Don’t Freeze; Just Keep Movin’! Staying Active During the Winter in Grand Forks

As human beings we all try out best to stay healthy by eating well and staying active. Despite being the largest chunk of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it’s not always easy to do either of those things. Especially if you have a hectic schedule or, like me, your productivity relies heavily on if you’ve seen sunshine in the last few days. Recently, I’ve learned that to combat the sluggishness of the dark part of winter, I can spend an hour a day staying active, and it will instantly boost my mood and give me a little extra energy. But I’m really not a gym person. I cannot do weights, run track, or convince myself to go to the gym by myself. I can easily convince myself why it’s okay that I don’t go to the gym today.

But there are a few things I know about myself: I don’t like wasting money, I like going outside, and I can’t leave people hanging. So here are a few ways I stay active during the winter in Grand Forks other than going to the gym.

If you are anything like me, you can understand the struggle of figuring out how to work out. I got a general idea of how the machines work and a handful of weightlifting techniques but I am never quite sure what I am doing at the gym. Personally, I’m a little too shy to get a personal trainer. So, I found a great compromise! Fitness classes are super nice because you can learn to work out in a smaller group of like-minded people. It is also a great way to get yourself into the mood to work out. Here are a few places to start!

• Choice Health & Fitness, YMCA, and UND Wellness Center all offer a large variety of group exercise classes including yoga, zumba, boxing and so much more. If you’ve never attended a fitness class before or wanted to try something, these three are a great place to start since the classes are mostly introductory and since they are all in gyms you can very easily shift into a workout afterwards if that’s your vibe.
• The North Dakota Ballet Company (NDBC) and Pasley Ballet School are of the few dance studios in Grand Forks that offers adult dance classes if you are interested in getting into more traditional dance like ballet or tap. Or maybe you want to show off your new kicks in their adult hip-hop class!
• If you have any kiddos interested in groovin’ to the music, Dance Warehouse of ND, Dance ETC!, Just for Kix!, and GF Performing Arts School as well as NDBC and Pasley all offer a variety of dance classes across a broad range of ages.
• ATA Martial Arts, GF Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and Progressive Martial Arts are some places to learn to kick some butt if you want to follow in the steps of your favorite action hero character. YMCA also offers a Shotokan Karate open to kids and adults!

Joining the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals’ team for Choice Fitness’ sand volleyball league was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in the last few years. Not only was it a good way to motivate myself to get out and be active, I also gained a whole new network of friends that I probably never would have met if I didn’t. Joining a sports league is such a great way to hang out with friends and get a good workout in. Plus, I know I gotta be there for the team, so my attendance is perfect! Here are a few sports leagues around town that might tickle your interest:

• The Grand Forks Park District and Choice Health and Fitness hosts a large variety of different sports leagues including hockey, basketball, racket sports, and many more.
• Join a curling league at GF Curling Club
• If you are a UND student, the Wellness Center has their RecSports program in Fall and Spring semesters.
• LUG Sports in Grand Forks offers flag football in the spring.
• Get into a bowling league at Red Ray Lanes or Dakota Lanes on our Air Force Base.
• Join a GoKart team at Northern Air Action Park or Axe Throwing league at Downtown Axe are probably two of the coolest sounding leagues in town.

There is no better motivator to get you moving than how cold it is outside. Like I mentioned earlier, I love being outside. It’s a little more difficult to do in the winter, but that won’t always stop me. Besides, if you keep moving, you can’t feel the cold! Here are some cool ways to get moving outside and build those important winter skills that you might need for the Average Person Winter Olympics:

• Go snowshoeing at Turtle River State Park
• Ice skating in any of the free to use park ice rinks.
• Go sledding in Lincoln Park
• Travel the cross-country ski routes on the Greenway
• If you have one, you could also go snowmobiling on the Greenway.

You can rent skates, snowshoes, skis, and other winter equipment at The Outpost, Play It Again Sports, Lincoln Park Warming House, and if you are on the Grand Forks Air Force Base they have an equipment rental resource for you!

Finding alternatives to going to the gym in order to stay active during the winter in Grand Forks has really helped me with my motivation. It is so much easier to look forward to exercising when you are going to an activity that you really enjoy. I look forward to dance class and volleyball weekly. Just these two activities have me moving almost every other day and I didn’t even realize until I was writing out my planner for the new year! Stay active! Keep warm.