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Wintertime in Georgia. One day it’s so warm, it feels like you’re on the beach in Key West, and the next day, you wonder if you’re living in Alaska. The problem with winter in the Peach State is those stretches of cold, sometimes snowy weather, which keep you inside, sitting in your favorite chair and watching television. We’re all tempted to hibernate more than we should when the weather cools, but adopting sedentary habits isn’t a good idea for anyone, especially seniors. 

Here are nine winter activities you can try indoors at home this winter that are fun, enjoyable, and surprisingly energizing.

Break Up With Your Recliner Once a Day

When your local meteorologist predicts cold blasts of air from the Arctic are descending on Georgia, working out might be the last thing on your mind. However, seniors should know how important it is for them to stay active after the holidays. Even incidental activities, like mopping the floor, cleaning out cupboards, or organizing the guest room, help maintain joint and muscle strength and support healthy balance, memory, and mental sharpness.

Gentle workouts, such as marching in place or stretching while doing household chores, can improve flexibility and mobility. Dedicating 20 minutes a day to getting up and moving can strengthen your muscles, reduce joint stiffness, and improve your mental clarity within a month. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, delivering more oxygen and nutrients that help improve focus, memory, and decision-making.

Finish Something You Started Some Time Ago

Remember that project you started and never finished? The half-done quilt? The woodworking craft in the garage? Sorting through decades of family photos?

There’s no good reason to keep putting it off now that you’ve got the time. Think about the times you completed projects in the past, how you felt satisfied and proud of yourself, and excited to begin another project. Completing something revitalizes your mood better than binge-watching another Netflix series you’ll forget about in a couple of weeks.

If you don’t have a project, start one. Learn to knit or crochet. Build something small, like a new shelf, a birdhouse, or a wooden porch sign. Fix that old garage fridge that’s been broken for months. You know you only need to replace a few wires, and you can get them at your local hardware store.

Music From Your Era Beats Whatever’s On The Radio Now

Listen to music you sang and danced to in high school and let the vivid memories come flooding back—places you loved, friends you haven’t thought about in decades, feelings you’d forgotten you had. Try twisting those long afternoons away while listening to Chubby Checker. Slow dance with your significant other to the Platters’ “My Prayer.” Or just make up your own dance steps while laughing at silly songs like “Monster Mash” or “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-dot Bikini.”

Consider joining a singing group, such as a community choir or a church ensemble. These groups welcome everyone, no matter how you sound. What matters is being with other people and doing something that brings joy, rather than sitting in boredom, complaining. Music makes good company, especially when it gets dark before six o’clock, and is always a reliable way to lift the spirit.

Show Off Your Game Face

Playing games engages the mind in ways that sitting in front of the TV could never do. Card games, chess, Scrabble, crossword puzzles—anything that makes you think keeps your brain in better shape.

Call your local community centers and libraries to see if they host weekly game sessions where you can meet people and have some friendly competition. You’ll discover that certain folks take their Bingo or dominoes pretty seriously, which always makes an outing interesting and fun.

If you’d rather stay home and play, here are some fun games you can try online:

• Word searches
• Solitaire
• Chess
• Mahjong
• Trivia quizzes
• Memory games
• Online bridge, poker, or gin rummy

You’ll Feel Better If You Don’t Look Like Oscar Madison

Remember Oscar from “The Odd Couple?” He appeared to be someone who considered showering optional and shuffled around in wrinkled, stained shirts that looked like he had slept in them. Don’t be an Oscar this winter!

When you let your appearance slide, you start feeling sluggish and unmotivated. A hot shower wakes up your body and clears your head. Warm, clean clothes against your skin feel refreshingly different and energizing. Showering and wearing clean clothes signals to your brain that you’re taking care of yourself, which boosts your mood and confidence.

Get Out of the House

Winter makes it tempting to stay inside for months, but you don’t have to hibernate until spring. Find indoor places where you can walk, stimulate your brain visually, and perhaps make a new friend.

The mall works perfectly for getting out and about. Walk through its wide hallways a few times for exercise. Notice and think about what you see. Memorize interesting things you saw and tell your spouse or friends about them.

Meet someone for lunch at a restaurant. It does not need to be anything special, just somewhere that is not your kitchen table. Eating with another person provides essential social connection and offers many more benefits than eating alone. Checking out different spots now and then keeps things from feeling like the same day on repeat.

Don’t Let Winter Turn You Into a Recluse

Winter makes it easy to lose touch with people. You’re not running into neighbors outside or seeing friends at the store. If you don’t try to stay connected, you could go weeks without talking to anyone except your spouse or pet friend. For seniors living alone, winter can be especially isolating.

Call your kids and grandkids. Text them if you can. Teens and preteens check their phones constantly anyway, so you know they’ll read your text even if you don’t get an immediate reply. Invite someone over for coffee or to watch an old movie together that will make both of you say, “They sure don’t make them like that anymore!”

Read Something Besides Facebook

How many books do you have that you’ve never gotten around to reading? Two, five, more than five? Now’s the time to put a stack of unread books on your end table or nightstand and start nurturing your brain with new inspiration.

Reading forces your brain to work in ways that watching television never will. When you read, you create mental pictures of characters and settings, follow plot threads across hundreds of pages, recall details from chapters you read days ago, and make connections between ideas. Your mind stays active the entire time, rather than passively absorbing images created by someone else. That kind of mental exercise keeps your memory sharp and your thinking clear, both of which become more important as we age.

Help Someone Else (It Helps You Too)

Volunteering can change your outlook by shifting your focus to others. When you help brighten someone’s day, your worries often feel smaller. Many organizations, like food banks, libraries, and hospitals, need volunteers. Choose a cause you care about. Devoting just a few hours of your time can make a big difference in many people’s lives. Consider checking on your homebound neighbors who might need help with groceries. Small acts of kindness foster community and give your day purpose, especially during the winter months. Your contributions can truly matter.

Winter doesn’t have to be a season of inactivity. By embracing the many opportunities available in your home and community, you can enjoy a season rich with connection, creativity, and joy.

Spend the winter months surrounded by a caring community of friends, neighbors, and peers at The Cambridge. Trade your sedentary, monotonous winter routine for a lifestyle of purpose, with convenient services and amenities, and countless opportunities for connection. Our assisted living and memory care communities offer living options that suit your needs and preferences, easing the burden of managing alone at home and connecting you to a life you’ll love. 

Contact us to schedule a visit and learn more about a winter respite stay or any of our assisted living or memory care options. Or, follow our blog for more ideas and resources to keep you healthy, active, and engaged this winter—and all year through!