10 Ways to Stay Active (and Sane) If It's Horrible Outside
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Are you someone who will literally die if you have to go inside? News flash, my brethren: You don’t have much of a choice when it’s 15 below zero, or melting snow has turned all your favorite trails into slime pits full of shoe-sucking mud. Winter may be the off-season for many outdoor activities, but there’s no reason you can’t keep honing your skills—and burning off energy—while you wait. Here are our favorite ways to bring the outside in until spring comes along. (If you're never chilly and you love winter, you might want to check out our ski and snowboard guide, too.)
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Power Paddle at the Pool
If you can't paddle out to the lineup, you can't surf. So now's the time to build your upper body strength, lest you get stuck boogie-boarding on the whitewash with the toddlers. First head to an indoor pool. To isolate your upper body, put a pull buoy between your legs, slide Speedo's training band over your ankles, and prepare to slog through endless freestyle laps. You can also try putting your surfboard in the pool's lap lane, but in my experience, that doesn't go over so well.
Surf and Savasana
If you also live in a part of the world where winter storms turn the waves into 20-foot monsters, Suga's C2G (cradle-to-grave) mat will help you curb your cravings. Suga (the name is a portmanteau of "surf" and "yoga") makes durable, easy-to-clean, dense yoga mats from shredded wetsuits. If you put your face to the mat during child's pose, it smells just like sliding your wetsuit hood over your head for dawn patrol.
Go on a Bicycle Race
CycleOps' smart bike trainer is easy to set up. It's designed to fit both road and mountain bikes, and can simulate rides of up to 20 mph or a 15 percent climbing grade. Just plug it in, load on your bike, and connect to a virtual training app like Zwift or Rouvy. It makes less than 70 decibels of noise at top speed, so your family can happily go about their business on the other side of the living room wall.
Try Indoor Cragging
If you're a first-timer who has decided that a climbing gym is the best place to work out your outside angsties, you need to pick your shoes carefully. For a more comfortable fit, pick a shoe like the Momentum—one with a flat, neutral last that isn't aggressively downturned, and a wider toe box that won't give you ballerina bunions straight off the bat. Velcro straps will help you get them on and off more easily, and the breathable knit upper should help reduce the toxic sweaty foot stink.
Get a Spider Plant
You can't bring a black bear or a porpoise into your living room, but plants are just a click away. According to former NASA research scientist Bill Wolverton, spider plants have a natural ability to filter out airborne pollutants, like carbon dioxide, and pump out oxygen and moisture. Just looking at them makes you feel like you're outside. As a bonus, spider plants are also safe for pets, easy to propagate, and almost impossible to kill.
Run Around the World
The NordicTrack X22i and accompanying iFit subscription got me through last year's grim, rainy winter. iFit sent trainers to the most exotic locations in the world to prerecord workouts that play on the included 22-inch television, so you can run on the Cinque Terre, through elephant parks in Africa, or along stunning, serene Austrian lakes or palaces. The cult-favorite Peloton Tread is also available this year; both treadmills require monthly subscription packages for maximum utility.
Hit Up a Roller Derby
It's the height of ski season, which means that if you live near mountains, you're already getting a workout. But if you don't want shaking noodle legs on your one big trip this year, drag out your inline skates and head to your nearest roller rink, pronto. Inline skating strengthens your hips, quads, and glutes—and improves your balance. It's also great for making friends when you show up wearing leg warmers and a neon headband.
Stream Your Workout
If your neck is cricked from squinting at a tiny tablet, it can be hard to maintain the illusion that you're alfresco. Our top budget television pick probably has better picture quality than the HD television you have in your living room. It might be bigger, too. It also has built-in Roku if you want to ditch the workout apps and just pretend to flee from White Walkers for a harrowing half-hour.
Relax With Raindrops
According to Florence Williams' The Nature Fix, even something as simple as listening to the sounds of nature in your home can help you destress and promote creativity. Tell your Google Home speaker to "play forest sounds" or "play river sounds" while you work or work out. If you're going to bed, try "play rain sounds." The ambient noise will play for 12 hours straight until it's turned off.
Drink on the Rocks
It's an objectively bad idea to climb a mountain during the times of the year when you might get trapped by foul weather. But no one can stop you from dreaming, and one of our favorite ways to do that is with a jigger of bourbon, neat, in a glass from Whiskey Peaks. These tumblers are made from handblown lead-free glass, with a topographic impression of Yosemite's iconic Half Dome in the bottom. Now you can literally take your liquor on the rocks.
