3 Types of Exercises To Stay Fit This Winter

Being physically active can be challenging this time of year with holiday planning, shorter daylight hours, and the weather impacting travel and getting outside. But this shouldn’t stop you from getting the regular exercise your heart and body need to lower cardiac and chronic diseases, decrease the risk of developing high cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce stress. This winter, incorporate these three types of exercises into your fitness plan to ensure whole-body health.

Aerobic Exercise

Also known as cardio, aerobic exercise strengthens your heart, reduces health risks and improves circulation, which helps lower your blood pressure and heart rate. Exercises are designed to raise your heart rate, increasing your stamina. Biking, walking, jogging, swimming, dancing and stair-climbing are a few examples of aerobic exercises you can do indoors this winter. 

Resistance Training

Because resistance training has an effect on body composition, it can help reduce fat and create leaner muscle mass. Research demonstrates that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training may help raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Resistance training increases muscle mass, helping with weight control, injury prevention and joint protection. Types of resistance training includes squats, lunges, push-ups, bicep curls, planks, leg raises and yoga.

Stretching, Flexibility and Balance

While flexibility workouts don’t directly contribute to heart health, they are a critical part of being able to maintain aerobic exercise and resistance training. Having a good musculoskeletal foundation enables you to do the exercises that will directly help your heart.

Thirty minutes of physical activity, five days per week, is all it takes to reap the benefits of this heart-healthy prescription! Consider breaking that period into two 15-minute sessions if 30 minutes at one time is too much. Your heart — and body — will thank you this winter for incorporating these exercises into your routine.