Stay warm and active this winter with these local options

Warm up this winter with fun and fitness at these local venues that offer options to exercise, swim, golf, hike and more.

An active lifestyle helps support health and happiness, and when workouts are accessible and enjoyable, they are far more likely to become and remain a part of an ongoing routine.

This time of year in Fauquier County, while beautiful, it can also be unpredictable when it comes to the weather. Recent weeks have demonstrated exactly that, with multiple snowstorms followed by 70-degree days. Tapping into a toolkit of neat and nearby exercise choices will help keep training on track even when cold conditions threaten to derail otherwise productive intentions.

These activities can keep you moving all winter and also offer a ton of additional benefits:

• Adding variety into workouts stimulates the mind, builds strength and supports active recovery.

• Cross-training is an excellent supplement to a primary sport or go-to workout.

• Trying something for the first time increases confidence and teaches fresh skills.

The community-centered businesses featured here provide support along with an opportunity to see friends and make new ones.

When it comes to group exercise classes, the Old Town Athletic Campus was ahead of the curve when founded by two Warrenton locals in 1996, and they have been innovating and inspiring ever since.

When Old Town Athletic Campus originally opened its doors almost 30 years ago, the “C” stood for “Club” and has now changed to “Campus,” which fittingly describes the expansion that has grown to include a bigger footprint across numerous buildings. The name change also highlights an almost college campus-type feel of a longstanding institution that promotes knowledge, expertise and options when it comes to health and wellness.

Old Town Athletic Campus is a family-owned business, and owner Kim Forsten talks enthusiastically about the popularity of existing exercise options as well as the addition of focus areas that include nutrition along with stress and sleep management.

“We are always looking to really, really work with each client,” Forsten says.

Old Town Athletic Campus offers a fitness center along with group, small group, semi-private and one-on-one training, instruction and classes, yoga, spinning, pilates, sports performance and kids care as well as special events throughout the year.

The facility and programming remains committed to extraordinary experiences that motivate movement, and their reach extends beyond their campus to include Old Town Athletic Campus Adventure, which aims to achieve experience-based fitness through fun things like tubing, hiking, cycling and more.

The Warrenton Aquatic & Recreation Facility has various trails on the property.

Michelle Pais | For FauquierNow

If you’re looking for water this winter but want to stay indoors, the nearby Warrenton Aquatic and Recreation Facility (WARF) has you covered.

When the WARF opened to the community in 2007, it did so with a goal of meeting the increasing recreational interest of a growing population.

Offering state-of-the-art facilities, including multiple fitness rooms that are utilized by individuals as well as for group classes, what really sets the WARF apart is the indoor competition pool. Additionally, the WARF has a spa, leisure pool, lazy river and water slide creating an atmosphere and space where there is something for everyone.

“We offer a variety of memberships,” says Kelly Koernig, director of parks and recreation, including resident, county, non-county, day, month and year along with group fitness passes. There is something for all schedules, budgets and fitness interests.

The WARF is also always looking to improve upon their facilities and offerings, including new flooring upgrades and pop-up classes, to name a few recent additions.

Outside, for milder winter days and year-round, the WARF is also home to paved hiking paths, an inline skating rink, skate park and recreational fields.

Winter is a wonderful time for skill building for anyone looking to learn a new sport or fine tune a familiar activity. The driving range at GolfSpot29 and the indoor simulators at Chestnut Forks, both in Warrenton, bring fun and fitness together year-round.

GolfSpot29 features 10 heated, weather-protected hitting bays with touchscreens, 27 open-air bays and 10 grass bays.

“We opened GolfSpot29 to provide a golf location in our county that provides a fun family experience without spending hundreds of dollars at the golf course or TopGolf,” says Barry McMahon, owner of Irish Golf Academy and one of the founders and collaborators behind this new driving range in Fauquier County.

Both locations offer a fun, enjoyable experience in a warm and welcoming environment with cutting-edge technology. To learn more about the different types of technology used at each location, visit the GolfSpot29 website or, better yet, stop by to see for yourself.

GolfSpot29 is open 10 a.m. to dusk every day all winter, and the indoor simulators at Chestnut Forks are open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, closed on Sundays.

“I want more kids in nature,” McMahon says. “Taking golf lessons or practicing all winter long is a must to enjoy golf outdoors. I provide a technology-based golf business to help golfers get better at the game. But our main purpose is to grow the game and get more people to the golf course/outside in nature.”

Both locations are enjoyed by all ages and walks of life. In addition to the driving range and indoor simulators, other offerings from GolfSpot29 and Irish Golf Academy include golf tours to Ireland, golf instruction for all ages with certified instructors, club fittings, leagues, junior camps, games and family fun.

“Growing up in Ireland, we had to put our golf clubs away for the winter months. If I had been given the opportunity to practice and enjoy the game for 12 months, I feel my game would have prospered at a much quicker rate,” McMahon says. “Golf technology has come so far, everyone can benefit and improve their game at a much quicker pace. GolfSpot29 offers heated bays, drinks, food and technology -- it feels like June every day at both our locations.”

There are so many ways to stay active and have fun this winter and year-round right here in our county -- enjoy!

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As a columnist for FauquierNow, this was originally written by me for Fit in Fauquier, our fitness and well-being column.