Best Outdoor Winter Activities to Stay Fit

You’re not alone if you struggle to stay active in the winter. Many people experience a lack of motivation during the cold weather, preferring to curl up under a blanket and watch movies on the couch. Even highly motivated people often struggle to maintain the same activity levels as during the warmer months since many outdoor physical activities are more challenging to enjoy when it’s cold outside.

The good news is there are plenty of outdoor activities you can enjoy during the winter that will help you stay fit and healthy. This is especially true in our local area, as Meeker provides you with a virtually limitless outdoor playground 365 days a year.

Why It’s Important to Stay Active During the Winter

Regular exercise all year long is critical to your physical and mental health. Your body isn’t meant to thrive with a sedentary lifestyle. When you don’t get enough exercise, you burn fewer calories, which can result in weight gain. It can also have a negative impact on your blood circulation and result in a loss of muscle strength. These issues will place you at a greater risk of injury when you are active, and it can increase your risk of a variety of health issues, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

Failing to stay active during the winter can also have a negative impact on your mental health. It can contribute to depression, anxiety, problems concentrating, and low energy levels.

Benefits of Exercising Outdoors During the Winter

In addition to helping you stay fit and healthy during the winter, exercising outdoors provides several other important benefits:

• Improve your immune system – Winter is cold and flu season, and it’s common to get exposed to various bacteria and viruses that will keep you feeling under the weather. Both the Mayo Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that cold weather outdoor exercise helps boost your immune system so you can fight these common winter illnesses more effectively.
• You burn more calories in cold weather – There are several reasons why exercising in cold weather can help you burn more calories. Your body expends more energy to stay warm and regulate your core temperature. In addition, you can typically work out longer in cold weather than in the punishing summer heat, which will help you burn more calories. Finally, anytime you’re engaging in vigorous exercise, you’re boosting your metabolism, which will help you burn additional calories each day.
• Boost your mood – Exercising outdoors in the winter will help you get some much-needed sunlight at a time of the year when many people aren’t soaking in the sun’s rays. This will help reduce the risk of seasonal affective disorder, which commonly causes people to experience depression during the winter. Exercise also releases endorphins, which help boost your mood even further.

Winter Outdoor Exercise Options in the Mountains

Colorado is one of the best states in the country for staying active outdoors during the winter. The mountains provide many options for fun outdoor cold-weather activities.

Skiing

Skiing is one of Colorado’s most popular outdoor winter activities, and for good reason. Our state has some of the country’s best ski terrain and many world-class ski resorts. This sport can be enjoyed by people of all ages and ability levels, and it can provide a great total body workout that builds core strength, increases cardiovascular endurance, and improves flexibility. For those motivated to ski all day, you can burn many calories. These benefits combine to keep you fit during the cold winter months.

Skiing also provides mental health benefits. It can significantly boost your mood and combat seasonal affective disorder during the cold winter.

Cross Country Skiing

If you’re not a fan of hurling down a mountain at high speeds, you can still enjoy an exhilarating skiing experience on flat ground. Cross-country skiing is one of the best outdoor winter activities, as it requires you to always use both your upper and lower body. Build muscle strength, get a great cardiovascular workout, and burn lots of calories – all while taking in some of Colorado’s most breathtaking mountain views.

Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing

Hiking enthusiasts can still hit the trails all winter. Colorado has hundreds of great winter hikes that will keep you active outdoors when the weather gets cold. You don’t have to let a big snowstorm ruin your hiking plans, either. This just creates a perfect opportunity to go snowshoeing on your favorite trails. All you have to do is strap your snowshoes onto your winter boots, and you’re ready to float on deep snow.

Hiking and snowshoeing are great workouts to keep your lower body strong and build cardiovascular endurance. As with many other outdoor winter activities, it will help you improve your mood during a time of year when many people battle depression. One of the best things about winter hiking and snowshoeing is that it’s much less expensive than purchasing a ski pass.

Winter Outdoor Exercise Options Near Home

Even if playing in the mountains isn’t appealing, there are other things you can do locally in town to stay active outdoors.

Running

Many runners hesitate to get out on their favorite routes when the weather gets freezing, but this can be some of the best running weather. Winter running reduces the risk of heat-related illness during the sweltering summer months. The key to winter running is wearing the appropriate layers. You’ll want a layer you can remove once you generate body heat on your run.

Winter running is an excellent source of exercise during the cold months. It will boost your metabolism and improve your cardiovascular fitness. If you’re a runner who has struggled to find ways to stay active outdoors during the winter, sticking with your regular warm weather routine may be your best option.

Sledding

Sledding can be a great way to enjoy the snowy winter weather if you live near a hill. It’s a perfect family activity that will be fun for the kids and give you the outdoor exercise you crave when the weather gets cold.

Racing your kids back up the hill all afternoon can be a great cardiovascular workout. You can still have fun with a sled and get a great workout, even if you don’t have a hill close to home by doing some sled pulls with your kids in a nearby park.

Ice Skating

If you have a nearby pond that freezes during winter or an outdoor skating rink, you have another great outdoor activity that will keep you in shape during the cold weather. Ice skating is a great cardiovascular workout and can be enjoyed by people of all ability levels. You’ll also build leg strength and increase joint flexibility. One of the best things about ice skating is that you can enjoy it with others, making it a great social outlet.

Walking

Going for a walk is a great way to stay active outdoors during the winter. Walking on a regular basis provides several important health benefits, including:

• Maintain a healthy body weight – You burn more calories in the cold weather than you do when it’s hot outside since your body must work harder to maintain your core temperature. As a result, going for winter walks will help you maintain a healthy body weight. In fact, studies have shown that people who go for a 30-minute brisk walk five days a week during the winter are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than individuals who are less active.
• Improved sleep – Going for a brisk walk boosts the effectiveness of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin, making it easier for you to sleep well at night.
• Improved immune system – Walking in cold weather has been shown to increase production of white blood cells, which provides a boost to your immune system.
• Reduced stress – Winter walks increase the blood flow to your brain. This can boost your production of endorphins and serotonin which help reduce stress.

Colorado Advanced Orthopedics Can Help After a Winter Sports Injury

Getting outside and exercising during the winter does wonders for your mind and body, but there’s always a chance that you’ll suffer an injury while participating in your favorite activities. If you suffer a sports injury this winter, Colorado Advanced Orthopedics can help. We offer comprehensive orthopedics and sports medicine services to treat various injuries when exercising outside in cold weather.

Our team includes some of the most experienced board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons on the Western Slope. Our surgeons have extensive training in the latest techniques, and we utilize the most advanced technology available to ensure you experience the best possible results. For injuries that don’t require surgery, our sports medicine doctors are available to provide a wide range of minimally invasive, nonsurgical treatments that will help you restore a pain-free life and get back to enjoying your favorite activities as soon as possible.

We also have an in-house physical therapy team that can provide the exceptional quality care you need while rehabbing from your injury. Our physical therapists can provide stand-alone treatment when you don’t need more extensive medical procedures. However, they also work closely with our surgeons and sports medicine doctors, ensuring that every aspect of your care is coordinated when surgery is required. This approach helps you achieve the best possible outcome.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker and throughout the White River Valley.