Warm up your body
The best approach to dressing for the cold, particularly for outdoor activity, is to layer up. This allows your body to retain heat, while allowing you to remove the top layer as you start to warm up. Warming up before an exercise session is always important, but even more so in winter. Cold weather can make your muscles tight and more prone to injuries. Remember to do five to ten minutes of moderate cardio exercise before moving on to more intense physical activity.
Drink up
With the cold, and often wet and windy, weather descending on us all too fast, remember that it is just as important to keep up your fluid intake and stay hydrated when exercising in the winter. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout, even though you may not feel as thirsty.
Don’t go into hibernation
With work becoming more hectic and days becoming shorter, it is all too easy to slip out of the habit of exercising regularly. Make a schedule for the next few months that includes all your work, family and home commitments, and schedule in exercise sessions just like you would any other appointment. If you find you just cannot exercise as often as you normally do, try to manage at least three 30-45 minute sessions each week. You may not be gaining fitness, but you won’t be losing ground.
Control your cravings
The cold always seems to tempt us to eat high-calorie snacks that we find much easier to resist in the warmer months. When you find yourself reaching for comfort food such as chocolate, hot puddings, breads and cakes, satisfy your cravings instead with low-fat hot chocolate, Nesquik made with fat-free milk, stewed fruit and diet custard or instant chocolate pudding made with fat-free milk!
Photo by Kim Rose
