I belong to a gym and it’s my primary source for exercise. I love my gym. I’m comfortable there, the equipment is easy to use, people are polite, both staff and patrons and it’s superbly close to my home. McFrostys can be found at every gym and there are only a few at mine. However, when the temperatures are dropping closer and closer to my age, I sometimes find that putting on multiple layers to start my car and then drive to the gym is just hard for me to do. I live close enough that walking to my gym is a nice warm up/cool down for me, so when it gets so cold that I have to drive, I find myself lacking motivation. However, there are plenty of other things I (and you!) can do to keep yourself active in the winter months…

Join an indoor sports league. While you still have to leave your house to do this, it can be a lot easier  because you’re being held accountable by your teammates. I play indoor volleyball and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I look forward to it every week (even when the temps are in the 20’s) because I get a lot out of playing team sports. For me, playing sports takes the “work” out of “workout.” I get to play with my friends and pretty much forget that I’m giving my body a nice run around. When I first started playing volleyball, the few days after my first few games I knew why those volleyball players can wear the bun-hugging shorts. Volleyball is a killer workout for your glutes. I like seeing improvement in my play from week to week, as I had not played volleyball since I was in middle school. It’s rewarding and fun wrapped up in one! Look at Vetta Sports or St. Louis Sports Center for some indoor leagues available.

Find a work out dvd that you love. My good friend lent me a yoga DVD that I have been looking for the right time to try. Now that I’m finding it harder to hold myself accountable and to leave the house, this upcoming week may just be my time to get my yoga on. Work out DVD’s are great for people who don’t have a gym membership or prefer to work out in the privacy of their own homes and on their own schedules. I have found myself wishing the gym was open at 11 pm on a Saturday night (not even kidding), and that’s when a work out DVD could have been perfectly satisfying for me. As long as you’ve got the space in your living room and a TV and DVD player, this is worth a shot. An alternative to the DVD, check out the Wii Fit. I had my reservations until I actually tried it. It was fun and a work out at the same time. The Wii Fit covers multiple areas of fitness, including cardio, strength training and balance. It was humbling to see just how awful I was at some of the games when I first started. But then equally rewarding when I was finally able to move away from the beginner levels!

Make up your own routine! If you’ve got the self-discipline that you can make up your own routine at home, by all means, this could be the best way for you to stay active while staying home. Make one trip to the trainer at your gym or read about the exercises you can do to work on whatever areas you’re interested in changing. Dumbbells or kettle bells are relatively inexpensive and can be found during your weekly trip to Target. Exercise/yoga/pilates balls are relatively inexpensive as well. They take up storage room, but they are extremely versatile. I’m a fan of them because they allow me to do abdominal exercises by giving me extra back support that, without the ball, I’d be unable to do correctly. They also are a chair stand in and, believe it or not, balancing on one of those for a whole episode of your favorite show can actually be a great core work out. Just make sure you’ve consulted someone regarding your exercises to make sure you’re doing them correctly and avoiding injury.

The mall walk. Okay, again you have to leave your house for this one, but don’t discredit the amount of exercise you can get done while doing holiday shopping. Walking, in my opinion, is one of the greatest calorie burners. I say this mostly because people walk a lot and don’t realize they are actually helping themselves by doing so. Don’t circle for the closest parking space; instead try parking at the Dillards end of the Galleria when you need to go to Macy’s. That allows you to walk the entire length of the mall twice – and stay inside while doing so. Take the stairs instead of the escalators while you’re at it. It’s also very easy to get someone to go with you for this, and exercise is always better with a buddy, in my opinion. And if you’re a Christmas Eve shopper, you may just get even more exercise scurrying around for deals as the stores close!

Annie is the Sports and Fitness Editor for Girls Guide. She writes about all kinds of sports related topics and then really goes out and plays sports almost every evening. You can contact Annie by emailing her at annie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and we are still trying to talk her into getting a Twitter account – no success yet.