Working out during the winter is hard. You have less daylight, and the weather is cold. As hard as it is to get to the gym during the winter, it’s important if you want to stay healthy. The following are some ideas you can use to stay active during the winter.
Push Yourself
It sounds easy to say, “Push yourself.” Sometimes, that’s really all it takes, though. The goals you set don’t need to be extravagant. When you take your dog for a walk around the block, tell yourself that you’re going to do one more lap. Set goals, and work toward them. For example, do you feel winded when you walk up the stairs? Set the goal to go up and down the stairs three or four times without feeling exhausted. As you reach small goals, you will be able to push yourself to the next goal.
Embrace Winter Sports
There are several fitness routines you can do outdoors in the winter. Winter sports, like cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice-skating, and hockey, can help keep you in shape. If you’re not excited about the idea of slapping on the ice skates or skis, you can also take a hard core boot camp class at the gym.
Consider Taking a Class at an Indoor Gym
If you’re accustomed to exercising outdoors during the summer, you may not have given your body enough time to acclimate to working out during the winter. If you live in a city where temperatures drop to -30°F, your body will need time to adjust to the cold. Most gyms will have some heat going, so you should be fine if you choose to exercise in a gym.
In fact, the winter season could be a perfect time to take an indoor exercise class like yoga, aerobics or kickboxing. Just remember that with the colder temperatures, warm-up exercises are crucial to get the blood flowing in your body. This might mean jogging in place or doing some jumping jacks before your class starts.
Don’t Give up
If you backslide in your workout routine during the winter, this doesn’t mean you have to give up. Even if you’re not getting to the gym as regularly, try to at least do aerobic exercises a couple of times a week. Don’t let a temporary drop off in your exercise routine cause you to feel emotional turmoil. Interestingly, many fitness experts say that even if you decrease the number of days you exercise but you maintain the same intensity and time, you will see the same positive results.
If you feel yourself petering out during the winter, call a friend. If you feel committed to yourself and to the health of your friend, it’s likely that the both of you will get off the couch and make the most of winter exercise.
