5 Cold Weather Training TipS
When the days get colder, the sun disappears and the rainclouds gather, it can become a lot harder to motivate yourself to maintain your exercise habit. With proper preparation, however, you can successfully negotiate your way through winter without losing a step in your workout momentum. Here are 5 tips to help you do just that.
1. Layers
The winter weather doesn’t have to bring an end to your outdoor training. But it does mean that you need to layer up to stay warm, comfortable, and bug-free. Wear an inner layer of compression garments on the lower and the upper body. On top of that put on some loose-fitting workout clothing such as a t-shirt and track pants. Slip into a pair of gloves, one or two pairs of socks (depending on how cold it is), and a beanie. Complete your winter training outfit with a windbreaker-style jacket.
As your body heats up throughout your workout, you should begin to remove layers. If you are running, put a light backpack on so you can put your discarded clothing items in it.
2. Mind Over Mattress
When it's freezing out and nice and cosy in bed, it can be a real challenge to jump up and get into workout mode. Here are three tips to help you overcome mind over mattress syndrome:
Set your workout clothes, training bag, and sneakers, along with your pre-workout shake, if you’re taking one, before you go to bed.
Have a set time to get up. As soon as the clock hits that number, swing into action.
Plan out every action in your head before you get up - every bodily action from getting dressed, going to the bathroom grabbing your gear, and exiting the house.
3. Warming Up
You may be able to get away with a cursory, or non-existent, warm-up in the heat of summer, but not in the wintertime. Begin with a dynamic warmup that has your muscles and joints moving through a full range of motion. Include the following dynamic stretches:
Arm Swings
Bodyweight Squats
Back Bends
Leg Swings
Begin your cardio workout with a slow 5-minute warm up. Once your training is done, you should perform static stretching exercises for your major muscle groups.
4. Nutrition
Eating for energy and performance is more important than ever during the winter months when our energy and motivation generally lags. Before your workout, get in some fast-acting carbs such as that found in a banana or a punnet of strawberries. Post-workout you should consume some fast-acting protein to regenerate and rebuild your muscle tissue, along with more simple carbs to replace the glycogen that you have consumed during your workout.
Get plenty of antioxidants and immunity-boosting phytochemicals into your system by consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables. Home-made vegetable soup is a delicious, satisfying winter favorite that you should be taking advantage of.
A final note on winter nutrition is to avoid large meals before going to bed. It will only make it harder to get up the following morning.
5. Hydration
Keeping up your water intake during the heat of summer is relatively easy. But it's just as important during the winter months. You won’t be as thirsty during winter, so it will require more effort to get in the equivalent of 8 glasses of water each day. Doing so will give you more energy, help you lose weight, and support your immune health so you don’t fall prey to winter lurgies.
Conclusion
There is no reason why you need to let the cold weather get in the way of your fitness goals. Take on board these 5 common sense winter training tips to defeat the cold weather winter training blues.
