It is hard enough to remain motivated to workout throughout the summer, but now winter is here and everything about it is enticing you to stay inside. Well, exercising in the winter doesn’t have to be a pain anymore. You no longer have to dread the felling of cold air pinching your lungs while your fingertips become numb. Instead, you can keep your bathing suit out and bring the summertime fun to the winter by swimming indoors. Exercising in a pool is actually more beneficial and efficient for your body than jogging because the resistance of water is stronger than air and your joints are less stressed. Water is about 790 times more viscous, which provides almost twelve times the resistance, so your muscles are impacted more and fat is burned quicker. The water also heavily affects your cardiovascular muscles without causing stress. So this winter use these five exercises and uncover your sweater, so you can unveil your fabulous body in the summer.

Spiderman
Targets: upper body, back, legs
How to: Stand at the side of the pool and stabilize your upper body and climb your legs up the side of the pool and back down to the pool floor.

Pool Plank
Targets: abs
How to: Stand on the pool floor. Hold a “noodle” vertically in both hands. Press it straight down into the water and lean forward until your body is even. (Keep your head out of the water and try to keep yourself stable for 1 to 2 minutes.)

One-legged Balance
Targets: abs and legs
How to: Standing in waist-high water, lift your one knee up and tuck the noodle under the foot of the knee that is raised. Keep your hands by your side and balance with your foot on the noodle for one minute. Then move your knee out to the side and balance for another minute. Switch legs and repeat with the other knee lifted and foot resting on the noodle.

Otter Roll
Targets: Back, abs, butt, and legs
How to: Hug a beach ball and float on your back with your legs extended and feet together. Roll toward left and over top of ball, using entire body to make a full circumvolution, returning to start.

Fly-backs
Targets: back, arms, upper chest and shoulder
How to: Begin in a lunge position with your right knee bent and your left leg extended straight behind you in the pool. Reach your arms straight out in front of you and bring your palms together, extended fingers and thumbs. Open your arms straight out to the sides in the water, then return them to the starting position to complete one rep.

Written by: Candace Mitchell