Winter is here! You awake from your warm, cozy bed with two choices: you can either pull your covers over your head or hop out of bed to start the day with an exciting outdoor adventure. 

When the temperature drops and snow begins to swiftly fall, it can be quite easy for your workout habits to slip a bit during the holidays and in this cold weather. However, this is no reason for a break from some physical activity! 

Winter Is Coming

Is it starting to flurry outside? More slippery sidewalks? Don’t let the cold weather keep you from staying active. Say goodbye to your couch potato self! 

There’s plenty of indoor exercises you can do to maintain physically active! Try these:

• Find a workout area in your house for your own home gym: one way to do it is moving furniture around to create a spacious home gym in your basement, family room, or even bedroom!
• Active housework: listen to top pop while you vacuum, dust, and clean up your home to get yourself movin’ and groovin’.
• Yoga: find a carpeted area around your home and sink into downward dog, tree pose, child’s pose, or even making a bridge!
• Walk around in an inside location: great places to get a brief walk in could be your local YMCA or even the mall with some friends.
• Climb some stairs: make some stair workouts for yourself to do at your house, workplace, or local gym for the perfect idea to get in some cardio!

If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure, try these outdoor activities:

• Sledding: grab a few friends and head to the slopes (a nearby hill or elevated spot). 
• Shoveling snow: this is a perfect exercise that will help you regain muscle strength and clear your driveway!
• Cross country skiing: you may have seen many people skiing on level ground, and you can go cross country skiing at the Morton Arboretum or even on the Prairie Path as long as there’s snow!
• Power walking/Jogging: find a day in winter when the weather is just right for a few laps around your block or some distance running on the Prairie Path.
• Hiking: this is a great way to stay active and enjoy the landscapes! A beautiful place to check out is Starved Rock in Illinois, only a short drive from G.E.!

If you want some verified professional tips, the American Heart Association also shares a few helpful tips while you keep active:

1. Embrace the cold: Winter’s cold breeze has no heat or humidity, which helps wake your senses and excites your body for some exercise.
2. Go for longer workouts: The American Heart Association shares that, “you may be able to work out longer in cold weather.” We all know this means burning more calories!
3. Get some sun: Oftentimes, we don’t associate winter with the sun; however, it’s important to obtain small doses of it. Taking in the sun can improve people’s moods and will support you with Vitamin D!
4. Fight colds and the flu: Winter is the time of year when the flu bug comes around, but did you know that exercising will boost your immunity? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “just a few minutes a day can help prevent simple bacterial and viral infections.”

Tips from your students and staff:

• Sophomore Katie O’Connell is a year-round swimmer for the Bullets swim team and swims here at Glenbard West! She practices six days a week, followed by weight lifting on dry land. She recommends “trying to get physical activity in by going to the gym a couple of times a week and eating the right foods.”
• Gym teacher Michael Skowronski suggests “getting outside for a quick jog or walk when the weather’s nice!” He also says that “Ackerman is open, along with Health Track, Sports Hub, and the weight room at a West.”

So how are you going to stay active and enjoy the winter? These helpful tips are sure to help you enjoy the season and get in some quality exercising!