The winter holidays are the perfect time for socialising with friends, and enjoying the best of the festive season – which often means indulging in lots of treats. It is also a great time of year to enjoy the outdoors in Burnaby and surrounding areas. No need to stay stuck at home all day with the iPad, or scrolling Facebook on your phone. There are tons of ways to keep active over the holidays – both indoor and outdoor – in Burnaby and beyond. Here are a few ideas…
Head Over to the Pool
Swimming is a great way to keep fit over the winter holidays and during the colder months. Burnaby is blessed with some amazing indoor swimming facilities. Try out Eileen Dailly Leisure Pool, Edmonds Community Centre pool, or the pool at Bonsor Recreation Complex. Drop in swimming is less than $5.00 for students!
Break Out the Badminton Racquet
The schools may be closed over the holidays but that doesn’t mean you can’t play badminton – one of the most accessible and affordable sports to play during Burnaby’s rainy winters. Check out league teams and fun match play at the local community centres, such as Bonsor’s Teen Badminton on Fridays. This sport will keep you fit no matter how much raining is falling outside!
Stroll the Boardwalk Around Deer Lake
The Deer Lake trails are a great way to get some exercise over the winter holidays. Break up your walk with a visit to the Shadbolt Centre or the Burnaby Village Heritage Museum. During the colder months, the trails and boardwalk can be icy in some areas. If you plan to do a lot of walking here you can invest in some inexpensive Yaktrax – which are devices to easily attach over your shoes or boots that make them skid resistant in sub-zero weather!
Head to the Snowy Local Mountains!
People all over Metro Vancouver head to the local ski and snowboard hills of Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour – all located just 30 minutes away from Burnaby! This is the time of year to try out skiing or snowboarding – and each of these mountains have affordable rental day packages. The local ski areas are a convenient way to try out winter snow sports, and you can be home in time for dinner.
Burnaby is Headquarters for Skating
Get those skates on. If you want to experience real Canadian culture – guess where it really happens? That’s right: on the rink. You know you are hanging out with real Canadians when the person skating next to you is doing backwards crossovers. Check out the Bill Copeland Ice Arena – its rink is NHL-sized, and who wants to miss the Ugly Christmas Sweater Toonie Skate? Talk about Canadian culture…
There are tons of ways to keep active over the holidays – both indoor and outdoor – in Burnaby and beyond. Here are a few ideas… Share on XWhatever you decide to do over the winter holiday break, make sure you do something to keep yourself active and feeling fit. All the better to face the new year when the winter term starts on January 8th!
