Winter has arrived, and depending on where you live, you might be facing snow, ice, freezing temperatures, and the urge to stay cozy indoors. But for some, winter opens up a world of activities unique to this time of year. Regardless of how you feel about the cold, winter is here.
For those who enjoy being active but aren’t fans of the cold, staying active during winter can be a challenge. If snow isn’t your thing but staying active is, you might need to give winter sports a try, pick up some outdoor hobbies, modify your favorite summer sports, or find ways to stay active inside.
The best way to choose a winter activity is to think about what you enjoy doing in the summer. If you love hiking, canoeing, or swimming, you might want to consider winter sports to keep you moving. Activities like snowshoeing, skiing, and ice skating are great winter alternatives to your favorite summer activities. They’re fun and help break up the monotony of winter, keeping you active and entertained.
Instead of cranking up the heat and hibernating all winter, try out a winter sport to keep yourself engaged with the outdoors and enjoy staying active in a fun way.
Some activities are more intense than others, but not every winter hobby needs to be a full-body workout. Winter-related outdoor hobbies can offer some low-impact exercise and get you out of the house. Making snow angels, building snowmen, and sledding are all fun ways to spend time outside. Metal detecting to find lost objects in the snow is another engaging activity that offers gentle exercise suitable for all ages.
Ice fishing, bird watching, and photography are other outdoor hobbies that keep you moving and let you enjoy the winter scenery, even if they aren’t as physically demanding.
If you’re someone who usually spends hours hiking or walking the dog in the summer, you might not feel as satisfied making snow angels or bird watching. But these are still great options for getting outside and staying active.
Cold weather doesn’t mean you have to completely give up summer activities you love. You might just need to tweak them a bit. Camping, jogging, biking, and rock climbing can all be adapted for winter. Even surfing can be done in winter with the right wetsuit. With a few adjustments, like snowshoeing to a winter campsite, running in warmer clothes, using wider bike tires, or finding a different rock climbing spot, you can enjoy your favorite summer activities in the cold.
For some, braving the cold is out of the question. If you’re one of those who can’t stand the cold or simply don’t want to, staying indoors is the way to go. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active. Joining a gym, getting a home workout machine, doing a Wii workout, or focusing on easy home exercises are all great options. While many fun outdoor winter activities aren’t suited for a daily workout, indoor exercise routines can keep you moving.
You might prefer doing sets of crunches, pushups, and lunges around the living room or trying at-home yoga to stay active and warm.
The main idea is to keep moving during these colder months when it’s harder to stay active. For those who prefer activities over a gym routine, it’s easy to fall into a less active pattern. But with options like winter sports, outdoor hobbies, modified summer activities, and indoor workouts, you can stay active during winter. Even just getting out and doing something beats staying home and binge-watching Netflix under a blanket.