Interesting winter workouts

Although much of Australia is blessed with a climate that allows outdoor sports year-round, in many areas winter is moving in, bringing with it those grey and rainy days that can dampen our enthusiasm for our normal sports and hobbies.

Of course, you can always join a gym to keep fit but if the idea of treadmills and bench presses fills you with despair there is no need to panic — there are alternatives.

So whether to escape the cold or the rain or simply for a change of scene, here are six different ways of keeping the body in order without having to brave the elements. With any sporting activity, it is good practice to clear it with your doctor before giving it a go.

Indoor climbing
While it may look calm and graceful, climbing is an excellent way of improving strength and stamina. Indoor climbing walls are a great substitute for the real thing on those rainy days. "I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if they love a good workout but are sick of the normal gym scene," says Michele de Bes from the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym. "Our easiest climbs are like climbing a ladder so it is very easy to have a go and enjoy."

• Climbing improves cardiovascular and muscular endurance, working both upper and lower body.
• You'll need a climbing partner but many people go alone and pair up at the climbing gym.
• Burns about 9.6 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight. This means if you weigh 60kg, you burn a whopping 576 calories per hour — more than two Mars bars!

Aqua aerobics
If swimming lengths doesn't do it for you, aqua aerobics is another way of using a swimming pool to get a great work out. As the experts at Challenge Stadium's Aquatic Centre say, "Fun and fitness — it is possible".

• Can be done alone or as part of a class.
• Burns about 7.8 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.

Ice hockey
You don't have to be Canadian or have your front teeth missing to enjoy ice hockey. It might not be the first sport that springs to mind in Australia but it combines the balance and finesse of skating with the fast paced excitement of hockey. It's "the fastest team game played on earth," according to the Melbourne Ice team website.

• Aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Primary muscles used are in the lower body but also works the upper body. Protection is worn but be prepared for the odd knock.
• While you can pick up the basics of skating alone, ice hockey is a team sport.
• Burns about 7.8 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.

Squash
Squash is an exhilarating racquet sport that is strangely neglected by most people. You can play year round and a one-hour session is enough to make even the fittest of athletes break into a serious sweat.

• Anaerobic exercise which gives most major muscles a work out.
• Squash is played with a partner — preferably one who plays at a similar level to you.
• Burns about 11.4 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.

Pilates
Often neglected for its better known cousin, yoga, Pilates fans are keen to point out the benefits to both mind and body. "Pilates is for everyone," says Peter Sheehy, of the Australian Pilates Academy. "It can also be an excellent tool for those who are injured when on the road to recovery and rehabilitation as it uses the mind to understand how to reconnect the body."

• Improves strength, balance and flexibility of all muscle groups.
• Pilates can be done by yourself but is best in a class.
• Burns about 3.6 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.

Dancing
Dancing every Saturday night might be good fun but it probably isn't a great help in our quest to keep fit if the rest of the time we are propping up the bar. Organised dance classes are another story and the countless different dance styles can be a fantastic way to work out and meet new people. Learning a few new moves wouldn't hurt most of us either.

• Aerobic exercise working most muscles depending on the type of dance.
• You can dance alone but surely it is more fun with a partner!
• Burns about 10.2 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.