Don’t Hibernate: Stay Active This Winter

The human body is designed to move. But what if it’s too cold and dark for your usual run or bike ride? Don’t stress, there are many superb options for staying active in this winter!

• The Gym: No matter what your level of fitness is, the gym is a one-stop-shop for fitting your cardio, strength training, stretching, and abs workouts into one outing. The key is finding a gym with a comfortable, upbeat atmosphere that motivates you to keep coming back.
• Indoor Pool: Freestyle swimming at a slow pace burns approximately 510 calories per hour.[1] But that’s not all you can do at the pool. Mix it up with aquatic aerobics classes, water jogging or fast-pace intervals using a kickboard. And once you’re done, treat yourself to a warm-up in the hot tub.
• Yoga: The poses and deep breathing exercises of yoga not only improve posture, flexibility and muscle tone, but can also boost your mood and mental focus.[2] On those extra cold winter days, try heating-up with a session hot yoga.
• Home: When you’re too busy to get out, keep active at home. A few simple items, such as a jump rope, free weights, yoga mat, or exercise ball, can go a long way to keeping your heart rate up and muscles toned. Or get outside and build a snowman if you have snow on the ground!

What’s your favorite way to exercise? Let us know.

References:

[1] CDC. “Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. Web. 23 November 2014.

[2] Agarwal, Shashi. “Evidence Based Medical Benefits of Yoga.” Indian Journal of Science 2.3 (2013): 1-4. Print.