Exercising in the Cold

Winter exercise is a totally different experience than exercising in the warmer, summer months. As temperatures drop and the amount of daylight decreases, you become less and less motivated to be active while at the same time eating more warm, comfort foods. This combination can wreak havoc on your body. Staying in shape during the winter can make your life easier when spring comes back. You’ll already have that perfect spring break body.

The biggest difference between summer and winter exercise is obviously temperature. In the summer, you can work up a sweat and jump into the pool. Unfortunately, most pools are now frozen so that’s not an option. While cooling down is the main issue in the summer months, during the winter you need to properly warm up. Warming up will greatly reduce the risk of injury as well as making it easier to step outside into the cold.

When it’s cold, you naturally want to stay indoors. What’s the point of going outside when it’s nice and warm in here? A good way to overcome this is by warming up in the comfort of your own home. Do a few sets of pushups, sit ups, pull ups, and jumping jacks. Once you get hot, you’ll want to go outside to cool off. This is the perfect time to go for a quick jog, walk or get into your car and drive to the gym.

If you’re adventurous and want to exercise outside, make sure you’re dressed properly. In cold climates, your extremities can be at risk for frost bite. Wear hats, scarves, gloves and thick socks. Try wearing clothes that are easy to remove. You can get hot even in the cold and when this happens you want to let your body properly cool down.

The kinds of activities available to you in the winter are also different. Instead of swimming, you might want to go skiing, skating or snowboarding. You can also play with the kids. They like to go sledding, play hockey build snowmen and have snow ball fights. All that running around, up and down the hills will burn plenty of calories with the maximum amount of fun. You won’t even know you’re exercising.

Safety can also be a bigger concern in the winter. Less sunlight combined with icy roads can be dangerous for runners, bikers and walkers. Avoid running the street and abstain from it when during the twilight hours. Try exercising in the afternoon and on the sidewalk.

Winter is a time to try out different activities with different people. Yea you can go to the beach in the summer but you can’t be a kid again in the snow. Exercising in the winter should be a fun experience. Don’t let the cold force you to hibernate and emerge in the spring as a bear. Stay in shape and have fun while you do it.

Since exercising in the cold isn’t always fun, people tend to gain weight in the winter. The Guide to Exercising in the Cold, Winter Months has articles, FAQs, tips and tools that will show you how to exercise and have fun in the cold.