Lifestyle
10 Essential Tips for Cold Winter Training
Hibernating season is upon us and although we all know that summer bodies are indeed made in winter, waking up while it’s still dark and cold to train isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea”. Planet Fitness has come up with some winter training tips and motivation to help you stick to your personal goals this winter:
- Allow time for a thorough warm up– Warming up before your main exercise is always important no matter what time of year you are training but even more so in winter , spend time warming up and stretching to avoid injury. Warming up is also a great way to ease yourself into those early morning workout sessions.
- Dress Properly: The quickest way to lose body heat is to get wet through sweating which this will leave you cold and bothered. We suggest, layering up and making sure your workout clothing is made from materials such as polyester and nylon which are designed to dry quickly and take away moisture about 50 percent faster than cotton.
- Training Buddy– When nobody is waiting on you it is much more tempting to roll over and press snooze on the alarm than spring out of bed and lace up your trainers. Find a training buddy and set some summer goals.
- Mix it up– Repeating the same workout over and over can become tedious. Try different classes and training to keep you motivated and having fun. Try something new. (Planet Fitness has loads of variety)
- Prioritize your workout– Flexibility can be great but when it comes to planning a workout schedule it’s a good idea to set specific days and times and stick to it. This will help prevent other plans taking priority and will also help to establish a routine.
- Eat well– When you are cold and tired grabbing an unhealthy snack or pre-made dinner can be tempting. Stock up on vegetables and protein based food so you are less inclined to snack on junk food. Pre-pack nutritional meals ahead of time to avoid starch and sugar loaded temptations.
- Set your goal – fitness, toning and energy, whatever it may be , START NOW, the cold is no excuse.
- Perk up your mood: Low light levels in winter can reduce the feel-good hormones in our brains, which can make many of us feel down in the dumps during the colder months. Exercise can boost your mood during winter, sending those all-important feel-good hormones soaring, and keeping the winter blues at bay. Research has shown that a good workout can be up to four times more effective than taking antidepressants, for improving symptoms of depression. As well as being an effective mood booster and pick-me-up.
- Boost your immune system: During cold weather, there tends to be more bugs and viruses doing the rounds, and few of us can escape the winter without succumbing to a cold or even the flu. Exercising during winter can boost your immune system, helping to fight off common winter infections. Some studies have concluded that training in cold weather may reduce your chances of getting winter viruses by up to 30%, compared to those who shun sport at this time of year.
- Boost energy!
Charmaine Giani , National Group exercise manager says “ after training so hard to look good for summer ; people often lose the motivation to sustain their hard work, training in winter not only helps you maintain your hard work, it will keep you in shape for the summer months to come and keep germs and winter blues at bay, luckily Planet Fitness offers such a wide variety of indoor group classes and activities for everyone to try out that are amazing for winter such as Hot yoga & Bikram yoga, stay motivated and have fun”.
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