Tips on How to Stay Active When It’s Cold

I just came back from Chicago, Illinois, where winter makes its presence known immediately. Sidewalks turn into ice rinks overnight. Crossing the city streets looks easy until your slipping foot says otherwise. It’s the kind of cold where you’re not exercising so much as negotiating with the ground.

Back home in Denver, Colorado, winter has been gentler lately. Bright sun. Mostly dry trails. Just enough chill to remind you it’s still January, plus wind strong enough to rearrange your life choices. It’s the kind of weather that convinces you winter activity should look exactly like summer activity, just with gloves and a headband aggressively protecting your ears.

Traveling between these two places taught me something simple: Winter doesn’t always shut things down. Sometimes it just asks you to adjust.

So instead of forcing a rigid training plan, I’ve learned to stay flexible.

Tips on How to Stay Active When It’s Cold

1. I lower the bar on purpose. In winter, I stop forcing mileage and let movement lead. I run less, walk more, often with my dogs, who have zero opinions about pace. Somehow, the week still quietly adds up to close to ten miles. It turns out consistency doesn’t care whether my fitness tracker is impressed.

2. I let walking be enough. Long walks and hikes keep my body moving and my brain calm. They fit into short daylight windows. Some days, staying active just means getting outside and making it home upright. That counts.

3. I take it indoors when winter wins. When the weather pushes me inside, Apple Fitness+ keeps me moving. Clear on-screen captions, instructors who demonstrate every movement (and sometimes sign in ASL!), and haptic cues from my watch mean I can follow along without guessing. I don’t have to crane my neck or twist myself into a pretzel on the floor just to catch what’s happening on the screen. As a Deaf person, visual clarity matters. As a tired human in winter, it matters even more.

4. I change the setting when motivation dips. Some days, staying active means leaving the house. I’ll head to the gym, prop my phone up, and follow an Apple Fitness+ workout there using heavier weights or extra equipment. The routine stays familiar, but the environment changes. That small shift is often enough to reset my energy.

5. I let winter training be quieter. Winter isn’t asking for intensity. It’s asking for consistency. Staying active during this season looks softer and more flexible for me, and that’s not a flaw. It’s how I avoid burning out before spring even arrives.

I used to think consistency meant doing the same thing year-round, no matter the season. Now I know better. Consistency is showing up in ways that make sense right now.

Staying active doesn’t stop just because it’s cold. Sometimes it just gets quieter, a little less polished, and far more forgiving. And honestly, that might be winter’s greatest gift.