How to Stay Active and Fit in the Winter

Do you find it relatively easy to stay active and fit in the warm weather months, often getting outdoors and making sure you’re constantly moving about? Once the winter weather settles in, do you suddenly find that keeping active and fit is much more difficult and outside of joining a gym you’re really struggling to find a solution? Here’s the thing, a gym isn’t the only way to stay active and fit in the winter months, in fact, there are all kinds of activities you can be doing.

Start Fitness Walking Indoors

You are probably well aware of the health benefits of walking, but if you’re looking to boost those benefits, fitness walking can be the solution. Fitness walking elevates your traditional walk as you’ll be moving at a much faster pace, and you’ll also combine other elements into the walk. It ends up feeling more like a cardio and aerobic workout.

Fitness walking can be done in the house as long as you’ve got a little bit of space to move about. There are plenty of videos and even online classes that you can join.

Learn How to Ice Skate

Another winter activity you can embrace is to learn how to ice skate. All you need to get started is a pair of good quality skates that fit right, and ideally, a helmet to protect you should you fall. Ice skating is versatile in that you can do it indoors and outdoors, and you can set your own pace. Go ahead and start out slow and steady as you build your confidence. It’s also a great solo activity or one you can do with friends.

In terms of the health benefits, ice skating is excellent for coordination, balance, it can burn up to 200 calories in an hour, and it will work out your abdominal and leg muscles.

Use the Stairs in Your Home as “Exercise Equipment”

Maybe you don’t want to invest in a fancy and expensive stair-climbing machine, and in reality, it’s probably not necessary. As long as you have one set of stairs in your house you can use them for a workout. Obviously, stair climbing is great for your legs and acts as a cardio workout.

By changing up your pace you can even do interval training, and combine it with walking around the house. You’d be shocked at just how intense of a workout it can be.

Swimming Can Still Be Enjoyed in the Winter

It’s hard to find a more rounded exercise than swimming. It works your entire body, building your endurance, strength, and contributing to your heart health. The great news is that many towns and cities have indoor pools that are available for the public to use all year-round. You may want to look into a membership plan so that you can keep swimming even in the coldest months.