I grew up just outside of Chicago, so I’m all too familiar with bitter-cold winters, but I’ve been out of the icy cold winter season for years since we moved to Florida in 2003. Now I’m in North Carolina and anticipating my first real winter in 11 years. It’s time to bundle up, baby!
Knowing that my coldest winter in years is on the horizon, I took some time to brainstorm ways to remain active during the winter months to share as part of Columbia’s new initiative. I’d love to hear some of your ideas, too!
Tips for Staying Active During the Winter
- Keep At Home Workout Options On Hand
When it’s cold outside, there will inevitably be days that we won’t want to leave the comfort of a warm and cozy house. That’s when at home workouts come into play! Build a small collection workout DVDs, check out free fitness channels on YouTube or browse Pinterest for lots of at home workout ideas! If you happen to have an Amazon Prime membership, you can find tons of free workouts there as well!
- Bundle Up and Take Your Workout Outside
Even during the cold months, there are still tons of ways you can stay active outside. Grab a coat and have fun skiing, snowshoeing, building snowmen or snow forts and sledding. If it’s cold but there isn’t any snow on the ground, check out an indoor ice skating rink for some winter fun or bundle up and head out on a long hike!
Some new sure-to-keep-you-warm winter apparel favorites from Columbia:
I first had the chance to put Columbia’s famous TurboDown jacket to the test during a ski trip to Park City back in January and walked away raving about the heat-retaining powers of the Omni-Heat insulation (SO impressed!) and the lightweight yet incredibly warm down.
The silver lining you see is the Omni-Heat thermal reflective technology at work! The inside of the jacket is lined with tons of metallic microdots that reflect your own body heat back to you, making it 20 percent warmer than a normal liner. Sounds crazy, but after trying it out in Park City, I am a believer!
Another feature I somehow never hear people talk about that seriously impressed me is the way the TurboDown jackets can fold up and take up minimal space in a suitcase. When I think of down jackets, I always think of gigantic puffy coats that take up tons of space, but this jacket is somehow extremely lightweight and small but still incredibly warm.
In the winter months, warm feet = Happy feet! Columbia’s Minx Boots first caught my eye when I saw the company’s social media guru wearing them in Park City so I was quite excited to try a pair myself! I opted for the Minx™ Pull On Omni-Heat™ Print because I wanted a pair of boots I could easily pull on and off to take me to and from the gym during the winter, but I also wanted a waterproof boot I could wear on cold weather hikes.
These boots fit the bill and I love the fun print and cushioned sole. Plus, I have a feeling the Omni-Grip will come in handy when it gets icy outside or when I am hiking and need a good grip to keep me from sliding all over the trails.
- Participate in a Winter Workout Challenge (or Create Your Own!)
Sometimes a little friendly competition (even if its only with ourselves!) is all we need to get motivated to work up a sweat. Many gyms offer winter workout challenges but if you cannot find a fun challenge near you, reach out to some friends and create your own. Pick a prize that will motivate you (a new workout outfit, perhaps?) and make it a goal to work up a sweat four to five times a week. Support each other and hold each other accountable!
- Try a New Workout Class or Sign Up for a Local Running Club
Trying something new can do wonders when it comes to reigniting our love for fitness. Try taking a new workout class at your gym or sign up for a class you’ve never tried before at a local studio. (If the cold has your spirits at an all-time low, look for a hot yoga class to warm you up!) If you miss your summertime outdoor workouts, research local running clubs. Most running clubs meet up during the winter months, too!
- Train for a Race or Competition
There’s no denying the fact that having a goal makes it a little easier to commit to a fitness routine. By signing up for a race or local competition (look for indoor triathlons and CrossFit competitions), you’ll have a training plan to follow which may motivate you to stick to your workouts when curling up on the couch sounds more appealing.
Columbia Giveaway
And now it’s time for a winter giveaway! I have a feeling most of you out there are hoping to remain active through the winter months, so I’d love to send one reader their own Columbia Platinum 860 TurboDown jacket and another reader a pair of Minx boots in the style of their choice.
If you’re hoping to win the jacket, simply comment below and tell me which color you’d like from the options offered: Red (the one I have), purple, black or silver.
If you’re hoping to win the boots, let me know which style you like best! (You may see the 10 different style options of the Minx boots here.)
Or, if you don’t care which prize you win and are equally interested in both the jacket and the boots, tell me about some of your favorite *active* things to do during the winter months or some of the ways you motivate yourself to stay active in the winter.
I will randomly select two winners on Friday!
Good luck!
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Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Columbia through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Columbia outerwear, all opinions are my own. The giveaway portion of this post is not sponsored and I will personally be buying the winners’ prizes and mailing them to the winners. Good luck!
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To stay active during the winter months, I enjoy just walking outside. I live in Florida so most of the time our “winters” are very mild so it’s nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air! Both the jacket and boots are super cute and look really comfy!
I’d love the jacket in black!
My very favorite thing to do in the winter to stay active is having my girlfriends over, making yummy healthy dishes, a bottle of wine and a DANCE PARTY in my living room. There is something about getting up and moving around that makes us feel so good! Dancing, singing and laughing always makes us forget about the winter blues….and burns quite a few calories as well! Those boots look like dancing shoes to me…love them!
I like taking group fitness classes!
what an amazing giveaway! definitely the same red jacket as you 🙂 love the color!
I love the black jacket! Perfect for the cold New England weather! Thanks for the awesome giveaway:)
Love the red jacket!!!
I love the Mid II boot, they’re so cute!
I definitely want the Minx pull-on boots! I may look for them in the store regardless, I have a pair of lace-up boots that take forever to put on, pull-on boots are where it’s at! New England winters are no joke, I’m going to start my prep very soon!
The jacket seems so perfect for winter. I’d love it in black!
I would love Women’s Minx™ Pull On Omni-Heat™ in black.. they look so warm & cozy!!
I Live in Buffalo so either the boots or the jacket would do me fine. I love to go on hikes with my family and my dogs in the winter especially when there is snow on the ground! Also we do a lot of sledding and ice skating
I fall a lot, so outdoor activities don’t bode well for me in the winter 🙂 Michigan was also hit hard last year in the winter, so I opted for a lot of work out dvds! When the weather is drive-able, I typically opt to go the gym, but I’m hoping to change it up a bit this winter with some new group classes (yoga, pilates, spinning, etc.). Oddly enough, I’m more motivated to work out in Winter than I am in the warmer months!
I would be thrilled to win either the coat or the boots! I live in the midwest with cold winters and either would come in handy. My favorite cold weather activity is long walks after a fresh snowfall.
I just moved to Colorado after years of living in warmer climates (Oklahoma, Florida, and North Carolina!) and I would LOVE a new black winter jacket to keep me warm when ski season takes off in just a few weeks 🙂
I adore the Minx Mid II Omni Heat in the white! Those would be perfect for staying warm in Wisconsin.
I just moved to NC also and need a new winter jacket! I went to ECU so the obvious color choice is purple!!
That black jacket would be perfect for everything outside this winter, from commuting to skating and snowshoeing!
Great giveaway!
I would love either prize. I love the red jacket & the same boots you have. So cute! I like to go to attend cardio interval classes at my gym year round. The accountability of attending a class with the same people works for me!
I love snow skiing! So sad I don’t get to go very often. Maybe this year I can hit up the local snow hill.
I love making indoor obstacle courses for my kids and then doing it with them! It keeps us all busy and active during the cold months!
I’d love to win the coat! We are going to spend Christmas in Colorado and I need warm clothes!!! I’d love the black
Some of favorite active things to do in the winter are go snow skiing and run. I surprisingly enjoy running in the cold, I tend to run faster!!
Ahhh I love Columbia jackets, I’ve been wanting one forever!
I would love the black or the purple jacket!
I like the purple or black jacket! I love going for long hikes in the winter before it snows, and it’s also a great time to try out new group exercise classes!
I would love the jacket in Black! I live in Central Wisconsin and cross country ski in the winter. That jacket would be perfect to wear to races or before/after training sessions!
I would be thrilled with either the jacket or the boots. Living in the frigid Midwest, it gets pretty chilly in the winter. I’ve always wanted to try snowshoeing and I just found a place close by that rents the snowshoes – I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Ahhh I live in Minnesota, so cold winters are my specialty!!
I would LOVE the black or purple jacket!
I love the red jacket and boots that you displayed here! In the winter, I motivate myself by signing up for a race. This year, my race is in March so I can’t slack too much! I just bundle up and get moving!
Staying active in the winter can definitely be a challenge. I’ve found that getting myself into an in-home program (I did the T25 last winter) helps to keep me going during the week and on the weekends I try to get outside and ski. Columbia jackets are great but I’ve never considered their boots. the Woman’s Minx Midi II Omni-Heat Boot looks awesome. I’ll have to keep my eye on it for a sale! (Also, I would rock that jacket in grey though with our upstate NY winters, a hood would come in handy.) Great post and awesome giveaways!
Great giveaway! I’d love to win the Women’s Minx™ Mid II Omni-Heat™ Print in white! They look so comfy, warm and cute!
I love the purple jacket!
I love the red one too! Great to keep me outside in those cold Boston months coming our way 🙂
i love the Minx™ Pull On Omni-Heat™ Print in elk/grizzly bear!
in order to stay in shape during the winter, i usually sign up for the long distance races (i.e. half marathons in the spring).
Hi! We moved to Canada earlier this year from southern US…and I have been trying to prepare myself for a FULL WINTER! 🙂 I would love the Women’s Minx Mid II Omni-Heat Boots or the Jacket – and either one would be welcome when it’s MINUS outside!!! We just bought our first Ski-Passes to keep active this winter…and we are also going to snowshoe. As always, great giveaway.
I love the purple jacket and the boots you have would be perfect to slip on and off!!! I find doing intervals in my basement is the best way for me to stay active during the cold winter months!!
In Alberta, Canada, it can be blistering cold!!! LOVE snowshoeing in the early morning when all is quiet. When it gets too cold it’s off to the gym or run laps around the indoor track at hockey arena. The coat and boots are so stylish, an Alberta Girl can’t have enough outerwear!!
Love the jacket in black!! The boots are cute too. They look super light-weight.
I love both the jacket and boots! I live in Wisconsin and have an almost 2 year old dog (shepherd mix) and he LOVES long walks in the winter. He definitely helps keep my husband and I active! 🙂
I love the red jacket!!
I LOVE the minx shorty version of the boots, they are perfect for shoveling snow, or hiking the trails this winter.
love the Women’s Minx Mid II Omni-Heat Print in Winter White, Silver Sage. Thanks!
Would love the TurboDown jacket in black! I have been looking for a coat just like this.
I love the shale Women’s Minx™ Mid II Omni-Heat™ Boot and the red jacket you have as well! I’m a Wisconsin Badger so a warm red jacket would be perfect, but boots are a must have too for the very cold and snowy winters we get!
I absolutely love those tan minx boots you have on! I think finding warm, cute, and affordable winter boots is almost impossible but those are super cute!
I love the jacket in red! Or the boots would be so cute too!
I would love either the jacket or boots! To stay active in the winter, I stick to my gym workouts, walk my dogs, and play with my kids (dancing, etc.).
I love both the jacket and boots! I live in the Chicago area and as you know, winters are brutal. I have a gym membership which is so nice on those bitter cold mornings, and I also have a pile of at home workout videos and some weights in the garage for those days the snow is just a little too high. If its not too cold, my husband and I like to go for walks in our neighborhood and get some fresh air!
I would love a red jacket for my wife, because she gets cold easily (even in Florida) but still loves to do things outdoors!
I love the purple jacket! I live in Georgia so it doesn’t get brutally cold here, but I always run a half marathon in February. It prevents me from slacking off in the winter months and it also keeps the holiday weight gain in check (;