How to Stay Fit and Healthy: Winter Edition

A lot of people choose on-foot commute to work or running as their primary tools for staying fit. Unfortunately, some climates, don’t allow this kind of cardio during the entire year. Apart from this, the holiday season is known for its carb-induced treats, however, skipping them seems like a sacrilege even the most avid diet-freaks avoid to violate. Due to this, a lot of people find it increasingly difficult to stay fit and healthy during the colder part of the year. Here are a few tips on how to stay fit, healthy and energized during cold winter days.

1.    Find a way to motivate yourself

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that wrapping yourself up in layers and layers of clothing might be counter-productive for your fitness efforts. The fact that you can’t see those several pounds you’ve amassed over the last couple of months, might make you feel as if they aren’t there at all. The first step in breaching this obstacle lies in finding a reason to stay fit during this part of the year. One of the most effective methods in doing so is scheduling a meeting at the pool with a friend. Apart from being a great cardio, it also gives you a great preview of what your beach-body will look like in about half a year.

2. Sleep more

Another thing you might want to try is sleeping more, seeing as how it is one of the best-known ways of burning calories out there. Of course, the number of calories burnt this way is far from what you get from a diet or an intense weight lifting workout but every bit helps. Another, indirect way in which you can get fit is by drinking less coffee. A small dosage of caffeine (approximately one cup a day) can help you burn fat, however, caffeine loses this property when consumed in high quantities. Therefore, sleeping more helps you gain this extra weight-losing point, as well.

3.    Lift weights

In the introduction, we named cardio as the leading weapon in your war against weight-loss, nonetheless, this isn’t necessarily the case. More and more professional athletes, movie stars and businesspeople are now leaning towards weightlifting as their favorite calorie-burning activity. Apart from keeping you fit and toned, it also helps you gain strength, decreases the risk of osteoporosis and improves your posture. If combined with adequate nutrition and high-end supplementation like mono, it can give you optimal results.

4.    Plan your meals

Even the strictest of diets have a thing called cheat-meal. Keep in mind that this is not just giving in to your own temptation but an actual boost in your weight-losing efforts, seeing as how shocking your body every once in awhile may enhance the effect of your diet. Why not organize these cheat-meals to fall on major holidays or scheduled dinner meet-ups with your friends and family? However, this would mean that a few days before and afterward you might want to be extra careful about your calorie consumption. According to the rule of the thumb, you have the right to a cheat-meal each week while working towards losing weight and the right to a cheat-day if you are already at your ideal weight.

5.    Enjoy the outdoors

Finally, while it may not be pleasant to take an hour-long walk to work and back during a blizzard, nothing’s preventing you from taking a stroll around the neighborhood every once in awhile. Some cities have an outdoor ice skating spot, which can also be a great calorie-burning winter-exclusive activity for a whole family to enjoy.

Conclusion

Where some people see a problem, others see a challenge. For this reason, there are people who actually find it encouraging that they now have to alter their workout habits a bit, seeing as how it helps them break the routine. Like everything else in life, your prospects of fitness are just a matter of perspective.