When the winter time comes around, it is always harder to stay motivated and keep up an exercise regime when it is much more appealing to stay snuggled up indoors. Many people become stricken by a winter cold and other ailments, preventing them from feeling like exercise, but did you know that keeping active helps to prevent illness during the winter?
Check out these tips for staying fit over the next few months:
Try Something New
If you are normally someone that loves to exercise outdoors, you could use the winter weather as an excuse to try something different and make some changes to your normal workout routine. Why not try joining the gym, or even sign up for some fitness classes. Even if you prefer to run in the open air to on a treadmill, at least you can benefit from the warmth of indoors.
Layer Up
If you hate the idea of the gym, you can still continue to run outdoors, but it is important to layer up and keep warm. Whilst in the past this would have meant wearing thick heavy clothing that made movement quite difficult for walking to the shops, let alone giving enough flexibility to run comfortably, this is no longer the case.
Baselayers are lightweight clothing that are designed to keep you warm and dry in the cold weather whilst allowing you to maintain a normal level of movement. Many base-layers feature top of the range sports technology such as graduated compression to help your body perform to its optimal level and recover quicker after exercise.
Remember, if you are going to be exercising outside, it just as important as usual if not more to make sure you stretch properly and are completely warmed up before you start vigorous exercise. Osteopathic treatment can help to prepare your body for exercise and minimise sports injuries, as well as help your body to recover quicker. At Fiona Passey & Partners Osteopaths, we can give sports massages as well as give advice on exercise and stretching regimes to help prevent injury.
Plan Your Day
Plan your day so that you can exercise at a time when you feel energised. For example, you could try going to the gym on the way home from work. Once you get home after a long day, it can be hard to get motivated to get out of your comfy chair, so why not pack your exercise gear and take it to work with you so you can exercise before you get home.
If you don’t like the idea of exercising after a tough days work, why not head to the gym before work? This can wake you up and leave you feeling energised for the rest of the day.
Make the Most of Any Opportunity You Get To Exercise
Try to find ways to integrate exercise into your day. Rather than staying in the office during your lunch break, why not wrap up warm and brave the cold for a brisk walk. If you take a colleague with you, you will be less inclined to worry about the cold.
If you associate the colder weather with aching joints and recurrent complaints, you should consider visiting an osteopath. Osteopathy can help to relive a wide range of problems including joint, arthritic and rheumatic pain, as well as the circulatory problems that are often linked to winter weather. At Fiona Passey & Partners, as well as dealing with general aches and pains, we can treat sports injuries and help patients to rehabilitate by providing expert advice on safe exercise and promoting stretching regimes.
