Active Living All Year Round
Change your activities with the seasons: it's a great game plan
The weather is no excuse for being inactive. If you "hibernate" during the winter and spend your time on the couch, you lose out on the fun. If you lock yourself up with an air conditioner in summer, you're missing all the action.
If it's too hot or too cold outside, stay inside, but don't just sit there. A heated indoor pool feels great in the middle of winter. An air-conditioned gym is the cool place to be during a heat wave. And if you stay at home, you can do all kinds of things that don't need special equipment: if you are able, walk on the spot, stretch, or lift weights. (You can use household items like cans of soup or milk jugs filled with water as weights.)
An air-conditioned gym is the cool place to be during a heat wave.
If you stop being active, your body starts losing its shape after two weeks. Two to eight months after that, you'll be completely out-of-shape. That's why it's important to keep going year-round. Can you really afford to have an off-season?
A heated indoor pool feels great in the middle of winter.
The best way to stay active throughout the seasons is to do lots of different things. Try new activities. There's plenty to do in the winter. Think of the many ways you can play in snow or on ice. In the spring and summer, beaches, lakes and green fields create a natural playground. Fall is a great time to enjoy the spectacular colours that Ontario's forests have to offer. Check out the Resource Locator for great things you can do anywhere in the province. Year-round facilities mean you don't have to stick to nature's timetable to enjoy your favourite activity: if you are able, you can play hockey in July at an indoor rink, or spend an afternoon at an indoor driving range in the middle of a snowstorm.
No matter what the weather, look for ways to get your body going. You'll have a great time and you'll feel fantastic.
