3 Tips for Staying Active in the Winter Months

Outdoor activities come to a halt during the colder weather months of the year. It isn’t as easy to remain active in sub-degree temperatures. The answer to winter workouts is to do your activities indoors. That way, you’re able to burn the calories you need to stay fit without compromising your safety and health by spending too much time in the freezing cold.

Here are three tips for staying active in the winter months:

1. Make everyday activities part of your cold weather workout.

For example, if you’re driving into work each day, choose a parking spot away from the front door of your workplace so that you’re able to get a brisk walk in before starting work. While you’re in the building, opt to take the stairs instead of the elevator every opportunity you have. Instead of sending an email or messaging a colleague, why not walk over to their work area instead? You can hand deliver files and spend a few minutes getting in some extra steps in the process. Keep your pedometer on you at all times to measure your progress. Aim for at least 10,000 steps a day no matter how bad the weather is outside. Doing so helps you stay fit even when you can’t be as active as you want to be.

2. Participate in indoors sports.

You don’t have to play regularly to have fun or sweat off extra calories. In fact, this may be an option that you engage in once in a while opposed to daily. The choice is up to you. You could play basketball, racquetball, ice skate with your family or even get in the rink and shoot some pucks with a local hockey league. How often you participate in indoors sports is up to you. You could practice daily, weekly or monthly. The point is to get up, get moving, and sweat. Carry your gym bag stocked with a change of clothing, a towel, and an infuser water bottle so that you’re ready to get active after school or work.

3. Don’t wait until spring to clean.

Do your deep cleaning in the winter opposed to the spring. Start doing things around your house to declutter its rooms. Dust, launder draperies, change lightbulbs, clean carpets, and go through each room box-by-box, bin-by-bin, and container-by-container until you’ve purged a majority of the contents you have stored away. Cleaning is great exercise. You use your entire body to bend, stoop, reach, crawl, polish, push, and pull. According to Shape magazine, a 150 pound person can burn 136 calories for every 30 minutes of sweeping. Grab that broom and get busy! You’ll accomplish two things with this type of winter workout. You’ll burn calories and have an exceptionally clean home which is a win-win!

Stay active during the winter months of the year. By focusing your attention on the things you can do rather than the ones you can’t do due to the weather, you’re able to continue to work out, burn calories, and feel your best. It’s the right solution no matter how low the temperatures get!