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 jacket in red… I am always so cold in the winter and this jacket sounds like it would do the trick in keeping me a bit warmer!!!!
I’d love the black jacket! Perfect for winter 🙂
I would love to win either! I am loving that jacket and the boots. They both would come in handy for toting two kids to and from the gym and taking walk during the cold, Indiana winter. Not to mention we have two ski trips planned already and we love to take our daughter sledding.
I’d love the purple jacket.
Last winter my husband and I tried out winter hiking for the first time. I would love the black jacket for our hikes so I could leave my enormous puffy coat at home… it would make wearing my pack so much easier and more comfortable!
I love the look of the minx MID II Omni-heat print boots. The color of Siberia, oyster is awesome. I’ve needed new boots for a while that would keep my feet warm on cold winter walks!!!
New boots would be amazing!! I love the minx mid II omni Heat in blank 🙂 I have horrible circulation and perma-frozen toes!!
I love the Women’s Minx™ SHORTY Omni-Heat™ Herringbone in pebble! Living in Chicago it can get tough to stay motivated during the winter, especially as it gets darker earlier. I try and schedule my workouts on my calendar and keep some backup options in mind in case something comes up. I love the NTC app and pinterest for workout inspo!
I need to get outside in the winter, if for no other reason than getting a little vitamin D. I love to cross-country ski and snowshoe. Long walks with my pup are great as well.
Ooh, the jacket in Red would be awesome! My ave winter exercise is running along trails or the beach. East coast beaches are so peaceful in the winter!
I would love the same boots you have! Being 6’1″, it is hard to find shoes/boots that fit the clunkers I call feet and love that those boots come in size 12!
Much love from Charlotte!
I recently moved to Ontario, which has very cold winters, so I definitely have had to learn new ways to stay active in the winter! Outdoor activities aren’t an option for me but there are indoor tracks here that are fantastic to run on – and the gym for other activities, of course! Those booties are super cute!
Red!
I would love to win the minx pull-on omni heat boots! They’re so cute and would be great for hiking in the winter!
I would looove the red jacket!
Great giveaway! I’d choose the tradewinds grey parka. I love how it looks like dark silver without being shiny winter olympics silver.
I LOVE the jacket! I’d prefer black!!
The black jacket!
I would choose the black jacket!
Oh, the jacket in black would be amazing!
Holy moly, I LOVE the boots!!!!! LOVE THEM! I actually love the jacket too, but I have been really wanting boots that I can just throw on with leggings and be comfortable and I love that those are waterproof too! (And because I am SUPER small, I actually don’t know if an XS jacket from Columbia would fit me or not- I’ve never tried one on.) I love the ones you have on and the youth minx slip waterproof ones! Even if I don’t win, I plan on going to look for these boots and see if I love them as much as I do online!
I’m lucky to live in Atlanta, so it’s usually not TOO bad in the winter! I actually love running in the cold weather so I tend to run more in the winter months. I also like to repeatedly hike Stone Mountain and go hiking up in the mountains as well! I stick with doing CrossFit and will try to meet up with my friends at LA Fitness for some of the other classes or just to lift weights that we didn’t do during CrossFit. I really want to try snowshoeing, but don’t live where it’s cold enough to do that! I have no idea what I’d do if it snowed though. I think my motivation might suffer if it did.
(So I guess I’d go with the exact boots you’re wearing. Does that count?)
I love the Women’s Minx Shorty in elk! And I also love that black jacket!
I would be thrilled if I won either the jacket or the boots!! To stay active during the winter I like to attend fitness classes at my gym! We have LesMills classes so there is a variety that I can take, and they keep me on a good schedule!
love that black jacket!
the minx boots mid II in winter white are a MUST HAVE! I need those!!!
I love the jacket in red!
Amazing Giveaway !! thanks 🙂 I would love to win the Red Jacket !
I would love the jacket in black!! I love Columbia products!
I would love the black jacket! Perfect for our cold Colorado winters!
I’m lucky enough to have free access to the weight room at the local school, so I tell myself, I have no reason not to stay active in the winter. I can lift a few days a week and there is plenty of room to get in a cardio workout too.
Love the jacket in grey/silver!
Last year’s horrible cold kept me from running outdoors. I found it worked well for me to have a collection of indoor workouts to do in the basement. Hand weights, an exercise ball, and a mat was all I needed. This winter I’ll be utilizing my new orange theory membership once a week too! Thanks for the giveaway, Julie!
I love love love the Minx Pull On Omni-Heat boots! Those look so cute on you and exactly what I’ve been looking for for awhile now. What an awesome giveaway! Thank you!
living in MN I could use both the boots (love the Minx pull on) & the coat (black)! As far as a fun winter activity goes, I’m a big fan of snow shoeing!
I would love, love, love the jacket in red. It looks fantastic on you.
Love the jacket, especially the red! You model it so well. 🙂
I love taking my daughter and dogs to the park and going for a walk, then going down the hills in the sled.
I’d love a pair of the shorty print Minx boots in Elk! So cute!
Love that jacket in red!
Love the boots, love the jacket! I can’t stand being cold- I literally count down all day to when I can get home and into fuzzy socks/fleece pants/a blanket. For some reason, this doesn’t apply to running, I will put on tights and 4 layers of shirts and endure the cold for the few minutes it takes to warm up. As long as the roads aren’t icy, I’ll run all Winter long!
I would love to be outdoors in that jacket–especially love the red color! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to get the Columbia Platinum 860 TurboDown jacket in the color red!
That red is a great pop of color
I’d love the get the jacket in red – so cute!
I’d love the black jacket!
The red jacket would be fabulous for a Ky winter!
I would love the jacket in black. I love how light they are and how well they pack for traveling.
I would love the red Columbia jacket or the minx MID II Omni-heat print in Siberia, oyster!!! The way I stay active in the winter is to bundle up and go for a run or walk with family (sometimes having to guilt trip them into going with me!)
That jacket in purple will keep me warm during my mountain treks here in Alberta!
We love sledding during the winter. Usually we take our dog and she will chase us as we sled down the mountain. We also enjoy snow shoeing in the national parks. Wearing layers makes me more confident in getting out the door for a winter activity.