Staying Fit During the Winter

Exercising during the winter is hard. It’s cold outside, you don’t want to get out there for a morning run, and you're worried about the amount of food you’re going to eat over Christmas. All in all, exercise routines tend to take a backseat at this time of year - but should they? After all, the cold weather can have some unique effects on working up a sweat. Instead of only working out indoors or dialing back until next spring, here are some ways to stay safe during a workout when it’s cold out. 

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Don’t Be Outside as Long

The cold weather can be hard on the body, and that can be good. It means your system is going to work harder to feel the same effects, while also spending more energy than you’re used to. This means you don’t need to be outside on a run for as long as you’re used to. That’s all good, right? Well, it’s only good if you’ve wrapped up warm and you know the signs for hypothermia. Get back inside as soon as you’re able to. 

Try a Hot Workout

If you’re missing summer days and the way the temperature boosted your workout, you might want to try a hot workout sometime soon. Heading off to a HOTWORX studio for a sauna supported workout will mean you can make use of infrared light. This creates heat that boosts the amount you sweat without making you too hot; you don’t have to get into an actual sauna here, so don’t worry! You can go for half the time and twice the impact, and all without having to get outside and freeze your fingers and toes off. 

Have Plenty of Water Breaks

You might think summer is the most thirsty season. Nope - that would be winter! You’re going to get just as thirsty as you would when working out in the heat, but you’re likely to not notice it as quickly, or even at all. That’s why you need to take plenty of (and more frequent) water breaks when it’s the cold season. Make sure you take a full bottle whenever you go for a jog or step outside the gym to workout. When you’re inside, set a timer for water breaks every 10 minutes. 

Change Your Usual Athletic Wear

Like we said earlier, you’re going to need to wrap up warm. Just like in the picture above as well, you’ll notice one of the exercise-es is wearing a coat - make sure you do the same! You’re going to need a few extra layers on your body when the temperature is dropping below freezing. It’s no good wearing the usual crop top, sports bra, and yoga pants combo. You need to have something more heavy duty on. And make sure you don’t forget your gloves!

If you want to stay fit during winter, understand how the temperature is going to impact you. While it doesn’t necessarily mean less impact, it’s still dangerous.