Easy ways to stay active during the winter

When winter hits, it’s natural to want to stay indoors and hibernate until the buds of spring bloom again.

But getting at least 30 minutes of physical exercise a day can help you control your weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers, improve your mental mood and health, and much more.

Below are some great winter activities for both outdoor and indoor exercise, and how to make sure you don’t fall out of practice during the bitterly cold winter months.

Outdoor Exercises

1. Walking for exercise is as easy as it sounds. For the average person, taking a brisk walk for even just an hour can burn anywhere between 300 to 400 calories.

2. Hiking is simply destination walking on an incline, but you get to choose which breathtaking destination you’re headed to. A common hiking tip is to dress like an onion. Wear plenty of layers so you can shed and add as need be.

3. Shoveling snow is a necessity after a storm, but one you can take advantage of to get your exercise in for the day. Just half an hour of shoveling snow by hand can burn 180 to 266 calories!

4. Ice skating is also a perfect winter exercise. Do speed tests, endurance laps, or just skate around. 

5. Sledding is the ultimate childhood snow-day activity and one that can burn 200-300 calories every half hour spent doing it! 

6. Cross-country skiing is one outdoor winter exercise that is not high-strain, meaning you could do it for hours without tiring. It is an aerobic activity that will benefit your heart.

7. Snowshoeing is a cardio exercise that also builds strength, agility, balance, and endurance. If you’re looking for a new winter passion that could also double as an exercise, snowshoeing may be perfect for you. 

Indoor Exercises

1. Working out at the gym is one of the most common choices for winter exercise as it is away from the wintry weather. The gym provides such a wide variety of exercises that wouldn’t be possible in the current weather conditions, like swimming or biking. 

2. Home workouts are a great alternative to the gym. Use a YouTube video or DVD to whip yourself into shape at home. 

3. Dancing is one that can either be done through a class or as you clean the house. From the foxtrot to your original killer dance moves, you can burn anywhere between 90 to 266 calories every half hour. 

4. Mall walking, like outdoor walking, can burn 300 to 400 calories at a brisk speed. The benefit of mall walking over outdoors is that it’s heated and there is no ice to slip on. Plus, great window shopping!

5. Bowling is also a good option for winter exercise. Having an exercise you don’t hate, like a fun game of bowling, is key to keeping you from giving up on exercising in the winter. 

6. If you’re looking for a good way to start your day or a way to wrap up, yoga can provide the tranquility and energy you need while also squeezing in some aerobic-like exercise. 

7. If you’re really busy and don’t have much time for a workout during the day, taking the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator is one way to keep in shape while not sacrificing precious time. 

8. Swimming is an aerobic exercise that is low-impact but with high-results. Whether you're doing the most basic stroke or a vigorous butterfly, you can burn anywhere between 180 to nearly 500 calories in 30 minutes! 

Tips & Tricks of the Trade

1. Like we mentioned in a few of our listed exercises, choosing an exercise or physical activity you actually enjoy is a key way to make sure you don’t fall off the horse this winter. 

2. Create a playlist. Having your own music to bop to as you’re working out at home or going out for a run can create the mood you need to get into the workout groove. 

3. If your workout routine is becoming easy, use the FITT principle: frequency, intensity, time, and type. Increase how often you exercise, how vigorous, how long, and/or what kind of exercises to take your workout up a notch. 

4. Activity logs are a great way to keep track of what you’ve done. Not to mention, seeing your progress can help you keep motivated to forge onward and upward. 

5. Indoor strength training is often overlooked in exercise routines, but focusing on your muscles alone in a strength training exercise can improve the results in your other exercises.

6. Nobody said that the time you exercise had to be consecutive! If you have 10 minutes, walk up and down the stairs at work or squeeze in a couple of burpees and do that a handful of times every day. 

7. With winter conditions being what they are, always keep in mind to put your safety and health first. 

If you experience any pain or difficulty with these exercises, stop and consult your healthcare provider.

Keeping active in the winter is hard, but it is worth the effort. You can strengthen your immune system, get the Vitamin D you need, and keep off the winter and holiday weight. 

Not to mention, you’ll just feel so much better about yourself, both mentally and physically.

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