Winter has arrived, and depending on where you live, you might be seeing snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, making you want to stay cozy inside. But for some, winter brings a chance to enjoy activities unique to this time of year. No matter how you feel about winter, it’s here, so let’s make the most of it.
If you’re someone who loves staying active but isn’t a fan of the cold, it can be tough to keep moving during these months. But don’t worry—there are plenty of ways to stay active even in winter. You might need to try some winter sports, engage in outdoor hobbies, modify your favorite summer activities, or find indoor exercises.
Think about what you enjoy doing in the summer. If you love hiking, canoeing, or swimming, you might enjoy winter sports like snowshoeing, skiing, or ice skating. These activities are not only fun but also a great way to stay active and break the monotony of winter.
Instead of cranking up the heat and hibernating all winter, try a new sport to stay interested in the outdoors and maintain your activity levels. While some winter activities can be quite intense, others are more low-key but still get you out of the house. Making snow angels, building snowmen, and sledding are some simple ways to enjoy the outdoors and stay somewhat active. You could also try metal detecting, which offers mild exercise and the chance to find hidden treasures in the snow.
Ice fishing, bird watching, and photography are hobbies that require you to be outdoors and moving around, even if they’re not very strenuous. If you’re someone who spends an hour a day hiking or walking the dog in the summer, you might not find snow angels or bird watching fulfilling, but they’re still good options for getting outside.
Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the activities you love in summer—you might just need to adjust them a bit. You can go camping, jogging, bike riding, and rock climbing in winter with a few modifications. Even surfing can be done in winter with a specialized wetsuit.
Staying active outside in the cold is possible with some adjustments. Try snowshoeing to a winter campsite, jogging with warmer clothes, using wider bike tires, or finding a different climbing location. These little tweaks can help you continue your favorite summer sports in colder weather.
For some, braving the cold just isn’t an option, and that’s okay. If you prefer staying inside, you can still keep fit with indoor exercises. Join a gym, invest in a home workout machine, try a Wii workout, or focus on easy exercises at home. While outdoor winter activities are fun, they might not fit into your daily workout routine easily.
Instead of bundling up and trying to snowshoe, you could do a set of crunches, pushups, and lunges around the living room, or even try some at-home yoga. This way, you stay active while staying warm.
The main thing is to keep moving during these winter months, which can be the hardest time to stay active. Whether you prefer winter sports, outdoor hobbies, modified summer activities, or indoor workouts, you can stay active. Just find something to do besides binge-watching Netflix under a blanket.
