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Staying active in the winter can be difficult for many people. It is especially difficult for people with chronic pain, chronic illness, and mobility issues to get outside and exercise when there is snow and ice. Active, challenging weather can also trap young, energetic children indoors without ways to get rid of their energy.
We’ve put together a great list of ways to get moving during the cold winter weather. These ideas are great for people young and old. Use our list to get out there and keep from hibernating this winter.
Cold Weather Activities
Dancing –
Turn on some music, crank up the radio, and get out on the dance floor. You don’t have to be a professional to get the benefits of a dance party in your living room. Dancing provides greater flexibility, creates a stronger sense of community, higher energy levels, improves posture, and boosts mood. It’s a simple, easy way to stay active while the wind is blowing.
Yoga –
Yoga is a great activity for people of all ages and a fantastic cold-weather activity. It builds strong bones, improves balance, increases strength, lowers blood pressure, increases flexibility, and reduces anxiety. If you’re looking for something similar but slightly more challenging you could also try tai chi, pilates, or resistance band exercises. If you’re not quite ready for yoga you can do some chair exercises and stretches, or some simple, easy stretching!
Walking –
Walking is a great, low-impact way to get the blood flowing and increase your activity. Even if it’s just a track you make around the house, you can still get your heart rate up and start moving. Make sure you still dress like you’re going to the gym with good, supportive shoes and comfortable clothes. Stretch beforehand! Also, make sure to create paths clear of obstacles so that you don’t trip and fall as you move around. Safety first!
Chores around the house –
Doing chores around the house is a hugely influential option for older folks, especially those with mobility issues. Chores help everyone get up and get moving as well as provide sense of purpose. Plus, getting up and working through your chores during the day helps to protect the brain!
As sufferers of chronic pain and autoimmune disease, our family knows all too well how hard it can be to get moving during the wintertime. Chores are the number one way we motivate ourselves to get up and get going!
Go to the salon and get pampered –
Just because it’s cold out doesn’t mean you’re locked inside your home. Taking time for self-care is important not just for our physical health, but our mental health as well. Make time for cold weather activities outside your home too! Choose a mild day and call up your favorite hair salon or spa. Go have a self-care day! A trip to the salon can help boost self-esteem, and improve mood.
Meet Up with Friends
Get lunch with some friends or make a shopping trip! Mild winter days are the best time for these cold-weather activities. Pair a trip to the salon with a lunch out with friends or a fun shopping trip! Get out and enjoy the mild weather while it’s around. These kinds of activities will carry you through the darker and more dreary days when going out just isn’t possible.
Crafting
Do crafts such as scrapbooking, knitting, sewing, and embroidery. Learn a new crafting skill such as quilting. Cheat and heat the house by baking some special treats. Learn a new cooking skill with an easy-to-use kit from Cultures for Health! Indulge in some garden planning. All of these are fun, therapeutic activities, and provide a boost to brainpower.
Connect with Family and Friends
If the Covid pandemic taught us anything it’s that being separated from our loved ones doesn’t have to mean we can’t talk to them. Schedule a video call with family and friends to reconnect. Technology has changed the homesteading landscape. Reconnecting with loved ones may not be a ‘get up and move’ way of dealing with the weather, but it’s still an important cold-weather activity for everyone to be engaged in.
Help Others
Create gift bags for those struggling during the holiday season. All it takes is just takes a pair of socks, a water bottle, snacks, trial bottles of toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, chapstick, and a toothbrush, wet wipes, hat, and gloves. You can deliver these to shelters for people in need. It’s a great way to get children in the spirit of the season
