Your fitness shouldn’t take a break during the colder months – at-home workouts are a great way to maintain your health all year-round. Staying active, especially in the winter, not only helps your body but also helps your mood and mind. There are simple at-home workouts that you can do a few times a week to help boost your energy levels and keep your body strong and healthy – and you don’t need expensive equipment to get it done.
Work Out in the Comfort of Your Home
As the cold weather takes over and you spend most of your time indoors, stay in shape with some of the following at-home workouts: 
Beginners: Complete 2 sets of 10 to 15 reps of each exercise, with 1 minute of rest between each move. Intermediate: Complete 2 sets of 10 to 15 reps of each exercise below, then move on to the next after 1 minute of rest.
Bridge
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and your arms extended by your sides.
- Pushing through your feet, raise your bottom off the ground until your hips are fully extended.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
Bicycle crunch
- Lie on your back and bring your knees up.
- Put your hands behind your head.
- Crunch up and bring your right elbow to your left knee, straightening your right leg.
- Release the crunch slightly and repeat on the other side.
Dip
- Sit in a sturdy chair with your hands holding the front edge of the seat.
- Push your bottom forward until it is suspended in front of the seat and your weight is supported by your arms.
- Bend your elbows and drop your hips toward the floor.
- Straighten your elbows and repeat.
Plank
- Rest on your elbows and toes, keeping your back and legs straight.
- Hold for one minute.
- Release and repeat.
Lunge
- Standing with your feet parallel.
- Take a big step forward with your right leg, landing with your knee bent over your toes.
- Drop your back knee down toward the floor while swinging your left arm forward.
- Push off your right front foot to return to standing.
Dead Lifts
You'll need dumbbells for this exercise. You can also improvise with two gallon-size jugs of water.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
- Reach down and grab the weighted object on the floor in front of you.
- Return to a vertical position.
- Lower the object back down; raise it back up.
- Repeat 20 times.
At-Home Workouts vs. Gym Workouts
While going to the gym can seem like a chore, working out at home is easier to fit into your daily schedule. There’s no travel time, it doesn’t matter what you wear, and you can play your favorite workout tunes as loudly as want to stay motivated. Combined with a healthy diet, following an at-home workout routine can really change your fitness game and keep you looking and feeling great all year long. To build a fitness plan that works for you and your specific fitness goals, refer to the QuickSeries® guides: Fitness At Your Desk and Wellness and Fitness: A Pocket Guide for Success. For more information on health and fitness, browse the QuickSeries® library of Health and Wellness products.