Let it Snow! The Healthy Side of Staying Indoors

As the past couple week’s plummeting temperatures have indicated, winter is upon us!  Despite snowstorms and freezing temperatures, there are still ways to keep healthy.  Skip the excuse of not going to the gym because it’s snowy or icy; there are ways to work out at home as well as get things done around your home.

Try following these tips during the next snowstorm or extreme cold front!

Buddle up and go outside!  Shoveling your driveway, walkway and/or porch is an excellent workout.  Piling snow onto your shovel gives resistance and makes you use a lot of different muscles.  Another great exercise is sledding.  Although you slide down a big hill, running back up the hill over and over is sure to make you break a sweat.
Note: Obtain a physician’s clearance before shoveling snow as it can cause you harm if you are not fit and healthy.

Too cold to go outside?  Workout in doors!  You can use household items such as a 5-pound bag of flour or 10 pound bag of rice as free weights.  Try doing front and back lunges around your house and jumping jacks and jogging in place for some added cardio.  Or you can go up and down your staircase making your own stair stepper!

Accomplish household projects.  Know a storm is coming?  Make sure you have all the tools you need in your house so you can check things off of your household cleaning or improvement “to do” list.  Make the most of the time indoors!  Do things such as organizing a closet, cleaning out the pantry, repainting a room in your house, or dusting that top shelf you have not looked at in a while.  Not only will you feel accomplished, but it will be one less thing you need to do once the weather gets nicer!

Spend the extra time with your family.  In today’s busy world it is rare to have all the kids under one roof.  Instead of stressing out about missing a day of work or school, relish the time you get to spend with your family.  Have a game night or watch old home videos to bring everyone close together.  The closer together you are, the warmer you’ll be!

Prepare food items for the week in advance.  Whether it is chopping vegetables, preparing large batches of soups and stews, or cooking an extra meal to store in the freezer and use for dinner in the upcoming days, get ahead on meals for the week!  You might find that you like how prepared you are and you will make pre-preparation a habit.

Make the most of being inside.  Try one of these tips the next time you find the snow has you stuck inside.  Being active and clearing your mind is essential to living a healthy lifestyle.  What better time to get these tasks accomplished than during a snowstorm?!

What do you usually do on a snow day?

Like this post? Share it!