Staying Active

Staying healthy can be a challenge during the winter months. There are holiday parties, family gatherings, a busy schedule, food, and the cold! Although exercising can be challenging, it’s not impossible, and it is such an important time to stay on top of your health.

A plan for staying active this season can help you follow through with your routine and stay healthy! We hope this blog gives you ideas on staying fit during the cold, winter, and holiday seasons.

Indoor Exercise

Working out indoors might seem like a no-brainer when it’s too cold to even think about being outside. This is a time to get creative, have fun, and challenge yourself in the comfort of non-freezing temperatures.

• Join a Gym: Fitness clubs often offer machines, free weights, cardio equipment, and services such as personal trainers, fitness classes, and more.
• Swimming/Water Sports: The water can be an excellent opportunity to get a full-body workout. We encourage you to take advantage of all the available resources, even during the winter! Pools in our area offer water fitness classes, lap swimming, and open swimming.
• Home Workouts/Virtual: A wide variety of workouts are offered through live streams or pre-recorded videos at all hours of the day! This gives you the flexibility of working out around your busy schedule and doing it from the comfort of your home! Check out our virtual fitness classes. Pinterest and YouTube can have fun ideas to bring creativity into your workout routine! They have examples of home workouts, office workouts, stretching, and more.
• Other Home Workouts: Use what you have around the house. The internet is a great resource if you don’t know how to use something! This is an excellent time to search the storage room for old weights, medicine balls, or other workout equipment. Creativity is a fun way to help you stay motivated! You can incorporate a workout into your daily activities, such as doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks or coming up with a fitness challenge for your household.

Outdoor Exercise

Exercising outdoors is possible, but we recommend you be careful in your approach. There’s a lot of opportunity for exercise in the winter!

• Walking/Running/Hiking: The fresh air and snow-covered trees can be a great way to enjoy the nature of winter. Remember to dress appropriately (in layers) and in bright colors, and wear good supporting shoes to prevent slips and falls!
• Snowshoeing: A few local organizations rent out snowshoes that offer a different and unique way to enjoy winter and burn calories.
• Ice Skating: This is a hybrid workout that works both indoors and outdoors! Many local municipalities offer skating during the winter for free or a small charge, and it is a great option to get the kids involved.
• Skiing: This is a good time to hit the slopes and enjoy the adrenaline from skiing. Again, remember to dress for the weather and don’t push your limits if you feel unsafe. Cross-country skiing is also a great option that works your cardio and strength if you’re up for the challenge.
• Playing: Kids love to play in the snow! Building snowmen, forts, running, and playing can be a great workout for you and your family!
• Shoveling: Shoveling snow can target many muscles, such as your glutes, hamstrings, abs, lower and upper back, shoulders, and more!

So don’t be discouraged because the weather outside is intimidating. Now you have the resources to stay active this winter season!