Have an Active Winter

family sledding Colder weather and fewer hours of daylight can make it challenging to get regular physical activity during the winter months. Regular activity is just as important to your good health during these months as it is during the rest of the year.

If the weather's too bad for outdoor activities, look for indoor opportunities. Exercise at home to an aerobic video. Check for indoor physical activity programs at churches, schools, and recreation or community centers. Join a walking group at the local mall.

With early darkness as a concern, be sure to wear reflective clothing and wear or carry small lights to increase your visibility in the late afternoon or at night. On warmer and sunnier days, consider hiking the trails in nearby parks and recreation areas.

If you plan a weekend getaway, think about ways to make it an active one. Look for opportunities to enjoy activities such as hiking, skating at an ice rink, and cross-country skiing.

This season, remember that it's never too late — or too early — to begin an active lifestyle.

Everyone Can Benefit From Physical Activity

The good news about regular physical activity is that everyone can benefit from it. Additionally, physical activity does not need to be hard or challenging. Participating in moderate-intensity physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages and wide range of abilities.¹

What’s in it for me?

sneakers Regular physical activity may help reduce your risk for many diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, colon and breast cancers, and osteoporosis. It may also provide you with a constructive way to deal with the demands of the day, and help relieve stress.²

Don't let the cold or snowy weather slow you down. There are plenty of things you can do both inside and outside to stay active.

For more information about the benefits of physical activity, see Physical Activity and Health.

How much is recommended?

Current physical activity recommendations for adults include both cardio or aerobic activities and resistance, strength-building, and weight-bearing activities:

Cardio or aerobic activities. Achieve the aerobic activity recommendation through one of the following options:
- A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day (such as brisk walking) most days of the week
  or
- A minimum of 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity (such as jogging or running) 3 days a week
Resistance, strength-building, and weight-bearing activities. Two days a week, incorporate strength training into your routine. Strength training activities, such as weight lifting, maintain and increase muscle strength and endurance. A goal to reach towards is completing 6-8 strength training exercises, with 8–12 repetitions per exercise.

Most people can get greater health benefits by increasing the intensity or the amount of time that they are physically active. Incorporating up to 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity may also help you manage your weight or help you prevent weight gain, whatever your goal may be.

How much physical activity does my child need?

Children and teenagers should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity most, preferably all, days of the week.

What types of aerobic activities are considered moderate-intensity?

During moderate-intensity activities you should notice an increase in your heart rate, but you should still be able to talk comfortably. If you are breathing hard and fast and your heart rate is increased substantially, you are probably doing vigorous-intensity activity. Many activities (such as bicycling or swimming) can be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity depending on your level of effort. See the measuring intensity section for more information. More examples of moderate-intensity activity are provided below.

What are ways to get the amount of physical activity that I need?

You can reach your goal of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week in more than one way: you can do one type of activity for at least 30 minutes, or you can break down your minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity into smaller, 10- to 15-minute segments.³

Think of it as the 3-2-1 plan!

3 – Complete three activities for 10 consecutive minutes at a moderately intense rate
OR
2 – Complete two activities for 15 consecutive minutes at a moderately intense rate
OR
1 – Complete one activity for 30 consecutive minutes at a moderately intense rate

Follow the 3-2-1 and stick with it!

Here are examples of moderate-intensity activities you can do to reach your goal, based on the weather or where you prefer to do your physical activity:

Indoors	Outdoors	Indoors or Outdoors
• Dancing, general (Greek, Hula, Flamenco, Middle Eastern and Swing) • Riding a stationary bike • Actively playing with children • Taking Jazzercise • Scrubbing the floor	• Mowing lawn, general • Frisbee playing, general • Playing golf, walking the course • Shoveling light snow • Downhill skiing with light effort • Raking leaves • Hand washing/waxing a car	• Playing basketball, shooting hoops • Walking, brisk pace (mall/around a track/treadmill) • Doing water aerobics • Jogging/walking combination (In a 30-minute period, you should be jogging for less than 10 minutes.)

For additional tips on ways to be more active, see Tips for Being More Active.

Stick with it!

Need some inspiration? Want help knowing you have done your activity for 10 minutes? Listen to music! Most songs are about 4 minutes long, so turn on the radio or put in a CD or tape. After three songs; you will know that you have completed 12 minutes.

Want to see how you are doing with your new goal? Tracking or writing down the days that you do physical activity is a good way to follow your progress.

You can download a printable, weekly calendar that you can use to track your progress.(PDF-40k)

The following Web sites have places where you can create an online profile to track your physical activity goals:

Additional Resources

For information on other moderate intensity physical activities see the following resources:

General Physical Activities Defined by Level (PDF-68K)
Additional examples of physical activities are listed in The Compendium of Physical Activities from the President’s Council on Fitness and Sports (PDF-168K)
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has come up with a list of suggestions to keep physical activity fun and safe. To see the list, visit Sports Safety.

References

1996 Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, page 37
Making Physical Activity Part of a Healthier You, accessed February 1, 2007
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, accessed January 18, 2007

Please note: Some of these publications are available for download only as *.pdf files. These files require Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to be viewed. Please review the information on downloading and using Acrobat Reader software.

* Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

Page last reviewed: December 13, 2007
Page last updated: March 24, 2008
Content Source: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion