Winter Fitness Exercises and Activities

This winter season don't let your family hibernate inside. Why not put all that fresh snow to good use? Bundle everyone up and participate in some fun activities the whole family will enjoy. There is no need to sit around and gain that winter time weight. Get off the couch and head outside. Here are all kinds of ways for kids and parents to enjoy the outdoors together in the winter. Along with the typical winter sports, there are also games and creative projects that children really enjoy -- and the exercise is good for them too.

Get outdoors for a good jogging or power walking session. Jog around the block or walk a mile or two. You can add light hand weights to work your arms while you're walking. Put on your headphones and jog to some good music. You have a tendency to get your metabolism boosted when listening to some really upbeat music.

Ice skating makes for a fun winter exercise. When lakes are frozen, ice skaters come out of hiding and get out on the ice for lots of fun. You may even have some outdoor ice-skating rings in your area. Most kids really enjoy ice skating too, making this a great winter fitness activity for the whole family. Grab a couple of brooms and a pop can; make a couple of goals then start a game of hockey. What a better way to burn calories than a little fun competition among friends and family.

If you are living in an area with plenty of the white fluffy stuff in the winter months, trade your sneakers or boots for snow shoes. Snowshoeing works your leg muscles even more than your usual walking workout, because you have to really lift your legs to be able to walk around. Add some poles and you get a great upper body workout as well. Take a long scenic walk on your snowshoes. Enjoy the outdoors while burning up the calories.

Hiking isn't just a great workout for summer and spring. Winter hiking is a totally exhilarating fitness activity that gets you out in the cool crisp air. Bring along your digital camera to take pictures of the beautiful winter scenery as you explore the trails. Even the trails that you are very familiar hiking in the summer become new and interesting again with a layer of snow. While you are outside have a snowball fight. The running and throwing in a snowball fight is about the best overall work out that you can do.

Thirty minutes of exercise daily will help keep that wintertime weight off. Not a walk in the park either, although you can do that on the side. It has to be at least 30 minutes (up to 60) of pushing your body beyond what it's used to doing. Even though it sounds like more exercise than you have done in awhile just imagine how good you are going to feel when you are done. Getting in a routine is the best thing that you can do. It will help you keep up with your daily exercises if you have a routine that you adhere to.

The next thing that you have to do winter, spring, summer, fall and that is drink water, water and more water. Always drink at least 64 oz of water everyday. Drink more if you are able to. Your body needs water. Water helps to detoxify your body, which help your liver functions. It also helps to suppress the appetite. Make a goal to drink your 64 oz of water everyday. As you start reaching this daily goal of drinking your water start setting some other goals. While most people start an exercise program for reasons of health and vanity, having additional goals can help you stick to your routine. Find the exercise routine that you enjoy and plan a weekly goal for you to achieve.

By staying fit during winter you'll be able to avoid gaining weight, have a head start on swimsuit season, and avoid losing strength and stamina caused from inactivity. Just as tulips need winter nourishment from the Earth to strongly bloom in spring, humans need to continue to nourish their bodies during winter so they too can bloom come spring. Keep up your routine during the summer with all different exercises and maintain the weight that you lost over the winter. Find a summer routine that works for you so that you keep maintaining your goals and keeping fit and tone. Keep up the good work!

About Author:

Megan Hazel is a freelance writer who writes about health and fitness topics, similar to what consumers read in Runner's World Magazine