Truth be told, it’s kind of difficult to go on with sports activities during the winter, but this doesn’t mean that you should simply give up on that.
Why is it so difficult to stay in shape in the winter?
Winter isn’t ideal in terms of working out, but as long as you’re following some tips and stay focused, you may be able to remain in top notch shape throughout the cold months. With all the preparations, celebrations and, needless to say, good food, staying on track and in good shape is a bit challenging (to say the least.
As long as you’re determined to try your best to continue with your sports, you should be able to find the ways for doing it. You don’t need the giant leap to stay on track, some small steps are going to do it just fine.
There are many obstacles during the winter months, but none of them are major enough to make you lose your good physical shape.
What are the tips for sports in the winter time?
Even if you’re not going to be able to play some soccer or football (not outside anyway), there are some things you can do for staying in shape through winter months.
- Set a goal for the winter time
Not knowing where you’re going isn’t going to get you somewhere. Set up a short-term goal for every workout, but don’t forget about the long-term goals either. If you haven’t been setting goals so far, now it’s a good time to start.
You’re going to make it a lot more real if you’re telling people around you about your goals. Staying true to yourself is going to help you stay on track; nobody likes a hypocrite, right?
It goes without saying the fitness goals and winter holidays aren’t the best combination. Every holiday makes the perfect reason for ditching a session and to fall off track. You don’t exercise anymore and you don’t stop from eating all of that delicious foods.
Don’t lose sight of your goals and fight as much as you can to accomplish them. Set realistic goals and do your best to achieve them.
- Don’t forget about rewarding yourself!
Once you’ve reached your everyday goals, a nice and little reward is never a bad idea! Treat yourself with a nice slice of your favorite pie at the end of the week if you stayed on track. Staying true to yourself and focused for accomplishing your goals sure deserves a sweet tooth!
- Change your habits
Variety is great in life and one of the best things you can do for your athletic abilities is to push yourself and try new exercise, sports or routines.
Boxing training, for instance, is a great option to try during winter as it’s fresh, fun and challenging altogether.
Performing the same exercises, over and over again, in the same order, using the same weights, chances are that your routine is boring and your body doesn’t react at it anymore. One sure thing to kill your motivation? Boredom and you should avoid it as much as you can in your workout routine.
We’re humans and we love the novelty or anything that is new and exciting. New challenges are going to keep you on track and feel better when exercising. We need that nice feeling of excitement that makes us put on the running shoes or boxing gloves in order to actually enjoy our workout.
Try something new this winter. Boxing is one option to have in mind.
- Switch up the timing
It’s not only the workout routine that you need to change, but also the times of day you’re working out. We all know that winter gives us so many reasons of excitement and joy, but it can also lead to lack of motivation and depression.
The winter depression is real and some do experience it. Some people are really sensitive to the lack of sunlight that is common for the winter months. It gets darker faster so you don’t have the same energy, losing interest in working out or in any other kind of activity.
As the sun rises earlier, you may very well start your day earlier too. Why not start your day with some morning workout which is going to give you a good mood and give you the energy you need throughout a day?
- Get involved in competition
A test of your athletic abilities is always a good thing as it’s going to give you an idea about your possibilities and push you forward as well. Signing up for a competition is always a good idea in the winter time.
No matter you say, we’re all competitive on a certain level and it’s the main reason for our development as a race.
After all, what better reason for the Olympic games to happen every 4 years if not the competitive spirit in all of us?
Being competitive isn’t a bad thing. It’s the reaction that we have when losing what makes competition look bad in some situations.
As you develop tunnel vision and an incredible drive to compete, all the obstacles that winter may have for us are going to look minor and easy to overcome.
One last suggestion for sports in winter time
It’s rather intuitive to think that exercising in the cold weather puts you at risk for experiencing hypothermia or frostbite.
It depends a lot on where you are in the winter, but it’s common for winter to cool you down. It’s almost impossible to work out when you’re almost frostbitten, so you need to stay on the safe side. You always need to dress warm and brace yourself for the cold temperatures.
Don’t fall into temptation and put on some thick or heavy winter coat. It’s a rooky mistake? You should add layers instead so that you may get rid of them as you get hot from working out. Look for the thermal fabrics that are going to maintain your muscles all warmed through the workout.
Eat the right food before working out- it’s going to help you to hold on to the heat a lot more efficiently.
Not eating for several hours is going to make you hungry, so make sure you pack the right snacks when you’re out there!
