6 Tips to Stay Active This Winter

"Whether indoors or outdoors, be as active as you can—and have fun!

The winter season can be a challenging time to stay active, with colder temperatures, slippery conditions, and fewer daylight hours. But staying physically active is one of the best ways to improve your mental and physical health and keep yourself on track to reach your fitness goals. Physical activity can help you sleep better and reduce anxiety. Regular physical activity also helps you feel better, improve your balance, lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and many kinds of cancer, strengthen bones and muscles, lower blood pressure, maintain or lose weight, and keep your mind sharp as you get older. Emerging research also suggests physical activity may help boost your immune function.

Experts recommendexternal icon adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity physical activity. Many activities count, such as walking, running, or wheelchair rolling. You can break that up into smaller chunks of time or spread your activity out during the week. Try 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. It all counts. Get started today with our 6 tips to stay active all winter long.

1. Take nature walks.

Weather permitting, schedule time during the day to enjoy nature. Take a stroll around a safe neighborhood or park.

2. Monitor the weather and plan ahead.

Weather forecasts give several days’ notice to prepare your week. Be sure to monitor the weather, dress appropriately, and plan your winter activity accordingly.

3. Wear layers.

Wear several layers of comfortable clothing so that items can be removed easily as you become warmer. Layers will help you guard against overheating, sweating, and eventually becoming colder.

4. Workout online.

Consider tuning into a TV, online, live Zoom, or Instagram workout class. Find free or low-cost exercise videos online to help you do aerobics, dance, stretch, and build strength.

5. Do some chores.

When bad weather keeps you from going outside, look for ways to be physically active indoors. Housework such as vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning all count towards your physical activity goals. And you’ll knock out some items on your to-do list while gaining health benefits. Walking or running up and down stairs in your home can be a great workout, too.

6. Volunteer in active ways while maintaining social distance.

Help others while helping yourself. Look for volunteer opportunities that involve physical activity such as walking dogs for elderly neighbors or shoveling snow. When volunteering, remember to follow social distancing recommendations to keep yourself and others safe.."
Winter activity 

Physical Activity for People with Disability

"Physical Activity for People with Disability

Everybody needs physical activity for good health. However, less than half of U.S adults with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs (mobility disability) report engaging in aerobic physical activity.¹ For those who are active, walking is the most common physical activity.¹ Yet, adults with disabilities report more environmental barriers for walking than those without disabilities.² Here are some ways that people with disabilities can stay active and healthy.

Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining health, well-being, and quality of life. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd editionpdf iconexternal icon, physical activity can help control weight, improve mental health, and lower the risk for early death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Physical activity can also improve mental health by reducing depression and anxiety. For people with disabilities, physical activity can help support daily living activities and independence.

Any amount of physical activity that gets your heart beating faster can improve your health. Some activity is better than none. For even greater health benefits, the Guidelines recommend that all adults, with or without disabilities, get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of aerobic physical activity per week. Activities can be broken down into smaller amounts, such as about 25 minutes a day every day. Muscle-strengthening activities, such as adapted yoga or working with resistance bands, provide additional health benefits..."
Exercise and disability

Physical Activity for People with Disabilities

"Everybody needs physical activity for good health. Most adults with disabilities are able to participate in physical activity, yet nearly half of them do not get any aerobic physical activity.¹ Learn how people with disabilities can find their own path to physical activity.

Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining health, well-being, and quality of life. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition pdf icon[1.9 MB]external icon, physical activity can help control weight, improve mental health, and lower the risk for early death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. For people with disabilities, physical activity also can help support daily living activities and independence. All adults, with and without disabilities, need at least 2.5 hours per week of aerobic physical activity, at a moderate-intensity level, to gain many of these benefits.

People with Disabilities

One in four U.S. adults is living with a disability,² including

• Serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs
• Deafness or serious difficulty hearing
• Blindness or serious difficulty seeing
• Serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty doing errands alone
• Difficulty dressing or bathing

Adults with disabilities are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer than adults without disabilities.³Physical activity can help reduce the impact of these chronic diseases. Disability does not have to equal poor health. Most adults with disabilities are able to participate in regular physical activity; however, nearly half of all adults with disabilities do not get any aerobic physical activity..."
Disability and exercise

Exercise to Ease Arthritis Pain

"Health care providers can talk to arthritis patients about physical activity and exercise as an option to ease arthritis pain.

Physical activity and exercise ease arthritis pain and improve the quality of life of adults living with arthritis. More than 54 million US adults have arthritis.

CDC recommends that health care providers counsel their arthritis patients to be physically active. Adults with arthritis can decrease pain and improve function by about 40% by being physically active.

Counseling Arthritis Patients

Health care providers should talk to their patients about physical activity and exercise as an option to ease arthritis pain.

A recent study¹ found that arthritis patients receiving health care providers’ counseling for exercise increased from approximately 50% in 2002 to 60% in 2014. Yet, 2 in 5 patients with arthritis are not receiving health care provider counseling for exercise..."
Arthritis and exercise

Stay Active and Heathy in the New Year

"The holiday season is coming to a close, and for many of us that can mean "recovering" from all of the rich foods that accompany this time of year and starting to think about our goals for the year ahead. Follow these tips to get your New Year off to a healthy start.

1. Stay active.

Being active is your secret weapon in the New Year. It can help make up for eating more than usual and has many other health benefits. Walking is a great way to be active. Try these tips to incorporate more walking into your activities:

• Skip the search for a close-up parking spot. Park farther away and walk to your destination.
• Make a few extra laps around the mall. Walk the length of the mall before going into any stores. The mall is also a good place to walk to avoid bad weather.
• Start your work day by taking the stairs. Remember to stretch your legs and take short physical activity breaks throughout the day..."

Stay active

Managing Obesity, One Paw at a Time

"In the United States, 71% of adults are overweight or have obesity. Heavier adults are at risk for serious chronic diseases and health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates approximately 53% of dogs and 58% of cats are overweight or obese. These pets face many of the same weight-related health problems as humans, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, urinary disease, skin problems, and breathing problems. Also, overweight pets often have shorter lives than fitter pets.

Research shows overweight pets tend to have overweight owners—who may feed their furry friends table scraps and frequent snacks, use food as a behavior or training reward, and not exercise or play much with their dogs and cats..."
Pets and exercise

Physical Inactivity Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older — United States, 2014

"Physical activity can help delay, prevent, or manage many of the chronic diseases for which adults aged ≥50 years are at risk (1–3). These diseases can impact the length and quality of life, as well as the long-term ability to live independently.* All adults aged ≥50 years, with or without chronic disease, gain health benefits by avoiding inactivity (2,3). To examine the prevalence of inactivity by selected demographic characteristics and chronic disease status in mid-life and older adults, CDC analyzed data on adults aged ≥50 years from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Overall, 27.5% of adults aged ≥50 years reported no physical activity outside of work during the past month. Inactivity prevalence significantly increased with increasing age and was 25.4% among adults aged 50–64 years, 26.9% among those aged 65–74 years, and 35.3% among those aged ≥75 years. Inactivity prevalence was significantly higher among women than men, among Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks than among non-Hispanic whites, and among adults who reported ever having one or more of seven selected chronic diseases than among those not reporting one. Inactivity prevalence significantly increased with decreasing levels of education and increasing body mass index. To help adults with and without chronic disease start or maintain an active lifestyle, communities can implement evidence-based strategies, such as creating or enhancing access to places for physical activity, designing communities and streets to encourage physical activity, and offering programs that address specific barriers to physical activity..."
Adult physical activity

Physical Activity for Older Adults

"Are you an older adult looking for ways to exercise in a safe environment? Participating in group exercise programs can help older adults remain physically active.

For adults over 65 years old, exercise helps maintain healthy and longer lives and can prevent many health problems that come with age such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

Issues such as traffic, adequate lighting and weather can get in the way of being active and, therefore, indoor exercise classes are one way to be active. It's suggested that adults over 65 should get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate level activity per week , such as brisk walking..."
Older Adults

Walking and Pets

"Walking keeps people and pets healthy.

Photo courtesy of Rescue 2 Restore

Brad's Story

Brad, a 6-foot-6-inch former athlete, had a wake-up call in his mid-30s. His doctor said he was at risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke, because of his weight and lack of exercise.

Brad's grandfather died of a heart attack. His father had quadruple bypass heart surgery at age 50. And now Brad was showing signs of going down the same road—for example, his doctor had told him he had a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. You want to have high levels of HDL, which is known as the "good" cholesterol because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. The fast food, beer, and stress from work and family duties were catching up with him..."
Pets

Tips for Getting Your Steps In

"By walking with friends, family, even your co-workers, you can catch up, and enjoy the physical benefits at the same time.

These days you can't help but hear that many Americans suffer from serious health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease from eating poorly or not getting enough physical activity. Most of us know that regular physical activity is one of the most important things we can do to improve our health. Between work, school, running errands, and family commitments, finding ways to fit physical activity into our busy schedules can sometimes feel like a challenge..."
Exercise and Steps

Americans Are Walking More to Improve Their Health

"Improve your health by increasing your physical activity. Start with walking more as part of your daily routine.
Most everyone knows that physical activity is important for good health, but not enough actually do it. Obstacles abound, not the least of which is limited time. Fitting regular physical activity into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first, but the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are more flexible than ever, giving you the freedom to reach your physical activity goals through different kinds of activities. It's easier than you think!.."

Walking counts

Walking Among Adults — United States, 2005 and 2010

"Overall, walking prevalence increased significantly from 55.7% in 2005 to 62.0% in 2010. Significantly higher walking prevalence was observed in most demographic and health characteristic categories examined. In 2010, the adjusted odds ratio of meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline among walkers, compared with non-walkers, was 2.95 (95% confidence interval = 2.73–3.19)..."