51 Creative Ways To Be Active Indoors

By: Emily Asciutto | emily.asciutto@activecities.com

Being stuck inside the house all day can drive you crazy! Some days the weather is too bad to go anywhere, other days there is really no good reason to leave the house, and other days we struggle to find the motivation to workout. Either way, these shouldn’t serve as excuses for not being able to do something active. Use the following list of creative ways to be active indoors to help pass the time, find inspiration, and get some needed physical exercise.

1. Do Handstands

Start by perfecting your handstand against the wall, then see if you can do it with a partner or unassisted.

2. Have A Pillow Fight

Grab a pillow and swing away; just don’t break anything!

3. Play Musical Chairs

Who doesn’t love a fun game of musical chairs that inevitably turns super competitive?

4. Do Bunny Hops

Up the stairs, down the hall, through the rooms, hit them all! Who says you can’t have a little fun moving around the house?

5. Throw A Dance Party

Put together a mix tape and go to work; you’ll be sweating in no time!

6. Do A Workout Tape

Don’t own one? The internet is flooded with free videos.

7. Put On A Scavenger Hunt

Hide things around the house and create a list of everything that needs to be found.

8. Play Pub Games

Darts, Ping Pong, Pool, Foosball, Air hockey, Shuffleboard… Play a full round of each and you’ll be tired for sure.

9. Do Crab Walks

Move forwards, move backwards, have races and so on. This will definitely kill some time, and your triceps!

10. Play Leap Frog

The more people the merrier! Don’t have two people? Use the footrest or floor pillows.

11. Re-enact Riskey Business

Put on a pair of old socks and slide around the house. Don’t have hardwood floors? Strap pieces of cardboard or plastic to your feet.

12. Build A Fort

Steal all those blankets and towels from the closet and build a secret hideout. All the climbing and crawling around will get your muscles working.

13. Have Indoor Olympics

Compete against each other in different events and see who finishes at the top. Pick from some of the real events, or get creative and make your own.

14. Make An Obstacle Course

Use different objects and rooms throughout the house. Record your time and see if you can improve it.

15. Play Hide And Seek

Run away from your friends and see how many creative places you can hide.

16. Do Yoga

Increase your strength, flexibility and find your zen, all within the comfort of your home.

17. Play Interactive Games

Playstation Move, Xbox Kinect, Nintendo Wii… Whatever suits your fancy, there are a lot of video games that will get you up and moving.

18. Play DDR

Want to take on the ultimate interactive video game? Get your hands (or feet rather) on some Dance Dance Revolution!

19. Have A Freeze Dance

Play your favorite songs that evoke dancing. Stop the music at random and require everyone to freeze in place.

20. Have Hallway Races

Turn your hallway into a dragstrip and race away. Put something at the end that makes crossing the finish line fun, like streamers or a pile of pillows to fall into.

21. Play Twister

Twister will always test your balance, flexibility and core strength. Its always fun to see what kind of positions you end up in.

22. Run The Stairs

See how many total steps you can climb. FYI, the Empire State Building has approximately 1,860 steps… just in case you need to set a goal.

23. Play Flashlight Tag

Close the blinds and shut off the lights, run around the house like its the middle of night.

24. Play Knee Hockey

Just keep the slashing and high-sticking to a minimum!

25. Play Charades

Put words into a hat and see if you can act them out. Have a bunch of people? Split into teams and make it a competition.

26. Create A Treasure Hunt

Make a map, or hide notes with clues that lead to the next point. Don’t make it easy; you have an entire house to work with!

27. Learn A Dance Routine

This one isn’t just for all the single ladies…C’mon guys, you can dance too.

28. Put On A Show

Who doesn’t love to dress up? Write a full script or just make a silly scene.

29. Play Hopscotch

Use removable tape to create your hopscotch board.

30. Do Tripods & Headstands

Start with the tripod, then move to a headstand. See how long you can hold it… remember to breathe!

31. Lift Weights

Lifting at home is pretty common, but what if you don’t have a weight set? Get creative and use objects throughout the house for your equipment, or simply do bodyweight exercises.

32. Make A Ballpit

Use a kiddie pool or seal off a room and “have a ball”.

33. Do Bear Crawls

Walking on all fours can be challenging. Give your body a workout as you move throughout the house.

34. Play Duck, Duck, Goose

Ah, the classic game of chasing others around a circle. Running not working for you? Trying crawling.

35. Do Wall Sits

Keep those knees at 90 degess and see how long you can hold it. Ever try it as a group? Sit on each others knees and see how many in a row can hold it.

36. Slide Down The Stairs

Use a mattress, use cardboard, use your bum; just be careful!

37. Play Dodgeball

There are only five things you need to know: Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck and DODGE.

38. Do Gymnastics

Show off your skills for the crowd! Forward rolls, cartwheels, balancing, spinning, jumping are just a few exercises to try.

39. Climb The Doorframe

Tape something to the top and try to tag it with your head. It’s too much fun to not try!

40. Make A Human Pyramid

See how many rows up you can go. Save the smallest person for last!

41. Do Leg Lifts

Having trouble getting your butt off the couch? Settle for some leg extension while you watch TV.

42. Play Simon Says

You can get real creative, and active with this game.

43. Play Handball

A ball and an open wall is all you need.

44. Do Calf Raises

Get some tone in your legs just by walking around the house on your tip toes. Don’t let your heals touch the ground!

45. Make A Move For A Room

Create a different move for every room, then go through the cycle.

46. Give Piggyback Rides

Let the person being carried dictate where you go. Then, switch roles.

47. Do Pull Ups

Don’t have a pull up bar? See what the basement or garage has to offer.

48. Have A Toy Gun Battle

Water guns, laser tag, nerf guns, foam balls… Whatever it is, just don’t get hit!

49. Chase The Dog

Because they need exercise too! Don’t have a pet? Chase each other.

50. Do Timed Calisthenics

See how many reps of an exercise you can get in 60 seconds. Sit ups, push ups, body squats and burpbees are a just a few to consider.

51. Create Your Own

The possibilities are endless! Be creative and have fun. When all is done, you might just be glad you stayed in.