With the summer season behind us and the colder temperatures setting in, your motivation levels may begin to wane and instead of going for a run outdoors, you would probably prefer to hibernate in the comfort of your home.
While it’s nice to relax on the sofa and huddle away from the cold, this will take its toll on your body and cause you to become lazy and unfit, potentially leading to health problems in the long-run.
It is important, therefore, to keep fit all-year-round; but this doesn’t mean embarking on long runs in the blustery wind and rain. There are a number of ways to exercise during winter without freezing in the process.
Why not try some of the following?
Home workout
Set your alarm half an hour earlier than usual so you can fit in a morning workout before you head to work. This means you don’t have to face the cold weather straight away and can wake up and change straight into your workout clothes.
There are plenty of home workout videos available for free online, or you could purchase a fitness DVD featuring your favorite celebrity or television personality.
Bikram yoga
One surefire way to escape the cold weather is to take up Bikram yoga. Created by Bikram Choudhury – founder of the Yoga College of India – and popularized in the early 1970s, this system of yoga is practiced in a room heated to 40 degrees Celsius and with a humidity of 40 per cent.
This helps to burn calories and improve flexibility. Look out for classes taking place near where you live and remember to take a bottle of water as the heat will make you sweat excessively and lead to dehydration.
Thermal clothing
If you can’t get enough of the great outdoors, you can still head outside in the cold – just be sure to wrap up warm. While exercising will naturally increase your blood flow, making you feel hotter, it’s important to wear thermal clothes to maximize your body’s ability to retain heat.
Head to your nearest sports and fitness shop and speak to an assistant who will be best placed to advise you on the right clothing for your needs. This way, you will be able to face the cold winds, while keeping fit and staying warm at the same time.
Even though it’s cold outside, remember to carry a bottle of water with you. While you might not feel thirsty, your body is still sweating and so needs to restore its nutrients.
Once you return indoors after your workout, be sure to change out of your clothes straight away and into clean, dry clothes. Sitting around in cold, damp clothing could make you ill, especially if they are wet from rain or snow.
