The cold winter season is usually a time where people feel quite lethargic and stuffed up. It is also common to feel as though things are moving much slower during this time. Momentum and even motivation tends to waver especially when it comes to working out. The freezing cold winds are chilly enough to make us want to skip going to the gym and stay in our warm beds. However, the winter is still not a good enough reason to neglect our commitments. In fact, you can still maintain your fitness and even accelerate your workout regimen by keeping your motivation high this winter season.
Layer up
The cold can feel so debilitating that we want to avoid it at all costs. Eliminate this concern by dressing appropriately. If you are not dressed warm enough, then it will be hard to stay on top of your workout routine or to even focus on your exercises. Wear layers of warm clothes until the weather no longer becomes a distraction for you. Make sure you do this especially if you go for runs earlier in the morning or late at night to ensure that you do not get sick.
Embrace the Cold
Instead of viewing the winter season as a period of immobility and reclusion, make a conscious choice to embrace the cold weather. You can even introduce yourself to the cold before you set foot outside by taking a cold shower. Aside from boosting your metabolism, a cold shower will wake you up and allow you to feel more aware throughout your day. The stimulation of the cold water on your body will cause a release of the hormone adrenaline. This promotes blood circulation, oxygen circulation, and also makes it much more bearable for you when you do decide to go outdoors. Cold showers can last 15 to 30 minutes. You can emerge yourself into the cold shower or you can gradually make the shower colder at your own pace.
Cold showers or hydrotherapy has also been shown as an effective way to treat depressive symptoms as it increases the blood level of beta-endorphins. This is a bonus for those who may also deal with seasonal depression or “the winter blues”. Having winter blues is another unfortunate factor that contributes to one’s lack of motivation or desire to workout during this season. The implementation of cold showers should help in reducing stress, alleviating anxiety, relieving symptoms of depression, as well as energize one to maintain their workout regimen more consistently.
Winter Sports
Another way to embrace the winter season is to go out and enjoy winter sports. Some common winter sports to do include:
- ice skating
- skiing
- snow sledding
- snow boarding
- ice hockey
- snow shoeing
- ski biking
- ice climbing
- snow tubing
- mountaineering
- sledging
- ice fishing
Find a Partner
Sometimes all it takes is someone else. We tend to make a lot of excuses when it is just us by ourselves. However, it is good to have an additional person by your side that will also hold you accountable. The discomfort or fatigue of exercising during the winter season will likely subside once you see someone else doing it. It is okay if you need an external stimulus to motivate you or help your to focus on your goals. Having a partner there to socialize with can actually be a good distraction for you so that you may forget about the cold temperatures.
Resort to the Good ol’ Indoors
If it is absolutely too cold or you just don’t feel like going out, then feel free to exercise at home. There are hundreds of thousands of online workout routines, exercise videos, and fitness DVDs. You can even invest in getting some workout equipment for your home such as dumbbells’, resistance bands, ankle weights, etc. This way you can be more consistent with workouts and achieve the same quality of results throughout the winter season.
