Its cold, windy and wet. The last thing you want to do is leave your nice warm bed to workout. Wearing swimsuits is months away. You can easily hide a few extra kilos underneath big jumpers. Everyone looks like the Michelin man in this season with puffy jackets on.
So, excuses are made and the workout is missed. Skipping on your fitness goals, skipping on your health goals and skipping on your weight loss goals.
Instead, follow these simple examples of ways to workout in winter. Ways to keep motivated and reach your fitness goals when it is cold out.
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Workout Indoors:
You do not need heaps of space to workout. A small amount of floor space will do. Your bedroom or living room floor will be enough. Protected from the wind and the rain, no need to travel anywhere, working out indoors is perfect!
See our post on Indoor workouts for more suggestions on exercises you can do.
Not letting any excuse stop you is the key to kicking your goals! Smash out a killer workout using body weight and your floor without a need to travel anywhere.
Go Swimming:
Getting wet is usually the last thing you think of in winter but can be the warmest place to work out. As soon as you walk into a leisure center the heat (and chlorine smell) hit you. Swimming in a heated pool is a great way to get that cardio without having to brave against the weather.
If a regular heated pool is still too cool- find a hydro pool. Hydro pools are warmer than regular lap pools. Often, they will have scheduled classes such as water aerobics where you can really bust out some energy. Or start in the hydro pool and you might even find you need the cooler pool to push harder once you have warmed up.
Most pool centers now provide services like hair dryers in the changing rooms. Therefore, you can get completely dry and warm post your workout before travelling out into the wind.
Infrared Classes:
Some gyms now offer heated classes. The gym room is heated using infrared heaters to around 40 degrees Celsius (depending on the gym and class). This helps to burn more calories as your body sweats more to keep itself cool. In summer infrared classes can be a real scorcher. In winter they are a great way to forget about the cold outside and breakout a sweat. Check your local area for any classes nearby.
Snow Sports:
Depending on your area and affordability, learning a new skill such as snowboarding, ice-skating or skiing can be a great way to get fit in winter. Not everyone has access to the snow, or it can be too expensive for others. But if your location permits it, training in the snow can be a great way to stay fit in winter.
The seasonal aspect of snow sports adds to the novelty and fun of the workout. Trying something new can challenge new muscles and be a lot of fun. Going out with a sled or toboggan like a child again can be a whole lot of work and fun.
Being Cold Burns More Energy:
We are not recommending you go and develop hypothermia to use energy and lose weight. Being cold dose use up more body energy though. The body has to work harder to stay warm and uses energy in doing that.
The body’s response to cold is to shiver to generate heat. That is why when we are cold you start to shiver. Shivering uses up body energy. Even when the body gets cold but not cold enough to shiver, body energy is still used up. Therefore, being a little bit cold (before shivering), can result in increased energy consumption. Staying cold for longer periods of time and shivering can be dangerous and lead to hypothermia.
Therefore, braving the wind and the cold and exercising throughout winter can be two fold beneficial. Your body will burn more energy from the workout as it tries to warm your body up at the same time. Knowing that leaving your warm cozy bed and braving the cold will increase your workout efforts should aid to motivate your workouts.
Swimsuit Ready:
As the sun pops its head around the corner and summer can be seen far off in the distant, people want to get swimsuit ready. Fad diets and workout schemes start to pop up. The key to be swimsuit ready is consistent lifestyle actions. Following healthy eating plans and regular workouts. If you continue your exercise through winter braving the cold- you will be swimsuit ready all year round. Get the Swimsuit body starts now and continues all year round with a healthy lifestyle not seasonal fads.