The Cold Season Is Here: How to Stay Active
In the next few months, you are likely to make excuses for yourself such as it is too cold outside or I will get the virus so that you never engage in any activity that helps you stay active. While it is easy to discourage yourself due to the howling wind and dropping temperatures outside, you need to get out of your comfort zone! Here are four fun ways to stay active during this cold season:
1. Start cycling
Bike riding is a fun way to stay active during the cold season. Generally, whether during a cold or warm season, you require a lot of effort to ride a bike. During the cold weather, the cold air is denser than the surrounding warm air and this will cause drag on your bicycle. You will be required to work harder to maintain the speed that you are riding at. For this reason, if you intend to cycle during this season, you need to get yourself a gas powered bicycle to have a great cycling experience. This bike is not your ordinary cycling equipment as it has a motor installed on its front wheel. The presence of this motor minimizes accidents by allowing you to enhance your speed in sections of the road where you are likely to get into an accident. A motorized bike also ensures that you do use a lot of energy which keeps you both healthy and active when cycling.
2. Swimming
Swimming is a great all-around activity as it enables you to exercise every part of your body. This exercise will help enhance your heart rate, take impact stress from your body, and improve cardiovascular fitness, and muscle strength. However, during the cold season, you should consider swimming in a heated pool instead to avoid getting cold shocks that might worsen your respiratory issues thereby reducing your health benefits. You can choose to venture into water aerobics or perform laps in the water for a few minutes daily to enhance your blood circulation so that you remain active. Given how the cold season makes us shun exercising, swimming is an ideal way to help you ease into physical activity particularly if you have not done so in a while. To stay consistent in this activity, it is good that you find a partner to do it with otherwise you will find it difficult to get off your warm bubble!
3. Go for a walk in the mall
Most shopping malls open up early for walkers, especially during the cold season. A mall provides you with a warm, well-lit space, great parking, and walking routes with shops to look at. There are walking programs that work in conjunction with your local hospital with the aim of keeping people healthy. A good example is the Bellevue Square Mall which is located in Washington State. This mall has a walking program that involves three walks a week each morning before the stores open. Most of these programs have a coordinator that will help you keep up and regularly measure your blood pressure. Mall walking is great because you can have your family involved as well. This engagement also prepares you to start jogging when the temperatures begin to rise. Although, during this pandemic, you should uphold safety measures especially if the walking activity involves a crowd. Ensure that you keep your mask on throughout, maintain social distance, and avoid touching surfaces in the mall.
4. Sign up for community activities
It helps to step out of the house sometimes and engage in activities at your local community center. Community activities can either be sports such as badminton, table tennis, or aerobics. When your finances are constrained, you can choose to volunteer instead in activities such as distributing warm attire for the homeless or working at a soup kitchen. Spending a few hours weekly in such endeavors will have you looking forward to that day of the week when you get to be the outdoors rather than caving up in your home. The motivation to step out will leave you feeling energized during these freezing temperatures.
Conclusion
While it is easy for you to curl up in your bed, the cold weather should not be the reason why you hibernate. You can still stay active by cycling, swimming, walking in the mall, and engaging in community activities. Your endurance in these activities will reignite a passion for physical activity thus helping you stay fit.
