It’s only natural to want to hibernate until spring, but there’s really no excuse for not staying active during the winter months when there are so many ways to work out so you will be fit instead of fat when the spring rolls around. Here are a few ways to stay motivated even when the temperature plunges.

Schedule It on Your Calendar

We write down important things on our calendars, such as doctor’s appointments. Set aside 30 minutes every day for working out and treat it as seriously as a trip to the doctor.

Timetable Your Week of Activities

The current recommendations are 30 minutes of activity per day. They can be cardio, which burns fat, or strength training. Strength training should be done 2 to 3 days apart in order to help the muscles heal after a session. Plan out which days you will do which. Continue reading →

Getting out of a nice and cozy warm bed to go outside and exercise when it is freezing cold may not be your idea of a good time. But exercising in the cold has several benefits over doing it in warm weather. Specifically, it:

Burns More Calories

It’s true, exercising outdoors in the winter ramps up your metabolism and in the end, you burn more calories than if you had exercised in warm weather.

Part of the reason is it takes more energy to keep your body warm when it is cold outside. Depending on what you are doing, the exercise itself can burn a lot of calories.

Take cross country skiing at a brisk speed for example; calories burned are 544 per hour. Snowshoeing is another high calorie winter sport at 476 calories per hour. And both sports are something different from your normal routine so they can prevent boredom, not to mention the wonderful landscape you’ll see. Continue reading →

It’s easy to find ways to exercise when it’s warm outside. You know how important is to exercise regularly. However, it’s not always easy to be active when the temperatures outdoors plummet. Learn how to stay warm when exercising in cold weather and you’ll be able to stay active all year long.

One way to stay active during colder months is to head to the gym. That is one option to consider but there’s no reason you can’t get outdoors to get your exercise. There are plenty of ways to stay warm while exercising in the crisp winter air.

When heading outside to exercise in cold weather you want to have several layers of clothing. Be sure to use fabrics which will wick the perspiration away from your skin closest to it. These would include silk, polyester, polypropylene and wool. You may think cotton would be the best choice, but it retains the moisture rather than moving it away from the skin. Continue reading →