Festive Activities

Hectic schedules and holiday preparations can make it challenging to fit in daily physical activity. Winter days are shorter, darker and in most states colder. While it can be tempting to hole up indoors, there are many festive activities to enjoy while getting exercise and reaping the benefits of fresh crisp air.

Being outdoors in the wintertime offers both physical and psychological benefits. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs mainly in the winter months. Layering up and going outside to get some sunny Vitamin D and aerobic exercise at least once a day may help beat the winter blues. It doesn’t take more than 10-15 minutes of exposure to reap benefits.

Here are a few ideas to feel festive and stay fit:

Take a walk. Soak in the scenery of the landscape, admire lawn decorations or bask in the silence for creative thinking or to clear your mind.

Ice skating. Glide around a frozen pond or head to the nearest ice skating rink.

Take pictures. Bring a camera or smart phone and take pictures of winter scenery or snap memories to share with friends or loved ones.

Play in the cold. If your climate includes snow, make animal snow sculptures, go sledding, build a fort or freeze colored water into ice cubes and hide them for a wintertime scavenger hunt.

Get crafty. String popcorn, cereal and berries onto a fishing line to decorate the trees and feed the birds.

Seek ideas from friends and family for creative, memorable and exciting outdoor activities.

“By stepping outside your comfort zone to do something peculiar, you confirm that you can do more than you’ve done.”   Isrealmore Ayivor