What are your favorite ways to stay fit during the winter?

For me, the #1 motivation to get (stay) fit is long-term health benefits. I do not want to turn 60 and find myself relying on a medicine cabinet full of pills, nor realizing that going from couch to refrigerator is like participating in an Olympic sport.

Oddly enough, housework is a great workout and it lets me take care of 2 tasks in one. lol May sound stupid to some, but really, think about it. If you scrub down a shower stall or bath tub you are exercising your arm muscles. To make it more challenging, instead of just using your favorite arm to do it, use the other one. Sort of like the Karate Kid inspiration thing going on.

I actually do funky little routines whenever doing the housework. One day it will be dusting of pictures, ornaments, fixtures, etc. Another day you see me using a mop (I have no carpet in my home...it is all hardwood flooring) from one room to another, switching arms from room to room to work them out evenly. I have cats so I do vaccuum, both the flooring and the furniture. Like the mopping and sweeping, I switch arms so that both get equal workout time.

It may sound boring and uneventful, but I work full-time and instead of making time to do housework, separate from making time to workout, I combine it. In the wintertime, especially when you live in the heart of Canada where it gets really cold, the convenience of getting as much done as possible from the comfort of my own home and saving as much time for myself as I possibly can is definitely a bonus.

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- Use the house as a gym -

If you’re like me, you don’t really have a lot of time to get to a gym 3 or 4 times a week. So, I found a way to bring the gym to me. Just a few things can keep the body moving and the heart pumping.

Walk up and down stairs for a good cardio.

Run in place while you’re watching TV.

Rowing machines are a great source for a full body workout – check out craigslist.org for great deals on simple exercise equipment.

- Going outdoors -

With doors and windows, closed homes become a bit stuffy; take it outside. Finding a park in your area is a great escape from stress. Even a brisk walk can change an attitude and burn calories.

Here are few other ideas as well:

A cool day is just the thing to use your garden to keep fit. Raking leaves, bending over to pull out dead plants or weeds, reaching out to do some pruning on shrubs and trees will work most all muscles in the body as well as the satisfied feeling you’ll get for a job well done.

Bicycling is a great cardio workout and you can do it in city or off road.

Hit the trails for good run or just a walk and see some nature on the way.

Visit trails.com or contact your local parks and recreation for trails in your area.

Also, this is the season for shopping. Try to park as far away from the store as you can to get a good walk in before you start your shopping.

- Take it to the gym -

Lets say there is time to spend at the gym. Use it! Gyms have great cardio programs and equipment to utilize; treadmills, elliptical, rowing machines, and stationary bikes are but a few. For the best results, ask the front desk about seeing a personal trainer for a good plan that suits you and your lifestyle. Just a few sessions to get yourself on the right track and have a custom designed workout that you can do at the gym or at home. It may just be one of the best investments you make.

- Healthy snacks -

While Panettone is my snack of choice during the holiday season, I do have to practice will power not to eat it all in one sitting. However, I do enjoy other snacks that will give me a boost of energy as well.

Nuts such as pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews.

Granola is a fun healthy snack for children and adults.

Protein shakes are not just for muscle building. Try out whey or soy based protein shakes and you will feel the energy surge.

Laughing Cow cheese snacks are great with an apple will keep you going.

Even something as simple as hummus with some carrots for dipping.

These are only a few things that can help keep you in shape through the holidays. Be creative by using everyday items to incorporate into a well-rounded workout each day. Keep active and your attitude and energy levels will remain at an all time high.

Exactly the same exercise regimen as summer, autumn & spring with the exception of a helluva lot of snow shoveling. Includes walking against that cold Canadian wind when it whips down across Long Island Sound into my harbor side village.

My motivation comes from my own internal energizers & the fact I want to live long enough to see how "it" all turns out in the end.

I don't know about most people but it is easier to maintain a hard exercise regimen in winter than summer when it is usually too hot for most people(not me), to do anything but complain about the hot humid weather. However in summer because there is no relieving Canadian wind, the steamy weather somehow causes all the hills in my town to increase their slope angles to about 45 degrees & they all seem to be uphill..

I'm a swinger, so I'm motivated all year 'round to stay in shape. knowing that you have to look good to have sex with other fit people makes you work at it. After all, if I add on 10 pounds, anyone who sees me like that will always remember me with a gut instead of being trim -- and the swinger community is fairly small and close-knit, so you want people to say good things about you if they're comparing notes.

Unfortunately, when we hit a slow period I can put 5-10 pounds on. But we usually go to one of swinger resorts in Mexico in November, and since the whole place (150+ couples) are going to see you at the pool before deciding if they want to hook up, it's an even greater incentive to make sure you look your best. So I usually look my best in Nov-Dec.

In the winter I usually do the elliptical and stationary bike. I'm thinking about going back to swimming, which was a favorite for a while, but now that I work out at home I don't want to add the expense of joining a club. They may not be the most exciting, but they work. I'll also run with my dogs if the weather is warm enough. Roller skating is great exercise too, and you can do that indoors or outdoors.

Become a swinger. It's fun and it keeps you very motivated. Plus the all-night sex is a great way to work off the calories.

A combo of two things: JIllian Michaels workout DVDs and dance games for the Wii. Jillian's 30 Day Shred is no joke! And there are three levels to advance to. And the Wii dancing... that's just fun cardio! Both are way better than only doing one boring motion on gym cardio equipment like an elliptical or treadmill. And 30 Day Shred is only 30 min total - including warm up and cool down stretching - but it WORKS!

It’s the time of year most of us reduce our physical activity and begin hibernating – just like nature. Lack of movement and eating wintery foods causes us to put on a few pounds.

let's hear it! For those of you who stay active outside all winter, what do you do?

Here is a Tips to stay Active and fit in all winter season

1) Keep your home at a normal (not too hot, not too cold) temperature to avoid the “Hibernation Effect", Use the house as a gym.

2) Replace your light bulbs.

3) Take advantage of the seasonal fruits and vegetables.

4) Lighten up your drinks during the winter.

5) Socialize your exercise.

6) Prevent winter nosebleeds germs the slip-off with olive oil.

7) Fight off the winter fatigue with foot massages.

8) Fight off winter fatigue by reducing the temperature of your morning shower.

9) Chop some firewood!

10) Soup it up!

11) Use the cold to freeze your fat!

I live in an extended rancher. When I can't go outside to walk, I walk the circle around the inside of my house. Each circle takes 1 minute. I do 40 per day.

I also go onto a site- Realage.com. They have loads of free exercise videos. I do the power walking 1 and 2. I do chair aerobics, and arm exercises. I'm a senior in not so great condition, so the other workouts are too much for me.

If there is no snow on the ground, I go to an exercise club, and go to water exercise classes. I do this even if the weather is lovely outside.

I just go to the gym everyday. I've been going since the beginning of November and it's nice, because you get used to seeing the same people - whether they work there, or whether they're gym addicts, too.

What keeps me motivated is seeing the results. I've started to see abs and muscle definition in my arms. Seeing that makes me want to keep going. The good thing with my gym is that it's rarely closed and, if it is, I simply pay $5 and go to the gym that's a little further away. The endorphines that the brain releases when you're working out makes you feel great and you want to keep feeling that. Once you start going to the gym, you don't want to stop.

So far I've been walking an hour a night in spite of the cold. But if I give in and stay in I'm going to do the exercises on that old 1960's exercise record the schools were having us do that goes by a song "CHICKEN FAT" (Meredith Wilson) "The Youth Fitness Song" Robert Preston conducted by Bernie Green (the record says). It's only a few minutes long I guess, but it's more exercise than sitting at the computer then going to bed!

Doing Group Exercise classes at the gym is a fun and motivating way to stay fit during the cold months!!