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
The term ‘superfood’ is reserved for foods that are very nutrient dense, and full of vitamins and minerals. There are certain superfoods that are available in the winter and go perfectly with all those seasonal recipes.
There are also superfoods that contain important nutrients to help with illnesses during the season, and are highly recommended to use during the winter. Here are some of the best ones:
Leafy Greens
The first superfood you should start eating to help with your winter illnesses and overall health in general is your leafy greens. These include any of your dark, leafy lettuces, such as spinach, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens. 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
