10 reasons to love Minnesota winters (when you hate cold weather) Part 3 of 3

November 9, 8:58 AMMinneapolis Health and Happiness ExaminerKristen K Brown

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In this third installment of ways to love winter when you hate cold weather, I tried to give some options that will keep our bodies moving and our minds engaged while we hide out in the house. By keeping ourselves active, we can prevent those inevitable extra pounds of insulation we gain during the winter months and keep our energy levels up. And as my dad always says, "it’s not cold if you dress right". So if these active indoor wintertime pursuits don’t fit your interests, time or budget, bundle up and get outside for a snowball fight, walk in the park with the dog or other cold weather activity.

1. Participate in indoor recreational activities like basketball, volleyball or indoor golf or tennis – or join a gym to stay active. If you don’t like to exercise outdoors in winter (that’s me), play indoors or join a gym. If you can’t afford that, exercise at home. There are plenty of programs online, on television or on DVD that cater to all interests from hula hooping to yoga to pole dancing.

2. Tackle the indoor projects you’ve been putting off all summer. Without the warm summer sun as an excuse for not completing indoor home improvement tasks, winter is the perfect time to get them done. Clean the laundry room, re-paint that chipped trim, update the bathroom. With four to six months of cold, there is plenty of time to tackle even the most daunting and time-consuming tasks.

3. Travel, travel, travel. If all else fails, there are thousands of places around the globe offering warm sun and beaches to ease the doldrums of winter. In just a few hours you can escape the winter chills and be relaxing seaside in your swimsuit with a cold, frosty beverage in hand!

4.  Take classes to enrich your mind.  Whether it's painting, writing, history, exercise or other pursuit, getting out to learn a new skill or improve upon one you already have is a fun way to meet new people and get out of the house when the weather turns cold.

If all else fails, you can always migrate south for the winter!