On the way in to work I always tune in to hear the weather. This weekend’s forecast? Freezing rain, slippery roads, and cancelled flights.
I don’t feel like driving to the gym. And I don’t want my senior citizen mom walking outside with her bad knee. How can I keep my family from becoming out-of-shape couch potatoes when the weather is keeping us prisoner indoors?
I think it’s time to start exercising at home, at least until the view from my window doesn’t make me feel like drawing the shades.
Exercise makes us feel better.
When we get busy we skip the gym. When that happens, we lose out on the physical benefits of exercise, like improved sleep and less back pain after sitting at a desk all day.
According to Scott Essery, owner/partner of Fitness Depot, working out at home is just as effective, and a few simple pieces of equipment are all we need.
“There is no question that you can work out just as effectively at home as at the gym. In fact, one of the things that I hear from our clients every day is that they are just too ‘busy‘ to drive to the gym, change into their workout clothes, workout, and then have to drive back. That entire process can take up to 2-3 hours a day,” he said.
According to Essery, the most popular at-home items are treadmills and elliptical trainers, with people like me between 35-55 being the core consumers. For women, the treadmill is still our number one choice.
It‘s good for Mom and Dad too!
Seniors can also benefit from the safety of daily treadmill exercise without risking injury on slippery sidewalks.
“The beauty of the treadmill is that it allows you to be able to walk, jog, run, elevate it up to increase resistance without having to increase the speed, and you can also carry light dumbbells in your hands to create some toning and firming of the upper body,” explained Essery.
Both walking and jogging at home are great options, but adults and seniors need to do just a little more to protect posture, maintain bone mass, and stay flexible as we age.
“Stretch tubes, BOSU balls, yoga gear, aerobic steps, and foam rollers are all the rage with mothers and young women,” Essery said.
“Essentially this type of equipment takes up very little space, is inexpensive, and allows you to replace home gyms or dumbbells for those with limited space or money.”
If space is a problem, there are a number of treadmills that fold up and can be stored against a wall.
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