Tips for Improving Performance During Winter Workouts

Healthy lifestyles don’t have to be seasonal! In fact, fitness is a fantastic way to stay busy during the quiet months. Instead of hibernating this winter, why not embrace the cold and use it as motivation to change up your routine, avoid winter weight gain, and stay a little warmer? Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Seek Out Fun Winter Activities

The best exercises are the ones you genuinely look forward to doing. In the summer, hitting a pool, river, or the ocean is a great way to stay in shape while staying cool. Similarly, there are plenty of fun, frosty activities that will give you a full workout while keeping you warm.

Skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, sledding, and snowshoeing are all great examples of seasonal hobbies that provide a great workout. They’re fun for the family, so they’re great choices if you’re looking for ways to keep kids healthy this winter. Ever dragged a sled up a hill as an adult? You’ll feel it the next day!

2. Anticipate (Relatively) Nice Days

In most locations, not every winter day involves blizzards and ice. Pay attention to your local weather reports, and mark the calendar when they’re conducive to outdoor exercise. Even just going for a long jog once a week will help you to maintain important habits and keep you excited about staying fit all year round.

3. Update Your Supplement Regimen

Supplements aren’t quick fixes, but they can help you perform your best. During the winter, it’s quite common for anyone — including athletes — to struggle with motivation, focus, and energy. Taking a new pre-workout or fat burner supplement could be a helpful tool to get you back on the saddle.

Think about where you’re struggling, and look for supplements that target those things. You might find that building a custom supplement stack is a great way to get your blood pumping and overcome seasonal blues!

4. Avoid Bad Habits

During winter months, it’s all too easy to fall into habits that lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Overeating and consuming too much alcohol or cannabis are common escapes when there’s not much else to do. Pay attention if you notice yourself slipping up, and then make changes. For example, you could switch to wine with dinner only, detox from THC, and form a winter eating plan. Try not to be too hard on yourself when you slip up, but keep striving to do better.

5. Stay Dry and Safe

If you decide to brave the bitter cold, make sure you’re fully prepared. Even when you exercise in the cold, you’re going to sweat, and that moisture can be problematic. Wear removable layers, and try to avoid cotton fabrics, instead opting for synthetic fabrics with moisture-wicking properties.

Wear your sunscreen, stay hydrated, protect your extremities, wear bright/reflective colors, and know when it’s time to turn around and head home. It’s crucial that you recognize your limits, especially if you have a condition that could be aggravated by cold weather — arthritis or asthma, for example.

Additionally, be mindful of these common signs of hypothermia:

• Fatigue
• Slurring words
• Loss of coordination
• Intense shivering

6. Set Weekly Goals

Unless you’re a high-performing athlete, you might not end up putting in hard work every single day, and that’s okay. You might find that setting weekly fitness goals is a more realistic approach. For example, you could plan to run a certain amount of miles. Even if it snows all week, you could try to reach your goals by hitting the treadmill at the gym, or even running in place at home.

7. Watch for Ice

Enough said. Be vigilant.

8. Update Your Playlist

Music can be an incredibly powerful motivator. With winter comes change, so why not make a playlist that reflects that? Take this opportunity to get inspired by your favorites and learn about some new music at the same time. You might find that giving that amazing album another spin is all the motivation you need to keep pushing through the bitter cold.

9. Find a Partner

If possible, find a friend or family member who might want to take this fitness journey with you. Even if exercising together isn’t possible or practical, just holding each other accountable can be huge. Becoming a healthier person in anticipation of the new year is so common, but those resolutions can be difficult to stick with if you’re going it alone. Check in with each other, share tips and ideas, and celebrate each other’s achievements.

10. Warm-Up before Heading Out

Stretching and warming up is always important, but that’s especially true during the winter. Imagine that your muscles are rubber bands. A frozen rubber band is much more fragile than usual. Take the time to get your blood moving with low-intensity exercises before you hit those cold temperatures.

11. Believe in Yourself

Winter workouts are tough, but so are you. There are going to be days when you just want to snuggle up in your warm house and kick back with your favorite shows. That’s fine — everyone deserves off days. Just try not to fall into a rut.

When something is easier and more pleasant than the alternative, it can turn into a habit before you even realize it — even if it’s detrimental to your long-term goals. Give yourself a little motivational speech in the morning, and remember that you’re worth the effort!

12. Get Some Home Exercise Equipment

Who says you have to work out outdoors? You can still get a solid workout in, even if you don’t leave the house at all. If you plan on spending a lot of time indoors, consider investing in some quality workout equipment. A treadmill and a few weights can quickly turn a bedroom into a home gym. When all else fails, pushups and situps are always there for you — all you need is a floor!

Try Not to Overthink It

The best workout routines are exactly that: routines. Yes, you’ll need to make adjustments to accommodate a less-than-accommodating climate, but that’s life. In the long run, venturing outside the norm makes you stronger —mentally and physically. Try to push through the excuses and get at least one hour of solid exercise every day. When spring rolls around, you’ll be ready for anything.