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Winter weight gain is a phenomenon you’ve probably struggled with, unless you live in sunny California, where all it takes to work out during winter months is maybe a long-sleeved shirt.
But the cold doesn’t have to be a death sentence for your fitness routine. There are lots of ways to stay in shape and keep those winter pounds off. In fact, you can continue making progress instead of letting all your hard work go to waste.
Follow these tips, and by the time it’s warm out again, you’ll be in the best shape ever.
Keep Doing What You’ve Been Doing
When the mercury drops, it can be easy to hang up your workout routine. But with the right equipment and a little perseverance, you don’t have to. New materials are providing athletes with more comfortable cold-weather workouts than ever before. Some people enjoy working out in the cold more than they think they will.
Warm Up
That’s no joke. The same strains and pulled muscles that can affect you even during the warmer parts of the year will strike without mercy in the cold. Your muscles tense up when they are cold, so dedicate five or 10 minutes to a quick warmup routine before you hit it hard. It could be the difference between a full workout and injury.
Take Advantage of the Weather
There are a few sports — like ice skating, skiing and snowboarding — you can only do during the wintertime. While it can feel like these are only recreational activities, they offer the potential to be first-rate workouts. Many athletes cross-train — for example, cyclists ski during the winter to work similar muscle groups. Challenge yourself to try a new fitness activity this year.
Join an Indoor Sports League
While the outdoor facilities required for some sports might be less popular during the colder months, games like handball, basketball and soccer are incredibly fun to play inside. If you’ve never joined an indoor soccer league, the game is much faster-paced on the smaller court and has the added dimension of walls. It can be an excellent way to train sprint muscles that will help you excel in outdoor matches.
Fight Sickness
One of the issues with exercising when the weather is cold is that you’re more susceptible to getting sick. Even though the idea is to stay fit, you need to fuel your body right for the added drain exercise in the cold entails. Make sure you can get to a warm place to rest after your workout and give yourself enough rest between activities, and if you do get sick, see a doctor right away so you can get back to training soon.
Hit the Weights
Many of us enjoy activities like team sports, which require large outdoor facilities. However, if you’ve never lifted weights before, winter can be the perfect time to start. A full-featured gym offers you a huge number of options for ways to push your training, and you might be surprised how weight training improves your performance in other activities.
Practice Good Nutrition
Even though we just talked about fueling your body right when things get chilly, many of us can’t help but reduce our activity at least somewhat during the winter. That makes it extra-necessary to understand how your nutritional needs change. Listen to your body and don’t overeat. Put good things in, like soups high in fiber and protein, instead of loading up on starches and sweets.
Winter is just as good a time for exercise as any time of year. Yes, the cold weather can drag down motivation and make people want to “hibernate.” But you don’t have to subscribe to that philosophy. With the right knowledge and equipment, you can continue to perform at the highest level — even when it’s freezing outside. Keep warm, and have fun out there!
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Photo Credit: Getty Images