Fun Ways to Keep Your Energy and Spirits High.
Feeling down and cooped up for the winter?
Activity — both physical and mental — is essential for maintaining energy and high spirits. Give these boredom busters a try!
Go skating. Ice, inline, or roller skating is excellent cardiovascular exercise and an effective energy and mood booster. It also improves balance and coordination — and it’s just plain fun!
Film festivals. During the winter, many film festivals have screenings at independent theaters, museums, and college campuses. If the festival has multiple films you’d like to check out, it likely offers discounted passes to see multiple or unlimited movies during the event.
Join a gym. Exercise on treadmills, stationary bicycles, stair climbers, indoor rowers, and elliptical trainers. Then, hit the weight machines every other day to tone and strengthen your muscles. Just think how great you’ll look come summer!
Try an aerobics or dance class. Aerobics is an excellent workout that also enhances energy. Or opt for a dance class. There are many styles to choose from: Jazz, modern, hip-hop, ballet, clogging, ballroom, salsa, country-western, square dancing, and many more.
Attend a sporting event. Get tickets to a sports game. If watching team sports isn’t your thing, you might enjoy a boxing or martial arts match, or an ice-skating competition.
Try a new sport. Get your game on with a wide variety of indoor sports. Pickleball is hot right now! Other good choices are racquetball, martial arts, tennis, swimming, volleyball, and bowling. Check with your local YMCA, recreation centers, or community parks for offerings and schedules.
Spa treatment. Revitalize yourself with a day at the spa or enjoy a home treatment. Bask in luxury with a facial, manicure, pedicure, and hair treatment. A new hairstyle, color, or highlights is also a great way to lift your spirits.
Form a weekly or monthly card-playing group. Ask friends, neighbors, coworkers, and family to join you in a regular evening of bridge, poker, or rummy. Have attendees bring a snack to share and take turns with other players hosting the event.
Go to the theater or dance performance. Look for performing arts venues large and small. Community colleges and universities often have performances open to the public.
A weekend away. Take a long weekend away someplace warm or just a lively city nearby. Look up attractions and entertainment before you go to make the most of your weekend stint.
Go to a concert. Check out large and small locations; the big ones will bring you national acts, but the small ones often bring independent artists of various genres, such as bluegrass, folk, jazz, Celtic, rock, R&B, blues, Latin, and more. Smaller venues are great because they provide a more intimate experience.
Explore a museum. Look for museums and galleries in your community, the big city, and college campuses. Art, history, and science museums provide fascinating ways to spend a day.
Visit the library. If you like to read, many libraries offer cozy reading nooks — an excellent way to get out of the house and relax. They also offer so much more than books, with extensive collections of magazines, DVDs, video games, and music CDs.
Put together a jigsaw puzzle. This is a perfect indoor activity for relaxing while exercising your brain. Before you begin, cut a piece of wood or cardboard a little larger than the dimensions of the puzzle. That way, if it takes a while to complete, you can store it easily.
Volunteer for a local charity. Help your favorite charity and volunteer your time and service. Whether you want to help the elderly, poor, sick, homeless, kids, pets, or the environment, there’s something out there for everyone. Choose something meaningful to you.
Seek out fun and fulfilling activities, and you will see that winter can be a beautiful and exciting time of year.
