The absence of the Sun during winter and the freezing temperature naturally hinder people from doing some activities that they typically enjoy during summer, including sticking to your exercise plan. Winter can be a tough time to be productive as colder days and nights tempt you to be just staying in your bed, indulge in movies, or sleep. While exercise in winter is challenging, it is also very essential for maintaining your health.
Season shift from summer to winter is never easy for most regions, especially near and somewhere on the north pole. Exercise will help you keep in shape and good health by keeping the motivation and overcoming the winter blues. If you have a routine for physical training during the summer, as much as possible, stick to it or strive to find some alternative ways if you cannot perform outdoor workouts or exercises.
Here are some ways to keep up the motivation during summer and help you keep fit and active during the cold winter months.
TIP#1: STICK WITH YOUR GOALS
No matter how tempting the winter season to be idle and physically dormant, remind yourself of your goals and the planned training you have. You can look for more motivations for older adults by pondering if you wish to walk more with your grandchildren or play with them for a longer time? Do you want to lessen the anxiety that you are aging and feel healthier? Do you want to be able to pick up a suitcase by yourself? By sticking with your goals and feeling more motivated, you can achieve an active and healthier winter.
TIP#2: BRING FITNESS INDOORS
When it’s snowing, and the temperatures forbid exercising outdoors, there are still various and easy ways to staying fit in the comfort and safety of your homes. You can use the stairs for exercising or by lifting boxes or water containers. You can always go for a regular dance workout with YouTube tutorial fitness dances. If there are nearby gyms from your place, you can enroll in fitness classes too. What matters is that you get to enjoy and achieve your goal with your enrolling program. Having fun with doing your routines is very important to make you stick and motivated to do it.
There are also sports programs for individual and group activities like basketball, hockey, yoga, jumping rope, kickboxing, etc.
TIP#3: MAKE THE MOST OF WINTER
However, if you cannot resist joining in an outdoor adventure that could also make you fit, you may look for a winter activity and sign up for any winter sport and seize the winter months with your friends or families. Ensure that you are physically able to stay outdoor for an extended time while enjoying ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, and other daring winter sports.
Meanwhile, if you are not into extreme adventures fearing sports injuries, you can simply have some fun outdoor playing with your family or friends, shoveling snow and building some castles or a snowman, or you can do brisk walking or jogging. In this way, you are physically active compared to just staying inside the house, eating, and watching movies.
More Tips to Keep in Mind
Stay Hydrated. Drink plenty of water after exercising, even if it’s cold weather. You may not feel thirsty all the time because of the temperature, but it does not mean that you don’t need some fluids in your body.
Although there’s no humidity or heat to deal with, freezing winter temperatures might even make you feel awake and energized, which means you may even accomplish more tasks, equivalent to more calories burned.
Winter is a season of cold and flu; that is why this is also the best time to be fit and physically active so you can boost your immunity and avoid getting sick. Just a few minutes of exercising in a day can help prevent simple bacterial and viral infections.
Scheduling will really help you remind yourself, especially when you are too busy to insert the time for exercising. Being physically active through exercises does not mean you have to be at the gym for several hours. There are practical and simple ways yet very helpful in keeping you physically active, especially during winter. You can take an elevator instead of an escalator or park your car a little farther so you can take extra steps while going to the office or inside the mall.
According to fitness experts, 30-minute exercise for five days a week is an ideal length. But five or ten minutes of movement a day is already a step towards losing some weight, improving your mood, and increasing your heart health. So, say goodbye to your inner couch potato and get moving!