Outdoor Winter Activities to Get Your Family Moving
- Category: Wellness
- Posted On:
- Written By: St. John's Health
Outdoor Activities to Stay Active This Winter
With the winter season in full swing, there’s plenty of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Though the cooler temperatures may tempt you to stay indoors, there are plenty of outdoor activities that can get your blood pumping this winter!
Benefits of Staying Active
Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Getting regular exercise is an excellent way to look after your heart and get your blood pumping. Aerobic exercise helps reduce your risk of developing the following heart-related health issues:
- High cholesterol
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart attack
- Cardiac arrest
- High blood pressure
Manage Your Blood Sugar & Insulin Levels
Exercising is also an excellent way to manage your blood sugar and insulin levels. When you exercise, your insulin sensitivity is increased. When this happens, the cells in your muscles are able to better use insulin during and after activity, and the cells in your muscles are also able to take in the glucose in your blood and use it for energy.
Supports Your Mental Health
When you exercise, your brain secretes chemicals called endorphins that elevate your mood. Getting regular exercise can help ward off stress and distressing emotions like anxiety and depression.
Winter Activities for the Whole Family
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is recommended that adults should aim to get about 2.5 hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. While this can seem a bit more difficult during the colder months, there are actually plenty of outdoor activities that you and your family can do to add to your weekly fitness goal.
The next time you’re looking to get out and get active, try some of these fun seasonal activities:
- Ice skating
- Snowboarding
- Snowshoeing
- Skiing
- Snowball fights
- Building a snowman
- Hiking
- Sledding
- Build a snow fort
- Cross-country skiing
