Keeping active when temperatures drop

With colder temperatures and the holidays coming in, it can be tempting to just get under a blanket, stuff yourself on turkey and pie, and wait until the sun starts shining a bit more. It can also feel like a lot longer distance to the gym. But there are ways to add a bit of physical activity to a daily routine to keep a bit more “happy” in your holidays.

Dean Despain, the wellness coordinator at Gottsche, said one of the simplest things to do, even if at a desk job, is to stand and stretch — particularly your shoulders — every 35 to 45 minutes. “Your posture suffers hugely when you have a desk-oriented job, so just your basic ‘I learned it in middle gym school’ stretches, nothing over the top, can do a lot.”

Despain also suggested standing and taking a five-minute walk once an hour, adding that it may not seem like much it can add up to 40 minutes in a typical eight-hour work day.

Simple stretches and walks can also be done while at home sitting on a couch watching a movie or TV show.

When running errands, a way to get some extra steps in is to park at the far end of the lot as opposed to the closest possible spot. Steps can also be added through walking a cart back into the store rather than putting it in the cart return.

An easy way to implement fitness into your day, Despain said, is setting up a “wake up routine.” People can pick a few body weight exercises such as squats, sit ups and push ups, set a timer for five or ten minutes and use that time to do some basic movements right when you wake up, prior to showering. It helps to take away the excuse of not wanting to shower, then exercise and sweat, as you’re already up, moving and ready for the day.

“Everybody has five minutes before they shower,” he said, and doing a wake up routine is a healthy morning habit.

As for letting colder temperatures cause lethargy, Despain said one of the biggest negatives he sees is posture. “When folks don’t stretch and they don’t move regularly upper back pain and neck pain sets in. It’s simply because poor posture happens, when you sink into a couch and everything comes forward or you’re leaning over a desk working on a computer all day.”

It can also help with mental health. As there is less sunlight in the winter, it means less Vitamin D.