Winters also known as the Silent Season is the season of Christmas and brings loads of reasons to forget about your diet charts and give your taste buds a chance to celebrate.
With festivals like Christmas, New Year and Lohri, giving us opportunity to enjoy the best cuisines so much so that we tend to give less importance to our fitness as the cold weather brings laziness in our lives. However, it is a matter of mind and commitment.
We introduce few workout fitness tips and and healthy diet tips which will keep those extra fats burning
1) Warm up first
There’s no getting around the need for a good warm-up, no matter what the mercury reads. But it’s especially important for cold-weather workouts. “When exercising in colder temperatures, you’re at increased risk for sprains and strains”. All our experts recommend warming up indoors. If you can’t, slowly ease into an outdoor workout – known as a “dynamic” warm-up – to give your body time to ramp up, and you’ll be well on your way to staying fit in winter.
For example, if you’re a runner, a dynamic warm-up may include “a progression from walking to a very light jog, to some light lunges and finishing with stretching the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, glutes, low back, shoulders, chest and arms,”
2) Workout in the outdoors
winter is the season to take your workout sessions outdoors. The climate is the best with no extra sun rays to irritate you and the cool breeze gives an extra stamina which is lost due to excess sweating during summers.
Cardio sessions with friends outside those gym walls brings an extra connect with the nature which calms the mind and helps in decreasing stress levels.
3) Sports as workout
A session of a game once a week with colleagues or friends will surely help in maintaining the flexibility of the body and maintaining the stamina levels without working out for hours in the gym.
4) Regular intake of Liquid
Generally it is easy to forget to hydrate because cold weather depresses thirst though dehydration can happen even in cooler temperatures as it can in the heat.
Fluid intake is very important during winter season to keep the metabolism of the body smooth. So being hydrated with water and avoiding sugar laden energy drink before a workout session is very important.
5) Right Outfit
We often feel overdressing will save us from the cold weather but during a workout session the body heats up even when it is freezing outside.
So it is recommended to wear layers during workout which can gradually be removed during warming up and replaced if the body need warmth.
6) Protect your skin
Cold temperatures mean dry air, which spells trouble for your skin. So hydrate inside and out. Drink plenty of water (eight 8-ounce glasses a day), rub on moisturizing cream or lotion after showering and apply lip balm with sunscreen (15 SPF or higher) before, during and after your workout.
If you’re skiing or snowboarding in the mountains, your sunburn risk is higher. Protect your face, nose, ears and lips from sunburn by using a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF.
7) Intake of exotic vegetables and fruits
To keep our system fit from within some enriching winter veggies and fruits are must. Oranges an exotic of winters is rich in vitamin C and A which helps to reduce fat and increase rate of metabolism. Vegetables such as spinach, carrots and beet roots gives extra minerals and nutrients which keep those cholesterol levels in control and aids in diabetic ailments.
8) Keep drinking
Hydration isn’t just a hot-weather worry, its imperative when staying fit in winter, too. People often think they don’t need to drink water unless it’s hot outside, but it’s still important in cold weather, Galloway says. Sip water during your workout and switch to a sports drink, like Gatorade, if you’re planning to exercise for 90 minutes or longer. But, just like layering, don’t overdo it.
How much you gulp down isn’t as important as what your body can absorb, Galloway says. “About 3-4 ounces is all you can absorb at a time,” he says. So don’t chug – sip. And don’t save your hydrating to the last minute; drink regularly throughout the day.
Not sure how well-hydrated you are? Pillarella offers this tip: “Note the colour and volume of your urine,” she says.“Dark, low volume and infrequent urination indicate that you need more fluid.” Conversely, clear urine with high volume and frequency may mean you’ve had too much liquid.
9) Intake of Natural spices
Natural spices like ginger, cinnamon and turmeric are spices that boost body metabolism due its natural heat. Regular in-take of these will help you stay fit from within.
Keeping oneself motivated is very important. We should not let our motivation to hibernate due to cold weather. Spending time with family and enjoying the little moments with the close ones like watching movie with a mug of sugar free hot chocolate and hot popcorns with your loved ones brings overall wellness and positivity in the minds.
“This winter, let the cold stay afar.”