Summer Beach Bodies Are Built With Winter Workouts
by Troop Atomic Mommy
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Want that summer beach body? Winter is the perfect season to rev up your workout. Hit snooze on hibernation mode and read this quick guide!
Here’s your workout wake up call! The Northern Hemisphere is heading into the cold winter months and before we know it, snow will be falling, the days will get shorter, and the nights will feel frigid! The obvious temptation is to hide out on our couches with our warm, fuzzy blankets. But there are far too many great reasons to stay active. Getting active and setting up healthy routines can be an easy thing to do.
Here are a few of my favorite things to do, during the winter months, to have my beach-mom-bod ready for the summer!
IMPROVE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Healthy eating remains the singular most important element to any healthy living and exercise regimen. There is no better way to protect your immune system naturally than by maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. This is more important in the winter months, where we tend to be more prone to colds and flu. Combining a good diet, along with a high-intensity interval workout program in the winter, is a fantastic immune system super-booster. Even going for a 20 minute morning jog or run, can work wonders for you.
If running is not your thing, aerobic walking and power-walking are amazing health boosting alternatives. And if you’re a bored of indoor gym workouts, then take your routine outside (safety pending), and you’ll get the added benefit of one of the most refreshing experiences anyone could hope for or want.
IMPROVE AN EXERCISE SKILLSET
Learning how to improve your winter workouts in less than perfect conditions, does mean that you have to take extra care. Still, if you approach it with the right amount of safety and knowledge, you’ll learn new ways to challenge your body and achieve new fitness goals.
If you’re the sport type, then winter workouts are made for you, and if you live in a snowy part of the country, this should be your idea of workout heaven. You’ll have sledding, skiing, ice-skating, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and tobogganing to look forward to. Combine this with rope jumping for a high-intensity workout and finish off with outdoor yoga for an exhilarating and stimulating experience.
LONGEVITY
As tempting and frankly delicious as it may sound, buckling down for the winter (and for sure, give yourself a “reward” day from time to time), the longer-term implications of human hibernation are not particularly good for you.
Working out in the winter as part of an ongoing program or even as a base for establishing one will keep those extra calories at bay (lest we remind you that the holiday season will be ‘pon us shortly). So working out and maintaining that regimen during the winter months sets you up for long-term success and healthcare benefits.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Now it is important to remember that working out in the winter months and especially outside will come with a different set of rules that you may not be used to. If you’re going to be running outside, you may need specialist shoes, for example, and you’ll want to get proper clothing and gear too. If you get injured, make sure to take appropriate care of yourself and get the right advice. Injuries in winter can take longer to heal, so you may want to think of at home physical therapy or treatment from a sports therapist.
THE TAKEAWAY
Getting that summer body ready takes dedication and commitment during the winter months. Add a little TLC to your immune system and muscles along the way, and your body will be grateful.
