Not everyone loves running in the cold weather, or on the treadmill. Some, find it boring, repetitive, and potentially even lonely if they run by themselves.
As the weather in the UK has taken a turn; darker mornings, colder temperatures, and dark evenings, many people are looking for sports that they can participate in that don’t involve going outside.
We’ve put together a list, with the approximate calories burnt per hour for each, of some of the top winter sports that take place over winter.
Table of Contents
Squash (816 calories an hour) is one of the best Winter Sports
Squash can be played indoors, often at a local leisure center or squash center. There are many benefits of playing squash, but while it doesn’t involve running far distances, it does involve a lot of moving around, diving, and leaping for the squash balls.
As well as improving cardiovascular health, it also improves hand-eye coordination, increases strength and fitness, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
Here’s a list of local leisure centers that offer squash as a pay-as-you-go activity.
Table Tennis (330 calories an hour) is the most favourite indoor Winter Sports
Table tennis is a sport that you don’t necessarily need to leave the house to do, as you can either purchase your own table tennis table or purchase accessories to transform your dining table into table tennis.
There’s a list of table tennis benefits here, but this list includes the likes of increasing mobility and the fact that there’s a fairly low risk of injury.
Here’s a list of some of the UK’s top-rated table tennis tables from Kettler, so you can set up your own court right in your own home.
Swimming (400 calories an hour)
Swimming works every muscle in your body, even the ones that you didn’t know you had. As well as keeping your heart rate up, it takes some of the impact stress off your body while also maintaining a healthy heart and healthy lungs.
If you’re lucky enough to have a swimming pool in your home, then this should be an easy exercise to participate in, however, for most people, heading to the local swimming pool is the best option.
Yoga (300 calories an hour)
Some people may think that yoga is all about improving your flexibility and balance, but on top of that, it has so many more health benefits. Those with muscle aches, in perhaps their back or shoulders, tend to go to yoga to stretch these muscles out.
As well as this, it can also ease arthritis symptoms and improve heart health. Nothing beats putting on some relaxation music and YouTubing a good yoga session.
Badminton (310 calories an hour)
Similar to tennis in terms of rallying a ball over a fence, badminton is a game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is hit back and forth across a net, a game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is hit back and forth across a net.
Although you do have to do a small bit of running, it’s not of distance and it’s all within one small area.
Badminton, similar to the above, is a total body workout. You’ll also need to play against someone, so it’ll be a good group activity you can get your friends and family involved in, so it’s more of a social activity rather than exercise!
Conclusion:
Winter sports are a great way to stay active during the winter months. Not only are they a fun way to spend time with friends and family, but they can also be a great workout for making your body warmer and more active.
The above said sports are good for building lower body strength while playing in an indoor stadium, they can improve your balance and strength of the full body.
So, if you’re looking for a way to stay active this winter, consider trying out one of these winter sports. You may just find that you enjoy it more than you thought.
