Winter Workouts to Keep you Moving

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CLEVELAND - With winter here, you may lack the motivation to hit the gym. 

But it’s crucial to resist the urge to hunker down and hibernate amid this colder weather.

“It's very important to maintain your activity during the winter months because you don't want to lose the benefits of exercise. There are cardiac and respiratory benefits from working out. Exercise can also improve your mood, and there’s some evidence it can boost your immune system as well. You want to stay active even though sometimes you may not feel like it,” explained Marie Schaefer, MD, a sports medicine physician for Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Schaefer said that while going to the gym is a good option for exercising in the winter, you can create a workout routine inside your own home.

Lunges, planks and pushups are just some of the exercises you can do without needing fancy equipment.

Dr. Schaefer said your workouts don’t have to be overly complicated either and simply going for a walk at the mall can help you get your steps in this winter.

And although it may be colder, you can still get outside on milder days to exercise.

Dr. Schaefer added there are also plenty of things you can do now that you typically can’t do in the warmer months.

“There are winter activities that you can’t do in the summer,” Dr. Schaefer said. “You can enjoy things like skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating outdoors. There are many activities to do outside as long as you take appropriate safety precautions.”

Along with the physical benefits of exercising outside, Dr. Schaefer said soaking up the sunshine on nicer days can help with seasonal affective disorder as well.