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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I would LOVE the black Columbia jacket. I got to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and our winters can get down into the negatives with the windchill and we have gotten over 10 inches of snow the last two winters!
I love the jacket in black! It would be great for my commute to Boston!
The shorty omni print are really cute!
I love the Womes Minx “Shotry Omni-Heat” Print boots in the Elk color. They look fantastic! We hike a ton and I could really use some cold weather hikers!
Thanks for the giveaway Julie!
I love the jacket in black!
I try and stay active by motivating friends to stay active with me! Friend time turns into workout time as well, such a wonderful break in the dreary winter!
I really love the black jacket!
Black Jacket! perfect!
Oh my so many choices! Is that vest you are wearing an option? It is so cute! I really love the minx boots and the jacket! I can’t decide, so this winter I plan to train for some races and stock up on my at home workouts!
The Jacket in black!!!
I would either or living in Minnesota. I try and motivate myself with workout videos during the winter.
I would either or living in Minnesota. I try and motivate myself with workout videos during the winter. (I put the wrong email above)
I would like either one. Love the boots the best would choose WOMEN’S MINX™ MID II OMNI-HEAT™ BOOT or the jackets in black
Growing up on the Canadian prairies I know cold! Now that I’ve moved west to the mountains, my favourite way to stay active in the winter is skiing. The only place I like seeing snow is on the slopes, lol.
I need some new winterwear so I’d be happy with winning either! And one of the things I do to stay active in the winter is keep a pinterest board of workout videos and go through some of the different workouts each day.
I would love the Women’s Minx Mid II Omni-Heat boots in Shale! They are really cute and look like they would keep my feet warm and dry during Wisconsin winters.
For cold New England Winters, that coat in black would sure do the trick! 🙂
My husband and I live in Denver and when it snows, we love to run around and play in the snow with your dog who adores the snow! The boots or jacket would help keep me toasty on our outdoor adventures.
With winter headed our way, I need new boots and a new coat – so I’d love to win either! My favorite winter activity is actually xc skiing, as I used to race it in high school. Although I haven’t done it in a few years, every time I think about it I just feel that whole body burn!
I like the red jacket!
I’d choose the jacket in black!!
I stay active during the winter months by setting my bike up on the trainer! I spin in the morning and catch up with my tv shows from the night before!!
I love to boots! I would pick the same ones you have in a size 8!
The red jacket, my favorite color!
I love the jacket on grey and the pull on winter boots especially with winter on the way!!
Having lived in Hawaii and Georgia for the past 5 years and now I am back in Ohio, I am in need of a winter coat! I would love it in black! Thanks!!
I absolutely ADORE the purple Columbia jacket!! But the boots would definitely come in handy, too — they look super comfy. I live in northern Virginia, and it doesn’t get nearly as cold here in the winter as some other places I’ve lived (I’m talking to YOU, Pittsburgh!), so I usually can keep up with outdoor runs a few days a week. And as long as there’s no ice around, horseback riding is a great way to stay active: not only does it get me outside for awhile, getting the horse from the pasture, grooming, saddling up, all provide light activity — and the scenery’s usually prettier in the winter!
I Love the Minx Shorty Omni-Heat in Herringbone. So cute!
I would love to win that beautiful jacket!! It’s perfect for travel!
Either prize would be amazing to win! I live in Canada where it feels like winter is 10 months long so I could definitely put either of these to good use. We try and take advantage of winter and the snow and do outdoor winter activities such as snowshoeing, skiing, toboganning, etc. These activities are tons of fun and it doesn’t really feel like a workout but it is!
Jacket in Black!! 🙂
I love both the jacket and the boots!! My favorite way to stay active in the winter is walking. I have a few 3-4 mile loops in my neighborhood that I frequently take.
I’d love the jacket in black! I just relocated from North Carolina to a much colder climate and could definitely use a warmer jacket.
I would get the jacket in black! It looks so warm and I’d use it during all of my ski trips this winter!
I would LOVE the jacket in silver!
I love the print minx boots in winter white!
I stay active by walking outside in the winter.
I love that jacket, especially in red!!
I definitely need some new winter boots! Since winter in North Carolina (!) is very different than winter in Pennsylvania, I haven’t felt the need to buy myself winter boots, and with the snow last year that was not a good idea! I love the white ones you have pictured 🙂
I love that jacket in SILVER!
Wow, I would love to win either of these awesome prizes!! Luckily, I live in TX so winter isn’t too brutal, but I travel to the Midwest a lot and I definitely have to get creative with indoor hotel workouts!
I would love to have the jacket in silver!!!
I’d love both but I really do need a new pair of boots the – Women’s Minx™ Pull On Omni-Heat™ Print are my top pick! I love to go snowshoeing in the winter and cross-country skiing.
In the winter I love ice skating and snowboarding. I’ve been ice skating since I was little and I still love it! I love the red jacket and the white boots! Soooooo cute!
I would absolutely love the jacket in black for the upcoming crazy-cold Boston winter!!!!
The jacket- in red. Super cute!!
I would LOVE the jacket in black!!!!!! Living in PA and owning three very active dogs, it would be amazing to have a lightweight yet warm jacket I could keep up with them in during the cold months!
After last year’s winter in NYC, I need some boots! (The polar vortex was brutal!!) the women’s minx pull on mini heat in black looks amazing!!!
The jacket is adorable in red! I usually like black since it goes with everything, but the red is too cute to pass up!
I definitely think the Pull On Omni-Heat Print boots are the nicest — adorable without looking too much like a stereotypical snow boot!