7 Ways to Stay Active this Winter

It’s the time of year when a hot cup of tea and a pile of blankets reign, and wintry snowfall beautifies the landscape. Winter has come in full, settling over the landscape and bringing with it cold, darkness, and ice.

It’s the season of comfort and rest. It seems hardly the time for exercise.

But just because the outdoors becomes inhospitable doesn’t mean we can forget our fitness goals and obligations. Our bodies continue to need the same amount of exercise—30 minutes a day, at a minimum—in order to maintain good health.

For us to stay fit, the hearthside must give way to the exercise regimen.

There’s no way around it—this is hard. The early nights and cold mornings of winter make exercise of any kind seem a monstrous undertaking. But even when the very air shimmers with ice crystals, there are ways to stay fit in a fun—and warm—way.

So to help you do this, let’s take a look at 7 ways to stay active this winter.

Stay Toasty at the Gym

When the temperature drops and the winds blow, there’s one place you can always count on when going after your fitness goals.

It’s the trusty gym!

While not everyone is enthusiastic about exercising in front of a crowd of strangers, the gym is where most people pursue fitness in the colder months. Sheltered, warm, and usually sporting a variety of amenities like free coffee, saunas, and personal trainers, your local gym is your ultimate resource for fitness in the winter.

At the gym, you can hop on the aerobic machines—elliptical trainers, bikes, and treadmills, to name a few—or head on over to the free weights if you’re ready to pump iron and build some muscle.

For neophytes, most gyms offer free orientations and consultations with a certified personal trainer. Take advantage of this! Talk about your fitness goals and let staff members point you in the right direction—you may just find their guidance to be just what you need to shed those post-holiday pounds.

So stay warm while you work out this winter by heading to your local YMCA, Gold’s Gym, Planet Fitness, or whatever brand you may be drawn toward. And there’s no obligation to remain a member forever—you can attend for the winter months, and then get back outdoors in the spring. It’s up to you!

Take the Stairs

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So the gym isn’t for you, and you’re feeling stuck. That’s understandable.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of options!

One of the easiest ways to stay fit this winter is to take advantage of every opportunity for everyday movement, and one of the best ways to do this is by habitually taking the stairs rather than an elevator or escalator.

Researchers in Canada performed a study in which they monitored 17 men while they walked on level ground, performed weight training exercises, and climbed stairs. The stairs outdid the walking and weight training in terms of exertion, and thus, stair climbing has the greatest potential for burning calories.

A separate study conducted by Harvard University researchers found that men who walk up at least eight flights a day have a much lower mortality rate than those who are sedentary—33 percent lower, in fact. That beats out even men who walk 1.3 miles a day.

Even if your fitness level isn’t what you’d like it to be, you can take those steps slowly and carefully—this will still provide plenty of challenge to your body. Make good use of the railing and tread carefully—you’ll soon find yourself improving not only your stamina level, but your balance, as well.

So even if you pursue no other fitness goals this winter, take those stairs. Your body will be all the healthier for it.

Get Geared Up and Go Outside

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Perhaps the stairs are a bit too mundane for the likes of you, adventurer. Maybe you’re the type who eschews the comforts of modern life, who walks bravely into the storm and conquers it.

Or, perhaps, you just like to play in the snow.

Whichever type you are, if you’re up for it, there is ample opportunity to perform your regular exercises in the wintry outdoors. You just need to prepare with planning and the right gear.

Before you go out into the cold, check weather conditions—especially wind chill. Wind chill is the combined effect of wind and cold, and can make outdoor exercise unsafe. The risk of frostbite increases dramatically when the air temperature goes below 5 degrees Fahrenheit. With wind chill, anything below 18 degrees can cause frostbite in less than 30 minutes.

To prevent cold-related injuries while exercising outdoors, dress in layers. Dressing in one warm layer can cause you to sweat profusely, which can quickly lead to rapid hypothermia as soon as you stop moving. Dressing in multiple layers, however, allows you to remove clothing when you begin to sweat. Staying in control of your body temperature is the key to exercising safely in winter.

And don’t forget the sunscreen! Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean the sun has stopped beaming down its damaging UV rays—they are, in fact, more dangerous when reflecting off the white surface of snow.

With the proper preparation, you can perform your regular outdoor exercise routines in the winter, staying fit and healthy through the colder months.

Head for the Hills

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Is your regular exercise routine not quite exciting enough for you? Want to get active in ways that fully take advantage of the unique conditions of winter?

It’s time to head for the hills.

Whether you’re into skiing, sledding, or snowball fights, winter holds a variety of activities that you simply can’t do any other time of year—unless you live in Antarctica, that is.

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snowfall, grab a sled and head over to the nearest hill—this is an incredibly fun activity that has the potential to be a great aerobic exercise.

So run up that hill, jump on the sled or board, and slide on down! Then—and this is the exercise—run back up and do it all over again. You likely be having such a good time that you don’t even notice you’re actually engaging in interval training. That is, until the sore muscles set in the next morning!

Other activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and ice skating. While these take a bit more preparation than sledding, they’re also great workouts that target the large muscle groups of the legs and core.

Finally, if you’re not a fan of these winter activities, but simply enjoy the snow, get out there and play in it. Make snow angels, have snowball fights, and make snowmen. With the right preparation, this can make for a great day and a lot of burned calories.

Work Out at Home

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Are you a homebody? Can’t stand the cold? Going outside or heading to the gym might not be your cup of tea. But even if this is so, you can still work out at home to stay fit this winter.

While the winter winds break futilely against your windows, you can be safely inside, performing a few simple workout routines that will keep you in shape. For beginners, and for those with no equipment, simple body weight exercises can do wonders. Here are a few to try.

The bodyweight squat works the large muscle groups of the legs, and burns calories even as it strengthens some of the most crucial muscles in your body. To perform a squat, stand tall with your feet spread slightly wider than shoulder width. Keeping your torso upright and your lower back slightly arched, lower your body as far as possible by bending your knees and pushing your hips back. Pretend that you are lowering yourself into an invisible chair, and you’ll be successful.

Next, try the good old standby—push-ups. If the normal variety of this exercise is a bit too difficult, try incline push-ups by placing your hands on a raised surface such as a bench or ottoman or even a stairstep. Make sure your body forms a rigidly straight line, and lower your body until your upper arms go below your elbows. Repeat this 12 to 15 times, or until you can’t—it’s that simple.

Finally, to give your back some much-needed exercise try the floor T-raise. Lie face down on the floor with your arms straight out to the sides at a 90 degree angle from your body. Angle your hands so that your thumbs are facing up, as if you’re giving yourself the double thumbs-up that you deserve for doing this exercise. Raise your arms as high as you can with your thumbs remaining upward. Repeat 10-12 times.

See how easy that is! Combine that with a little walking around the home, or going up and down a staircase, if you have one, and you have recipe for a simple at-home workout that will keep you out of the cold.

Limit Your Downtime

Winter is cozy. It’s the time to light the fireplace. It’s the time for hot cider. It’s the time for wrapping blankets around yourself until you become a living, breathing, hibernating burrito.

There’s a time for all that, of course. But it shouldn’t be all the time.

Inactivity in the winter months can lead to depression. Around 11 million Americans have some form of winter depression, called seasonal affective disorder. Those afflicted can have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, feel down, and suffer from cravings for fatty comfort foods.

This is in addition to all of the normal health problems that come with a sedentary lifestyle. Combine that with holiday feasting, and you’ve a recipe for a physical and emotional landscape that look, metaphorically, very much like the frozen wastes outside your window.

But if you try to engage in at least a few of the activities on this list, staying active every day, you can fend off the worst effects of the winter doldrums.

So unroll yourself from the blanket burrito and get active for those critical 30 minutes each day. Your winter will be the brighter for it.

Shop Till You Drop Those Pounds

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Most of us are more focused on how much weight our wallets, rather than our bodies, are losing when we shop, but a little retail therapy can do wonders for those trapped inside during the long winter months.

But every moment we’re not curled up on the couch is a moment we’re burning calories!

Think of how long you’re normally out when you shop. If you’re like most people, you’ll spend a couple of hours at a mall, and around one hour at the grocery store—more if you have a large family. This is a great opportunity for exercise!

Since walking burns about 120 calories per hour, parking far from the entrance, taking the stairs, and making sure to visit as many stores as possible can net you some incredible fitness benefits.

So why not let things drag out a bit? Enjoy a day of shopping, safe from the cold wind and slippery ice, and know that you’re doing your body good.

Just be sure not to let your wallet get too light.

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