If you live in an area where it tends to get somewhat cold (or very cold) during the winter months, it can be difficult to make the transition from activity during the warmer period of the year. This is especially true if you tend to spend a lot of your time exercising outdoors. Nonetheless, it's important that you continue to be active during the winter months.

If you are not active during the winter months, you'll tend to gain weight because your body doesn't burn off as many calories. You may also run into trouble with other health problems, and many people find that fluctuating in weight is uncomfortable and that it makes it more difficult to lose weight later on when you do become active again. Therefore, it's best to stay active throughout the winter months by making use of the following techniques.

One of the best ways to ensure that you stay active throughout the entire year is to incorporate indoor training of some type into your exercise regimen. This is perhaps easiest if you plan to join a gym. You may opt to join a gym just for the months in which it's too cold outside for you to exercise normally. This is a good option if you prefer strongly to exercise outside when the weather is nice, although it may be a bit more expensive due to joining fees.

Many health and fitness centers have a variety of indoor activities that you can participate in. These range from volleyball and basketball to swimming, running and more. You can also incorporate weight training into your fitness regimen if you haven't done that already.

Depending upon where you live, there may be a number of winter sports or activities that you can engage in while it's cold outside. These will help you to stay fit while you may not be completing your regular activity schedule. Some of the best winter activities to engage in include skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and hockey. If you have difficulty tracking down these activities in your area, or you're interested in renting or purchasing equipment for these purposes, pay a visit to a local ski store or sports specialty store for more information about how you can get involved in your community.

When you're not getting as much exercise through reduced activity over the winter, it's important that you monitor the food that you eat carefully. If you don't, you may ingest more calories than you burn off, which results in an overall gain in weight. This may mean that you have to temporarily reduce the portion sizes that you eat or exercise moderation. Although this can be difficult during the winter months, it will help to maintain your overall weight and fitness level when you don't have the chance to be as active as normal.