The Importance of Staying Active in the Winter

As the nights get colder, darker, and longer, it can be all too tempting to curl up and stay cosy inside.

Any kind of ‘active travelling’ such as walking or cycling tends to take a back seat on chilly days.

But did you know that staying active in the winter has a heap of health benefits?

So as much as you want to human hibernate, keep reading to find out about the importance of staying active in the winter.

Get Your Daylight In

As the days get shorter, it’s even more important to find pockets of sunshine where you can.

Taking a walk, cycling, or going for a run during daylight hours will give you a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. It will also jump-start your circadian rhythm, which has a huge influence on your health, your mood, and your sleep patterns.

If you’d like to find out more about your circadian rhythm, check out our blog post here.

Boost Your Winter Wellbeing

Gloomy weather can make us feel a bit rubbish, but sometimes it becomes more serious than that.

Low mood can also be a symptom of Seasonal Affective Disorder – more commonly known as SAD.

My advice is to be gentle with yourself, and only do what you can do. Any intensity of exercise can have a huge positive impact on our well-being, so try and get into the habit of going for a wee walk every day. You’ll find you feel just a little better afterwards.

Avoid Winter Bugs

We already know about the benefits that staying active has on our health long-term – it helps us to lose weight and reduce the risk of strokes, Type 2 Diabetes, and even certain cancers.

But really, what this boils down to is that staying active has a positive impact on our immune system. So when those nasty winter colds and flu are doing the rounds, your activity level will help you not only starve off the symptoms but perhaps to avoid them in the first place.

Improve Your Heart Health

As the weather gets colder, your body has to work harder to pump bloody around your body during any kind of exercise – which does wonders for your cardiovascular system. Anything that improves your heart health gets a massive tick in my book!

Generate Your Own Heat

There’s no doubt that staying warm this winter is a thought on everyone’s mind at the moment. So why not create your own heat with an outdoor workout?

Layer up, get yourself outside and start moving. Your blood starts pumping, and your body temperature rises along with it. This internal heatwave lasts long after your workout finishes too, which means you can hold off on turning the heating on for a bit longer.

Hopefully, this blog has given you a lovely introduction to the importance of staying active in the winter. The benefits for your health, heart, and happiness speak for themselves!

If you’re still struggling with motivation to get out and about as the temperatures drop, Club Synergy would love to help.

Our Monday NETwalking Sessions help to kick-start your week with fresh air and good conversation – no matter the weather. You can get all the benefits of staying active in the winter, plus a supportive chat from a fellow business owner and walking buddy at the same time. It’s a win-win!

Get the best of what Club Synergy has to offer with a 14-day free trial here.