by Freyda Tartak

Created on: August 18, 2009

Despite cold, windy weather it is possible to maintain a high level of physical activity. Here are a few simple and effective techniques for staying physically fit through the winter months:

Get Cleaning

It is easy to maintain an intense cardiovascular workout routine by breaking up the weekly or bi-weekly cleaning chores into manageable daily activities. Time yourself while dusting, vacuuming, mopping, doing the toilets, and whatever else needs to be done and then try to beat your best time. Do a little each day and you'll end up with a house June Cleaver would be proud of, as well as a great workout.

Get Clean

Taking a shower or a bath each day at the usual time is vital to maintaining an active lifestyle. The key here is active, not hectic. A chaotic or hectic lifestyle is one lacking in control, discipline and purpose. By eating breakfast each day and maintaining a consistent level of cleanliness, even without a need to leave the house, a person is ready to deal with the unexpected.

It is the little surprises in life that throw people off their routine and cause them to make promises to themselves that they are not motivated enough to keep. By being mentally and physically prepared for each new day a person is better able to adapt to the unexpected while staying on track with maintaining commitments.

Go Shopping

Inclement weather may make it difficult to be active outside but, your local mall is always climate controlled. Go window shopping. Since overspending can, among other things, lead to depression and affect the drive to be physically active leave the wallet at home and only take a small amount of money, just in case. It's amazing how easy it is to walk for three or four hours when the focus is on something else.

Go To Sleep

A routine bedtime is not just for kids. Lacking structure in a day is one of the biggest culprits for pushing you off your game plan. It is really difficult to commit to doing your daily crunches at 7:30 a.m. if you only got to bed at two in the morning watching CSI reruns. Poor sleep habits have been shown to lead to weight gain and depression, both of which hack away at a person's good intentions for an active lifestyle.

Ensuring that your kids go to bed on time is also essential to maintaining your own ability to do so. Allowing a lack of structure to children's routines, especially at night time will have a severely negative impact on the parents' ability to maintain their own agenda. So, do whatever it takes

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