Winter Workout: How To Keep Your Fitness On Track

Freezing your butt off?

Yeah, me too. One of the things that falls by the wayside in winter is fitness. If I’m honest, I was never much of a fitness fanatic in the summer, but it was easier to get to the gym if the weather wasn’t near freezing.

Winter tends to bring out the laziness in all of us. We sit inside, watch movies, eat comfort food and sleep in to stay warm. I know, it sounds amazing. But we can’t let ourselves forget the importance of getting our blood pumping. Here are a few ways you can keep up your fitness during the winter months.

Exercise indoors

While it’s not for everyone, you’ll find it much more comfortable to move your workout inside when the temperatures start to drop. If you’ve got a gym membership you’re sorted. If you don’t have the money to dish out on a membership, that’s cool, there are plenty of indoor exercises you can do in your apartment to get active.

Take advantage of the weekend

If you work full-time or you’re finishing work at 5pm, you’ll find the sun has already gone down and with it went your motivation to do anything other than eat leftovers on your couch under a blanket. Its fine if you can’t fit in a workout during the week, lots of people can’t. Just make sure you take time over the weekend to squeeze it in. You’ll have more motivation when the sun is up, and you won’t feel crap for the rest of the week 

Walk everywhere

Even if you’re so flat out with work and uni that you can’t think straight, nothing is stopping you from using your legs. True story. While it’s much more comfortable to take the bus up the hill to the shops, try walking whenever you’ve got the time. You’d be amazed at the benefits of regular walking, and over a period of time you’ll feel those benefits.

Plan your workout

If you love to run, the best way to fit it in is to plan your route before setting off. Stick to undercover areas like park tracks covered by trees or built-up areas. That way you’ll avoid the wind chill and rain (if you’re the kind of person who likes running in the rain…). If you start your workout with a plan then it will be finished in no time and you’ll feel accomplished for sticking to your guns.

Baby steps

Our bodies react differently in winter. We get sick, we tend to let ourselves get more dehydrated and we don’t eat as well as we should. These are just some of the mistakes we make when winter comes around. But the most important thing is to not overstep the mark. Always underestimate your abilities in the cold. If you stop suddenly you’re body temperature will drop rapidly, so make sure you don’t push yourself too hard. Start your winter exercise routine at half of what you would do in the summer, and work up from there.

As always, remember to drink water. Our bodies can get just as dehydrated in the winter as they do in summer, so don’t forget to look after yourself. Rewarding yourself is also important. If you feel like you’ve accomplished something, give yourself a treat. This doesn’t mean eat an entire cake (although I’d be impressed if you did), but take a hot bath, have a hot chocolate or eat some comfort food for dinner. 

Stay warm kiddies,

Amy.