Wellness Tips: Keep Moving this Winter

Embrace teh cold weather with these four wintertime exercise ideas.

By Kelly Visser

Don’t let your healthy habits hibernate this winter! With a little creativity and motivation, you can embrace the early sunsets and freezing temperatures to keep moving all season long.

No matter the time of year, experts recommend adults get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week for basic health benefits. This can be broken up to 20 minutes a day, or three 50-minute workouts. It’s recommended that kids get 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

The team at Live Healthy Iowa shares four ideas on how to reach recommended levels of physical activity during cold winter months.

1. BUNDLE UP AND BRAVE THE COLD! Simply getting outside to walk is a great way to rack up exercise minutes. You can opt for a walk around your neighborhood, along one of Iowa’s many trails or in your favorite state park. If it’s icy or an unsafe temperature, stick with indoor activities.

2. EMBRACE WINTERTIME-ONLY ACTIVITIES. Grab your sled, skis, skates and shovel to enjoy physical activities you can only do in the wintertime. Visit an ice skating rink or make a few trips up and down a sledding hill for a fun way to keep the whole family moving. Shoveling is another way to get your heart rate up in the wintertime. If you look at it as exercise, it won’t even feel like a chore!

3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FITNESS CENTER SPECIALS OR TRIALS. While you don’t need a gym or fitness center to stay active, many have promotions going on in the winter. Consider seeing what specials or trial classes the YMCA, fitness clubs, spin studios, yoga studios or local community education programs have. You just may find your new favorite type of workout!

4. HIIT THE BREAKS. You can incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your downtime throughout the day. These activities should be 30 seconds of work — jumping jacks, wall squats, lunges, high knees, burpees, push-ups — then 60 seconds of rest. HIIT workouts produce many of the same health benefits as other forms of exercise in shorter amounts of time.

The Iowa Food & Family Project is proud to sponsor Live Healthy Iowa’s 10 Week Wellness Challenge, which is held January, February and March each year.

To view the full spread, view this magazine in your internet browser on your phone, tablet or desktop.