How to Exercise Outside This Winter -- and Make it Fun

While some take refuge in warmer locales, winter brings the brrr for most in North America, with snow and ice to boot. That can make it all the more appealing to exercise inside. But passing a whole season sweating under artificial lights is a dreary slog. And you needn't run like Rocky through snow drifts to turn over a new leaf -- outside -- with your winter workouts.

As a warmup, here are some exercise ideas, plus advice from the pros that will help get you out the door and keep you safe, while expanding your physical activity horizons this winter:

Take stock of the outdoor advantages to cool objections. Getting outside any time of year has its benefits. Research from the University of Tampere in Finland shows that combining physical activity and nature -- both known to improve general and mental health -- is connected to better emotional well-being. And, even on a surface level, exercise experts say going outside provides another obvious advantage if you've been stuck indoors: variety. That goes for everything from simply running under an open sky to being able to take up winter activities like cross-country skiing where snow is plentiful.

"Getting outside can be very mentally refreshing [and] peaceful," says Brad Roy, clinical exercise physiologist and executive director of The Summit Medical Fitness Center and Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, Montana. "It's great change of pace," he adds, particularly in places where wintry weather sticks around for longer, like Montana. Being active outdoors may also offer an opportunity to soak in some needed sunshine when natural light is in shorter supply. "If people can get out during the day when the sun is high in the sky, they will get a little bit of a dose of vitamin D at the very least," says Mike Bracko, an exercise physiologist in Calgary, Alberta.

[See: 10 Ways to Avoid Winter Joint Pain.]

If you have health concerns, talk to your doctor. If you've had a heart attack, suffer from heart disease or have other chronic conditions, like asthma, talk with your physician before heading outdoors to work out. "Exercise in the cold can kind of lower the threshold for when people might start to feel angina -- which is the chest pain, the typical symptom of heart disease," says Trent Hargens, an associate professor of exercise science at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Even though your body's generating heat and your blood is flowing through your working muscles, blood vessels tend to constrict somewhat in a colder environment, he notes. Overexerting -- like shoveling heavy snow -- can put someone who has a heart condition at higher risk for a heart attack. So determine, in advance, if it's best to limit outdoor activities or significantly scale back on intensity.

For most, though, experts say, the great outdoors are as good a place as any to get exercise during the winter, provided proper precautions are taken.

Respect Mother Nature. Pay attention to local weather advisories and storm watches and warnings to help determine everything from whether it's safe to drive to what you should wear.

Dress the part. This will be temperature-dependent, but one consistent piece of advice to keep warm and dry is to dress in layers. Roy recommends three layers: a wicking layer -- typically clothing made out of a fabric designed to draw sweat away from the body; an insulating middle layer, such as fleece or wool; and a waterproof but breathable outer shell against the wind.

Besides wearing cotton as a first layer, which can keep wetness on your skin when you sweat and lead you to get significantly chilled, a rookie mistake is to overdress. "Because then you just get too hot," Bracko says. If you've worn layers, peeling off one may solve that; however, if -- again -- you get too wet, just as if you don't wear enough, you won't be properly protected against the cold. In either instance, that can raise a person's risk of hypothermia. Wear proper gloves to keep your digits comfortable, and in more extreme circumstances, protect against frostbite, as well as an appropriate hat. "You don't want to wear a big heavy wool hat," Roy notes, but something that will provide warmth and wick sweat away from your head.

[See: 11 Winter Produce Picks That Pack a Health Wallop.]

Keep hydrated. Getting enough fluids is important, of course, to maximize performance. And dehydration can leave a person more susceptible to the cold, including frostbite, Roy says. You might be inclined to think that staying hydrated is something you only need to think about in the warmer months. But in the winter it tends to be drier, and we typically lose moisture just as quickly -- or more quickly -- as our bodies heat up during exercise, he says.

Let the winter inspire you. When it comes to burning calories, it's hard to beat cross-country skiing. And unlike downhill skiing, you don't need mountains to do it. Many flatter places that get ample snow also have designated cross-country ski trails. And in addition to classical skiing, you can also do skate skiing -- which involves longer polls, shorter skis and leg movement similar to skating, Bracko explains.

Got lots of the white stuff on the ground and live near wide open spaces? Strap on snowshoes, which make it easier to walk on snow. (You can rent or purchase them through the same outfitters that provide ski gear.) Snowshoeing, as well as downhill skiing and snowboarding -- if you've got the slopes for it -- and ice skating are all ways to take advantage of snow and ice to be active, Roy says. Or do what kids do: Play in the snow. Go sledding or run around having a snowball fight, Roy says. It needn't be a formalized workout to be physical activity. And shoveling snow or chopping wood can be a great way to get in muscle-building resistance training.

Do what you do the rest of the year. Don't have a winter wonderland to play in? That's OK. Simply make adjustments -- namely in terms of what you wear -- and continue walking or running outside, for example. If you've got cabin fever, that same run may provide a fresh sense of renewal; and, of course, you can take a jaunt somewhere new, since you're already outside, like going trail running on a path you haven't previously taken. Just wear appropriate treads, Hargens says. Trail running shoes, for example, have added grip that can be useful on more varied terrain. Avoid especially slick, icy surfaces to prevent falls -- always staying within your limits.

[See: 16 Ways Your Body Adjusts to a New Climate.]

Whatever you do, don't use winter as an excuse to take a season off from working out. It may be a little uncomfortable at first. Yes, it's cold outside. "The unfortunate truth is that when you start an exercise, the first five to 10 minutes you're kind of miserable because you're cold," Bracko notes. But if you're dressed properly, the discomfort, like any objections, should fall away. "After that ... you're warmed up and you're starting to feel good."

Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. He covers a wide array of topics ranging from cancer to depression and prevention to overtreatment. He's been reporting on health since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com.