Staying Active During the Winter Instead of Hibernating

When the cold and dark of winter settles in, it seems that we want to do so, too. Rather than braving the winter weather, many of us usually opt to cozy up indoors with comfort food and comfy clothes.?

While it may feel good to spend all day in a blanket, a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a host of negative health effects, so we should all work to include physical activity as a part of life – no matter the season.?

Negative Impact of a Sedentary Lifestyle

1. Increased feelings of depression and anxiety

Exercise and regular activity cause our bodies to produce endorphins such as serotonin, also known as the happy hormone. When we spend more time sitting around or laying down, our body is not producing these at anywhere near the same level. As a result, our well-being suffers and we often experience increased feelings of depression and anxiety.?

2. Poor sleep quality?

A more active lifestyle helps the body feel pleasantly tired when it is finally time to sleep at night. Exerting energy more during the day helps your body tune in to a cycle of wakefulness and slumber, so you can experience quality, restorative quiet time when you actually need it.

3. High blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels

In our society, an active lifestyle is often superficially related to the pant size you wear or how you’ll look sporting a bathing suit in the summer months. However, there are multiple adverse health effects that come from leading a sedentary lifestyle beyond just the cosmetic. The three blood levels we mention here are just a small sample, but even these can negatively impact our health in many different ways.?

4. Increased risk of cancer

A German meta-analysis of different studies, which included more than 4 million people, found that sedentary behavior significantly increases the risk of several types of cancer . Participants who spent the most time sitting experienced a…

• 24% higher risk of colon cancer
• 32% higher risk of endometrial cancer
• 21% higher risk of lung cancer

Clearly, staying active is important in order to feel good and promote wellness – but we’re also here to tell you that you should be going outside to do it!

Positive Impacts of Getting Outdoors This Winter?

It’s common to turn one’s attention indoors during winter months, even for getting some physical activity. Going to the gym or setting up an online workout video in your living room are great options for exercising inside. However, many people notice a lull in their activity and motivation levels, simply because they’re not spending as much time out and about.

When the weather is warm and sunny to play outside with the kids or go for a swim at the beach, it’s easy to love being outside – but even amidst the cold weather and falling snow, there’s something special about the benefits we get from it.?

Why is that? We point to three key elements that provide physical and mental health benefits to those that step outside for a while:

Sunshine: Spending time outdoors in the sun helps reduce stress and anxiety levels and combat seasonal depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder affects 10 million people in the United States, and natural light has been shown to help improve mood. Even bundled in your winter layers, you can still soak in some sunshine on clear winter days.?

Fresh air: Air pollution is usually associated with carbon emissions from airplanes and the smoke rising from a factory-studded skyline, but there are actually many indoor air pollutants floating closer to home. Inadequate ventilation, paints, chemicals from household and personal products such as cleaning supplies, candles or air fresheners, and perfumes or beauty products can all spell poor indoor air quality. Give yourself necessary breaks from the pollutants building in your closed-up home, and get outside to take in some deep breaths of fresher air.?

Nature’s Beauty: The principles of ecopsychology define an emerging field of study focused on the relationship between people and our environments. Access to views of the sky, trees, and green space — or blue space, as in aquatic environments – has been shown to have robust effects on people’s health — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Have we convinced you of the need to stay active AND to get outdoors during the winter?

Good! Now you’re probably wondering exactly how to go about that in 20-degree weather, so this next section is for you.

6 Fun Outdoor Activity Ideas

We’ve come full circle! Getting outdoors helps you stay active and staying active helps improve your overall health and wellbeing. These outdoor winter activities are just a few of the ways you and your loved ones can keep yourselves moving this winter.

1. Bundle up and go for a walk or run along plowed and salted sidewalks or roads. If sidewalks aren’t clear of snow yet, make shoveling your activity for the day!
2. Don’t live in town? No problem! Take a hike on some wooded trails. You can explore your own backyard or look up parks in your area.
3. Go Cross-Country skiing. This is a great workout and if you don’t own your own skis, many sporting goods stores offer reasonably-priced rentals!
4. Try snowshoeing. This is similar to a hike but with a fun twist that lets you trek into deeper snow with ease. You can choose to buy or rent snowshoes.
5. Play outside with the kids. Who said winter fun isn’t for adults, too? Build a snow fort, have a snowball fight or head to a sledding hill for the afternoon.?
6. Go ice skating. This is a fun way to get on your feet, and your legs will get a nice little workout (you may not even realize it until the next day!).?

While it may be cold outside, there are many alternatives to hibernating through the winter season. Staying active and getting outdoors will help keep you healthy, in more ways than one.?

Health matters most to us at HealthChoice of Michigan. We provide health coverage for small businesses in Wayne and Oakland counties, and we love sharing information with people like you about how to lead healthier, happier lives.