The holidays are picking up but bodies are slowing down. At least, that’s what a recent National Recreation and Park Association poll tells us about adults in the U.S. According to their 2020 poll, 58 percent of adults are less active during colder months; and that’s bad news for mental health.
Research continues to provide insight, time and again, to the benefits of consistent physical activity. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for physical activity to reduce as daylight shortens, gatherings and events take up more of the calendar and temperatures drop.
To avoid losing the mental health benefits of activity during the winter, making a plan to stay active is crucial.
Here are four tips to keep in mind while making your plan to keep moving, even when the Eastern Shore is frozen.
1. Know what you’re going to do. This one seems easy but when you go from swimming in the pool, walking to the corner store, traversing the festivals, concerts and outdoor markets, tending to a garden or exploring nearby parks to temperatures and daylight halting these activities, you might be left floundering. Research and write down alternatives to your spring and summer activities to take out the guess work.
What can you do when the sun is down and the temperatures are dropping? The gym is an obvious answer, but only a great one if you can afford a membership. If you’re operating on a budget that won’t allow a gym fee, head out to the local mall for laps, pull up free workout sessions on streaming services, plant and tend to a winter garden, head to the local library for free active classes or lean on standard calisthenics and other bodyweight exercise that just needs you and the elements around you to happen.
2. Make it fun. Enjoying the pool, the garden and parks is an easy way to stay active because it is so fun! When that’s not an option you’ll need to make sure what you’re doing is still a good time. Why? Because you’re less likely to do physical activity regularly that you don’t enjoy. This is particularly important during a time when there are many excuses to easily avoid a hated exercise (i.e. “it’s too cold,” “let’s decorate,” “but the party is tonight.”) Stick to what you like and you’ll actually stick to it.
3. Prioritize it in your schedule. Spring and summer activities fill up your schedule naturally with movement. Fall and winter activities tend more towards the sedentary by way of back to school, cozy gatherings and creativity weekends – in other words, staying seated indoors. These traditions and necessities are enjoyable but when they get in the way of making time to move the body, the joy can be diminished.
Don’t get lost in the hectic to-do’s. Use a planner, a family calendar on your phone or the standard wall calendar to schedule your physical activity the same way you’d schedule a doctor appointment, school event or holiday party.
4. Know your motivations. If you’re engaging with this article, you probably already know you want to stay active during the cooler months of the year, but why?
Yes, it’s already established that mental health is better when a person is regularly active but make sure to tailor that to yourself. Get specific about how that benefits you – it lets me enjoy the holidays more, it helps me stay focused on tasks, it helps me have more energy to finish all the crafts I have planned. Whatever your intentions, set them specifically for you.
Making these four tips happen right here in your back yard is very attainable with all the great resources throughout the area! Show up for yoga or Indian classical dance classes at the Wicomico Public Library’s downtown location. The Delmar Public Library also offers yoga classes to the public. Or, you can join one of the many 5K’s happening across the region at places like Wor-Wic Community College, Pemberton Park or Pirate’s Wharf.
You don’t have to show up for an event to show up for your health – stay active at the Salisbury Zoo while visiting all the adorable critters, stay warm and join the holiday shoppers while you walk through the Centre at Salisbury or bounce around at Altitude Trampoline Park in Delmar.
This is only a short list of the many local options to keep active no matter the time of year.
Don’t limit your body’s motion just because the amount of sunlight has decreased. It’s important for your mental health!
