Braving the cold winter blues and commitment to workouts can turn salubrious. Winter workouts help burn more calories, help create a healthy and fitter body, which makes us feel confident in the warmer months. It keeps heavy food cravings and waist-expanding enemies at bay and boosts concentration.
It's important to get out of the comfort zone, the cozy warm corners of the house, and get involved in physical activities. It improves immunity and heart health. Exercising and sweating releases feel-good hormones like endorphins and enkephalins, which are proven to improve mood and eventually reduce stress.
Exercising in a cold environment changes a portion of the body's fat cells from detrimental 'white' fat to metabolically dynamic 'brown' fat which assists the body with adapting to cold conditions and increases energy consumption.
To have a nonchalant winter workout, the fitness experts have testified a few safety tips to be followed for a great exercise experience.
Dressing up to keep dry during exercising is very important.
The cotton active-wear, which soaks up sweat and holds in moisture should be given a miss, and loose, light layers that can be removed as the body warms up should be considered.
The layer nearest to the skin ought to be synthetic, dampness-wicking material like polyester, nylon, and polypropylene designed to dry quickly to keep the body dry. The next layer should be insulating to hold in the body heat, and the external layer should be windproof and waterproof, especially for outdoor workouts.
Keep body hydrated
Apart from being cold, winters are dry, too. It is very essential to keep the body hydrated during workouts. To protect skin from drying, drinking plenty of water and application of moisturizing cream or lotion is highly recommended.
Warm-up before exercise
Next on the list is a dynamic warm-up, especially for winters, which increases the blood flow and temperature in the muscles to help counter the risk of pesky injuries. After a sustained exercise, to eliminate the exercise by-products, a cool-down is essential. Winter exercising inculcates the habit of warming up and cooling down before and after each workout session.
Prone to asthma, heart disease?
Winter is a great time for anyone who wants to work out but it has corollaries too. Many fitness enthusiasts, eventually detriment themselves in the absence of expert guidance. Cold-weather exposure may turn out to be risky for people suffering from heart disease. The body's endeavors to prevent heat loss by shrinking the blood vessels may lead to elevated blood pressure levels that can be noxious for people with heart disease and hypertension. Even Asthma patients should be extra vigilant as cold air can trigger symptoms.
Exercising on a winter morning, right after getting out of bed results in the outrageous change in temperature, especially for an outdoor workout like cycling or running; alongside the additional smog, is downright horrendous for health. Even indoor temperatures should be regulated.
Stretch, and then some more
The experts swear by the importance of stretching and breathing properly during a workout to prevent any form of detriment. Stiffness of the neck and upper back, pain in knees irrespective of age, sore calf muscles are a few injuries that can be eluded with expert guidance.
The famous quote from the world of fitness is "Summer bodies is made in winters', glorifies winter workouts. The best time to ameliorate the body and health, irrespective of the challenges. These challenges are the condiments that flavor success and make it sumptuous. With the onset of winters, don't limit the challenges, but instead, challenge the limit.
(Vikas Jain is Managing Director, Anytime Fitness India)
