Our favourite winter workouts

Think the gym is your only way to keep warm & fit this season?

Think again! In a city rated the best place in the world to live, there are TONS of fun ways to stay active this winter without having to brave the cold.  Torontonians are a seasonal bunch.  In the summer, we spend every waking minute outdoors.  We eat on patios, run along the waterfront, hang out in parks and patrol the boardwalk.

And then comes winter.

If you’re anything like me, you trade long runs on trails for short jogs to the gym, where you’ll wait out the winter on a warm but monotonous treadmill track. While a good old fashioned sweat session at the gym has its advantages, perhaps it’s time to shake up the old routine.  Here are some fun ideas for keeping active this winter, sans windburn.

Dodge ball.  Yup, you heard me.  Indoor dodgeball leagues like the Toronto Dodgeball Association have been gaining popularity in recent years, for good reason. With all the fun you’ll have, you won’t even notice that you’ve been running, jumping and dodging more calories than an aerobics class at the gym.

If you have an aversion to rubber ball welts then perhaps you might be better off scaling a rock wall at your local climbing facility.  There are a few fun spaces in Toronto including Rock Oasis and Joe Rockheads that have rad walls and great runs for beginners, pros and everything in between.  Not only will you get an incredible, full body workout, you’ll feel like a champ when you conquer a 5.9d run spider man style.

Finally, for those of you that don’t have the time to join a league or commute to a facility, try a 30 day challenge.  There are so many types to choose from and you can even try more than one for that extra burn.  You can do them at lunch with a coworker, compete with a friend, take it to social media for a group challenge or just rock ‘em solo.   There are so many options you’ll be sure to find the perfect fit.  For a peek at one of my faves, check out the link here.

With so many great ways to break a sweat this winter, we’ll be movin’ and shakin’ until the clocks spring ahead.  Toques off to a fun and active winter!