It is getting cold outside!!

Staying active in the fall and winter seasons can be a challenge! The decrease in daylight, lower temperatures and a decline in organized outdoor activities can lead many of us to become a bit lethargic this time of year. However, there are many benefits to staying active as the seasons change: staying fit and burning calories from all of those tasty holiday treats to name a couple! A consistent exercise regimen can also help beat the winter blues and make it easier to manage Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The online calorie and exercise tracking program, Myfitnesspal, published a fantastic list of ways to stay active in the fall. Click here to see the full article: 25 Ways to Move More with Less Daylight. Here are a few of my favorites:

Short is sweet –You might not be able to fit in a long workout every day, especially as the busy holiday season approaches. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the block or do some jumping jacks in your living room. Something is always better than nothing!

Set short-term goals – Setting simple goals for fitness and wellness will help the task not seem so daunting. Set up weekly goals to help keep you on track.

Reward yourself – This idea goes hand in hand with goal setting! There is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for meeting your fitness goals. Decide what motivates you, make a plan and get started!

Find seasonal activities – Skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating are great calorie burning fall and winter activities! You might need to bundle up for these and other seasonal activities, but I bet you’ll have so much fun that you will barely notice the cold!

Keep at it – As the Myfitnesspal article notes “Every day might not be a home run, but if you plug away and keep adding notches to your belt, you’ll feel like you have more invested. Consistency is a key element to fitness.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Now get out there and keep moving - you'll be glad you did!

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Bethany Jones Raab is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Denver, Colorado.