It might be cold outside, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay inside. Get your heart pumping and muscles burning with these awesome, family-friendly winter fitness activities! The kids will love them and so will you!
When the temperature drops and the snow begins to fall, most of us can agree that we’d love to stay bundled up on the couch. It’s important for you to keep your health a priority all year long. Staying active will not only keep you fit, but it also means you can enjoy treats like this Classic Hot Chocolate or these 7 Low-Calorie Holiday Desserts! Did you say treats? Where’s my coat!
A treat every once in a while is well-deserved, but you don’t want to eat too many and let your health slip this winter. Stay active and focus on eating healthy meals the majority of the time. Try some of our favorite winter activities below while enjoying delicious and nutritious recipes that the whole family will love!
- Winter Buddha Bowl for Amazing Health
- Winter Orzo Salad
- 5 Winter Breakfast Recipes to Warm You Up
- 6 Belly Warming Winter Stew Recipes
8 Family-Friendly Winter Fitness Activities
Note: Calories burned are based on a 150 pound woman and completing the activity for over a 30 minute period.
1. Ice-Skating (Burn 230 calories)
It’s probably safe to say that most of us have ice-skated at some point in our lives. If you have, you know what a workout it is. If you haven’t, well, you’re in for a treat! Ice-skating is one of my absolute favorite winter activities. It’s not only a ton of fun, but it’s also an incredible lower-body and cardiovascular workout. The kids can definitely join in on this one! Most rinks offer skating aids that they can hold onto and push so you don’t have to worry about them falling!
2. Sledding (Burn 150 calories)
You may be thinking, how is sledding considered a fitness activity? Well, if you’re asking that question, you’ve most likely never gone! In order to get down the hill, you must first get up the hill. That’s right: You’ve got to hike up it! Trust us, it’s totally worth it. The kids will have the time of their lives. Along with being an awesome cardiovascular workout, sledding also targets your core as you have to steer down the hill.
3. Snow-Tubing (Burn 150 calories)
Snow-tubing is similar to sledding in the fact that you’ve got to get up the hill. It’s a little bit easier, however, because you aren’t really able to steer in a tube. Most dedicated tubing hills have lifts that will pull you back up, but we recommend skipping the lift and getting a workout in instead! You can also increase the difficulty by carrying the kids up the hill.
4. Cross-Country Skiing (Burn 260 calories)
This is definitely the toughest Winter activity on the list. It may be a little difficult for the kids to go long distances, but many avid cross country skiers put the kids on their back and get going. Extra weight means a better workout!
5. Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding (Burn 200 calories)
While this is one of the most exhilarating activities on the list, it is also one of the most expensive to participate in. Kids as young as three years old can learn to ski or snowboard. Don’t let the fact that you take a lift up fool you, skiing and snowboarding are most definitely a workout.
Aside from recruiting all of the muscles in your lower body, these activities also target your core and upper body as you steer and carve your way down the mountain. Trust me as an avid snowboarder: These activities will improve your cardiovascular health and muscular endurance.
6. Check Out the Holiday Lights (Burn 100 calories per mile)
It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, everyone can participate in this one! I love doing cardio outside as opposed to inside on the treadmill. I think that having different scenery to look at makes the exercise a lot less monotonous. As the lights start to go up in the neighborhood, put the little ones in the stroller, grab some hot cocoa, and go check out those lights! The kiddos will be in awe, and you’ll get your workout in!
7. Build a Snowman (Burn 150 calories)
Do you want to build a snowman? I know I do! Building a snowman is actually surprisingly sweat-inducing. Bringing Frosty to life is a total body workout. You’ve got to shovel snow and pack it in by hand, all while squatting and bending over and over again. You can have fun with the kids while burning some extra calories!
8. Have a Snowball Fight (Burn 200 calories)
Squatting, sprinting, lunging, and throwing; having a snowball fight is a cardiovascular, total-body workout! Combine a snowball fight with building a snowman and you’ve got yourself an awesome workout!
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For those of you that don’t live where it snows, there are still plenty of fun activities that you can do outside. In fact, you probably have more options! You can still go ice-skating at the local rink and go for a walk to admire the lights. Without the snow, you can also go on a hike to enjoy the cooler weather, take your kids playground hopping from park to park, ride your bikes, go swimming, and more!
If you do live in an area where it snows, we encourage you to get out and enjoy as many of these family-friendly winter fitness activities as you can! Staying active in the winter months will keep your health & fitness on the track so that when spring rolls around, you won’t have to start all over!
Check out: How to Stay Fit this Holiday Season.
Which one of these winter fitness activities is your favorite? Do you have one that we left out? Let us know in the comment section, below!
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