Physical Activities for Staying Healthy in Winter

We all know that physical activities are absolutely necessary for maintaining optimum health...but in case you hadn't noticed, it's winter outside.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, that means it rains... a lot.

In Utah, where we used to live it meant that it snowed... a lot.

Regardless of where you live, chances are good that you react to winter in much the same way that we do. Your hybernation clock goes off and you bundle up and hunker down. Your body slows down, giving itself permission to store a little extra fat, just in case.

We're the first to admit that finding ways to stay active in the face of rain, snow, and cold is not nearly as easy as when it's 75 degrees and sunny outside. But the fact is that for optimum health, physical activities are no less important in the winter than in the spring. In fact, in some ways they are more important.

So how do you stay active when all you want to do is snuggle up in your favorite blanket and sit next to the fire with a good book and a cup of tea?

We thought you'd never ask.

Tips for staying active when all you want to do is snuggle...

Let us first address all you overachievers out there. You know who you are. You are the ones who will actually wake up at 5 am after a snow storm to drive up the canyon just to be the first one to cut tracks in "fresh powder".

We have to admit that we don't understand you. We aren't you. You might even say in some ways we resent you.

But let us also say that we respect you and we love your enthusiasm! If you are one of those people, we are probably the last people on Earth that you should be taking advice from when it comes to staying active.

So let's move on to the "normal" people. You know... people like us! For the normal people, our first suggestion is to...

Find Physical Activities that You Enjoy

The first thing that we would recommend is to find activities that you enjoy. We mean, REALLY enjoy. Like something that you enjoy enough to overcome winter-time-inertia and the mattress monster. This could be anything. From walking in the evening with your spouse or your friends, to snowshoeing across the countryside and taking pictures of snow covered fields.

If this doesn't work, and you can't think of anything YOU enjoy, then maybe you should look at doing something that your kids enjoy.

Why?

Because even though most of us wouldn't expend any additional effort for the sake of our own health and wellbeing, we WILL wake up at 5 am after a snow storm just to avoid breaking a promise to our kids.

Which brings us to our next suggestion...

Make Promises You Know You Won't Break

Get the family together and plan some fun activities that everyone can enjoy. And then commit to doing them. First off, as we said before, most of us hate to break promises that we make our kids. But also, our kids hate us to break those promises even more.

So let your kids do what they do best. Let them nag you about that hiking trip you promised them until you just can't stand it anymore and you would rather pack up the car and go than listen to them for one more second.

If All Else Fails

If none of these solutions work, then just start picking physical activities that are easy to fit into your busy schedule.

Park in the furthest space from the store instead of the closest one you can find. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to the corner store instead of driving. Set a recurring alarm that goes off every hour. Every time it goes off, get up from your desk and walk around the block, or the yard, or just do some light stretches right there in your office or living room. Just keep in mind that any extra physical activities are better than no activity at all.

If you have some suggestions, we would love to hear them. Just leave a comment right here.