Winter Workout Ideas
Has the snow got you down? Too many people use the holidays and the cold weather as an excuse to over eat and under exercise!
The truth is that winter workouts can be fun and beneficial. Not to mention the fact that you will probably feel less guilty about scarfing down Aunt Mildred’s pie if you moved your body a little before hand!
The idea behind winter workouts isn’t to avoid the weather or to suffer through it but to use it to your advantage. You can use new muscles and invigorate your routine with some new moves. Who knows, you might even have fun!
A lot of these suggestions are for those of us who live in a snowy climate. But if you live in a none snowy climate then your routine can stay fairly similar, or you can think of indoor activities like swimming, racquetball, volleyball, yoga, indoor rock-climbing, and of course any group class like cycling or kickboxing.
And what about those of you who do indeed live where it snows?
Do you think that means you are stuck indoors with boring treadmills and really old aerobics videos? Not so! Below we will look at some of the exciting winter workouts available to you!
Winter Workout: Snow Hiking
Okay, it is basically just walking in the snow BUT it can be a lot of fun and really great for your body. Think of it as adding 5 levels of incline to your treadmill or elliptical machine, since this is extra easy calorie burning .
Because it is extra work to move you won’t need to go as far or as long to get the same benefits of your average walk or hike. Make sure you dress warm, you have a flashlight and take your friend or partner to have a great bonding experience.
Winter Workout: Skiing and Snowboarding
Other fun snow activities include skiing and snowboarding. Don’t worry if you don’t know how! Take the opportunity to learn something new. You can even rent all the gear and equipment needed from the ski lodge.
Newcomers should definitely sign up for a lesson on how to gear up and stay safe on the slopes. Make sure to follow the steps the trainers give you, it is important to know what you are doing when you are rushing down a slippery hill!
Winter Workout: Snowshoeing
Another extremely fun activity is known as Snowshoeing. This is a hybrid of both running and skiing. It has become more and more popular as people release the good times they can have while doing one of the top winter workouts around.
Snowshoeing is not only fun, it is also affordable (you can rent your snowshoes by the day if you aren’t up for buying them) and that is all the equipment required for your adventure! You can also look forward to burning up to 360 to 860 calories an hour! That is a heck of a lot for those of you who are looking to lose weight quickly.
Also, keep in mind that this is great activity for those who can’t run often due to joint concerns. Snowshoeing offers resistance without high impact on more fragile joints. Think of the snow as a giant slushy, very shallow swimming pool.
See? There is absolutely no reason to stay locked inside gorging on pastries! There is a whole wonderful world of winter workouts that will probably leave you wishing it was winter all year round!
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.