by Denys Trowbridge

Created on: November 13, 2008   Last Updated: December 10, 2008

We all know exercise is essential for good health, but then the snow flies and our resolve flies out the window with those little white flakes. Winter is the time of year when some of us tend to hibernate like bears. And we get grouchy as a grizzly. We sit and mope longing for those warm summer months to return. Somehow exercising indoors just doesn't have the same luster as the summer months held for us. But winter has its advantages too. And while some people hibernate others have learned some secrets to thrive on being outdoors in the winter.

So how do we find their nirvana? I got to warn you it takes a little bit of thinking outside the box, but it is worth it. Staying indoors in the winter months deprives the body of essential vitamin D that we absorb through the sunlight. The exposure to the sun also lightens that grouchy grizzly type mood. And the exercise strengthens lung function and even aides our digestive system.

Always begin any exercise routine by visiting your physician. Exercising outside in the winter despite its numerous benefits to your health and well being can be harder on your heart than exercising indoors. The cold causes your body to work a little harder giving you a better workout, but checking with your physician gives you the peace of mind to know that you are making a wise choice for your particualr needs.

Then the next step is to do some warm up exercises indoors. My suggestion would be to start with stretches that stretch all the major muscle groups of the body so that you don't pull any muscles or cause serious injuries. These stretches of large muscle groups will also aide in warming the body up faster so that you can face the outdoors without the chill going to the bone. For the lower body try these stretches. Begin with the standing quadricep stretch, the hip flexor lunge,the calf stretch,the hamstring hang and the sit and twist. For upper body stretches try the arm stretch acrossed the chest,the knee hug which also stretches the gluteous maximus ,overhead stretch,triceps stretch, arm circles,shoulder rolls, and last but not least neck stretches.

Once you have stretched all the major muscle groups it is time to bundle up and go outside. And then your choice of activities will depend a lot on your personal preferences. Here are some ideas. Walking and running are two of the obvious choices. To make that a little more interesting check out the metro parks. They will have self guided fitness walks at different area parks that are

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