Small change to your exercise regime in winter goes a long way

It’s so cold outside and that reason is tempting enough for you to ignore your buzzing alarm in the morning. You just don’t feel like getting out of bed, forget heading to the gym or for a jog/run outside. You’re not the only one, many people end up giving their workout a ditch. While it’s all right to take a rain check once in a while, don’t make it a pattern. We spoke to experts to know why working out in the winters is just as important as working out throughout the year.

GATHERING WILLPOWER

While being tucked into bed under a warm cozy blanket is very comforting, waking up is the first main step. Leena Mogre, director of Leena Mogre’s Fitness shares a trick for waking up on time. Instead of just putting just one alarm by your bedside, which you will invariably turn off, put alarms in three different rooms. This way, you will have no choice but to get out of bed to turn off all the alarms and you won’t snooze and laze around in bed.

DON’T CONFUSE THIRST FOR HUNGER

Many of us tend to eat more during the cold season because we feel hungry oft en. Mogre busts this popular myth saying, “It’s not that we feel extra hungry during winters. People feel less thirsty during the winters because they aren’t sweating due to the cold temperature. Our body requires lots of water and when this requirement isn’t fulfi lled, sometimes people misunderstand thirst for hunger and eat more than necessary. Therefore, it’s important to drink enough water so as to not to confuse thirst or even appetite for hunger.” So if you’re guilty of confusing thirst for hunger and been gobbling up extra food and beverages, it’s one more reason for you to not have skip your workout.

WARM-UP IS CRITICAL

The first golden rule when it comes to workout is do to a warm-up. However, during winters it becomes critical. “Cold temperatures can make your muscles tight and therefore, more prone to injuries. It is very important to get them warmed-up prior to engaging in any intense physical activity. Warming up not only helps your body prepare itself for exercise both mentally and physically but also reduces the risk of injuries. That’s because warm-ups concentrate on the muscles and allow them to stretch and actually ‘warm up’. The goal of a warm-up is to increase circulation around the body, in a gradual manner, as not to exert any pressure on the body,” informs Althea Shah, fitness expert and VP marketing, Gold’s Gym India. “A warm-up of about 10 minutes is ideal, however this number should go up to 15 minutes during winters to get the heart rate up. Your workout should be as follows: warm-up, stretching, workout, cooling down and stretching,” advises Mogre.

WE WORKOUT BETTER IN WINTERS

There’s no doubt about the fact that working out is important throughout the year. However, in winters we tend to workout better. The reason being, a warm-up takes up a longer period of time. Also, the body takes more effort to push itself and once you start getting into the swing of working out, the body does a good job of keeping itself warm. Because you push yourself more, it helps you burn more calories. You breathe more and take in more oxygen. All this helps to facilitate a better workout, explains Shah.

Mogre on the other hand feels that there isn’t any truth to the theory that we burn more calories while working out just because it’s winter. “There’s nothing like that. It all depends upon the intensity of the workout. In winters, we don’t sweat, therefore we feel fresh and less tired,” she says.

EXERCISING AT HOME

Well, if you’re really not up to waking up in the chilly mornings to make your way to the gym or head out for a run/jog, then exercising at home is your other best option. Aft er all, something is better than nothing. Shah recommends yoga, skipping, doing push-ups, squats or even activities like gardening. Mogre on the other hand, warns about the chances of getting injuries at home and hence, recommends exercising at home under the supervision of a trainer.