Post by: The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease Weight-control Information Network
As we’ve watched the Olympics on TV, the weather has sometimes made it hard to keep moving toward our own exercise goals. If you’re not a world-class winter athlete, or can’t stand going out in the cold, how can you stay active in winter? What can you do to keep moving throughout the year?
Here are some tips that may help:
- Choose activities that are fun. In all seasons, people are more likely to be active if they like what they are doing. In winter, you may enjoy a brisk walk at a local shopping center or a dance class.
- You can do many activities to strengthen muscles indoors. As the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend, do 2 or more days per week of strengthening activities such as lifting light weights, doing full or modified push-ups, or working with resistance bands (large rubber bands).
- Keep an activity log to track your progress.
- If your time is limited, do 10 minutes of exercise at a time. Spread these bursts of activity out throughout the day. Every little bit counts!
Find out more in the Weight-control Information Network’s Better Health and You: Tips for Adults. This brochure suggests physical activity to meet the requirements of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. It also helps readers figure out if their weight is healthy, explains why a healthy weight is important, and describes how to create a plan of healthy eating and drinking. It features a tip sheet people can print and post to remind themselves in all seasons of the importance of regular physical activity, healthy eating and drinking habits, and staying at a healthy weight.
What helps you to stay active during the cold days of winter?