If you’re looking for a winter fitness routine that will help you stay active in the colder months, then you’re in the right place.
The benefits of exercising outdoors and being active all winter long are tremendous. As we head into December, it’s essential to prepare your body and mind for the cold weather so that you can better enjoy playing outside with your friends and family.
It doesn’t matter if you do yoga or walk around your neighborhood. As long as it helps keep you out of hibernation mode, do your best to participate in some winter workouts. But, many people don’t know where to start when it comes to staying active in winter.
In this article, we will cover the principles of winter workouts. So whenever you’re ready to keep learning about winter agility, strength, and flexibility, keep reading!
What You Need to Do for Winter Workouts
Winter months can bring many benefits to outdoor workouts and staying active. Not only does it allow you to build up your endurance, but there are so many health benefits as well! One of these is preventing heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes mellitus type two, or even depression.
Once you have your winter workout routine planned out for the season, ensure that you’re prepared with proper cold-weather gear. This includes snow boots if walking on ice-covered sidewalks becomes an issue during blizzards in January/February months.
A great way to stay warm while exercising outdoors is by using layers upon layers of clothing that will help trap body heat throughout each session. If you’re looking for a place to start with your winter workout routine, take a look at this list of the best exercises you can do in cold temperatures:
Walking
Walking is one of the easiest ways that you can stay active during the winter months. It doesn’t require any equipment or extra materials. It’s also easy on your joints and helps improve cardiovascular fitness too!
If you’re interested in more advanced walking workouts like speed interval training, then check out some options here.
Strength Training Exercises
Many people worry about losing muscle mass during the autumn/winter seasons. But, weight lifting routines are still possible even if you don’t have access to the gym or dumbbells.
This is because you can always use your body weight and gravity to provide resistance. With bodyweight training, you can strengthen your muscles by using your body as a dumbbell.
For example, planks and push-ups are bodyweight exercises because they don’t involve separate weights. Your body serves as the weight! Bodyweight exercises can strengthen both your muscles and your bones and is one of the best things you can do to prevent osteoporosis and maintain your strength when you can’t make it to the gym.
Yoga
Similarly, yoga is also a great option for winter workouts. It’s amazing how you can extend your flexibility and improve balance with such simple exercises like sun salutations or yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) that help to relax the body while it cools down from all of those hot spots!
This is because it allows you to exercise without using any equipment besides some mats for traction and comfort.
Common Mistakes Made When Working Out in Winter
It’s important to be active in the winter months, but there are some common mistakes that you should try to avoid when exercising outdoors. The first is not dressing properly for the weather conditions!
It may seem like a good idea to wear fewer layers when exercising outside during autumn/winter seasons but this can put your body at risk of hypothermia and frostbite if temperatures drop below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another mistake that people often do while working out in cold weather is trying too hard – don’t push yourself past your limit. If you feel intense pain or any symptoms of injuries, then stop immediately before things get worse! This type of over-exertion only puts you at risk for more health problems and will take longer to heal.
Some other mistakes are exercising at the same pace as you would in summer – slow down! It’s important to be aware of how your body is feeling when working out in cold conditions. If you feel like you can’t catch up with other people, then take it easy because pushing yourself too much will only drain your energy faster than you think.
Furthermore, don’t forget to bring some snacks with you when exercising outdoors because this will give you more energy and prevent any hypoglycemia.
It’s also important not to push yourself so hard that you begin feeling light-headed or dizzy. This can be very dangerous if it occurs while walking down icy sidewalks, so slow down your pace before you faint!
Last but not least, don’t forget to warm up before exercising and stretching after each session!
How to Acclimate to the Winter Weather
To make the winter months more bearable, it’s important to acclimate yourself to cold weather. If you step outside without taking any warm-up exercises beforehand then this can put you at risk for muscle cramping or worse – heart conditions.
Instead of walking out the door and heading straight into work/school, try warming up indoors first before stepping foot outdoors! This will help prevent illnesses too so that you don’t have to keep your workouts inside on those cooler days.
As long as temperatures aren’t below freezing (which is usually when hypothermia becomes a serious issue), staying active during colder seasons can improve your health overall.
It has been said that exercising in cold weather helps you better regulate your body temperature since it forces your heart to work harder. If you do not over-exert yourself, there shouldn’t be any problems exercising outdoors in the winter months. Stay aware of how your body feels and bring some snacks/water with you!
What to Do if You’re Sick in Winter
You need to consider several things before heading outside for winter workouts. Take a look at the list below:
Have You Been Sick Recently?
If so, then it might be best to avoid exercising outdoors until your body has fully healed from its illness or infection. Even if you don’t feel any severe sickness symptoms, exercise can cause stress on your body, which means more energy consumption and delayed recovery.
This is why working out while having an infection/cold/flu can make you feel even worse afterward! So stay home and rest up instead of pushing yourself too hard during cold-weather sessions.
Make Sure Rooms Are Well-Heated
If you live in an apartment building, make sure to check the temperature of your room before working out.
Even if it’s not too cold, lower temperatures can cause fatigue and discomfort over time, which means that you won’t be able to get the most out of your workout sessions.
Warm-Up Properly
Make sure to warm your body from head to toe before starting any strenuous workouts outdoors during the winter months.
This includes taking a quick walk around outside or even doing some light stretches indoors and wearing proper clothing for the weather conditions (mentioned earlier). It also wouldn’t hurt to bring along an extra layer if things get chilly.
The Biggest Challenges of Winter Workouts
The biggest challenges of winter workouts are something to overcome. Being aware of them is the first step in this regard.
Dealing With Colder Weather Conditions
It’s tough to stay motivated during the autumn & winter seasons when it gets so cold outside.
If you love exercising, then this is a good time of year to find some new activities that help you get active and try something new.
Keeping Things Interesting
Don’t stick with the same routine every day! It becomes more challenging for your body and mind if you do the same workouts consecutively without taking a break or switching up your workout goals/methods ever once in a while.
This will also make exercise less tedious which means you’ll be happier too!
Not Being Able to Find a Suitable Workout Buddy
Since most people prefer working out indoors, it can be hard to tear yourself away from your comfort zone and head outdoors for some activities. This is why you need friends or family members who are willing to work out with you!
It’s great if you have someone that wants to train with you but even better if they’re there as moral support! You can also benefit from fitness classes, so stick around your local gym/sports center and ask them about their programs too.
Distance and Equipment
Most people prefer to run on treadmills and do weight training at the gym rather than working out outside in the winter months.
This is why it can be a challenge to motivate yourself! Slogging through a long treadmill session can be much more mind-numbing than running outside.
This can easily be resolved by attending mobile outdoor training sessions! With the classes offered by our company, you can try new ways to work out in winter that are way more fun than repetitive sessions on the treadmill.
So if you feel your gym is far or you don’t have the equipment you need, we can help you torch fat and build strength. You’ll find yourself looking forward to every session.
Lack of Energy
Even if you don’t feel like exercising, make sure that you get your body moving. Winter workouts will help you stay healthy for the rest of the year (especially during holidays).
Try not to skip too many sessions because this could lead to poor health later down the line.
How to Get Motivated for Cold Weather Workouts
So how exactly does one remain motivated while doing outdoor exercises during cold weather? Here are some tips that might help:
Reward Yourself for All Hard Work
This doesn’t necessarily mean buying expensive items if money is tight. It means rewarding yourself with smaller things like taking a hot bath after finishing an intense workout session or eating a favorite indulgence while watching TV at home after completing strenuous outdoor sessions.
These reward methods could also be simple words of praise when someone else notices that you’ve been trying your best!
Plan Your Workouts
If you’re keen on sticking with a routine, then it might be wise to plan out which activities you’ll do during certain days of the week.
This will make sure that you don’t forget things and can actually stick to an exercise program for longer periods of time (especially when motivation is low).
Mix Up Your Workout Routine
It might get boring doing the same things over and over again (especially when you’re not seeing any results).
So try mixing things up a little by trying new activities or even taking classes at different types of fitness centers. This could include yoga, swimming, spin classes, weight training, and so on!
Set Goals
Having something to look forward to can really help with motivation during cold weather months.
Whether this is completing an intense cardio session without stopping or losing one more kilogram before your next weigh-in, setting and reaching small milestones will go a long way in helping you stay focused for longer periods of time.
Winter on Your Terms
So it’s clear that there are many ways to stay active in the winter months. You need to be creative and try things.
When you mix up workout routines, it becomes easier for you to adapt to cold-weather training sessions.
It won’t matter if you’re by yourself because as long as you keep exercising regularly, this will benefit your health tremendously. So go ahead and plan out some great outdoor winter workouts for this season – winter is waiting on your terms.
Get in touch with us now to find out how we revolutionize the outdoor workout space with mobile gyms.
