, try to complete two minutes on each side.
All of these exercises help strengthen the muscles of the legs and lower body, which is especially important as we age. Research shows that lower-body strength plays a critical role in balance and fall prevention. As warmer weather returns and you can resume walking outdoors, these exercises can easily be incorporated into your routine to help you improve and maintain lower-body strength year-round.