Fierce Fitness: Cold and Exercise

Are you sitting beside the fireplace, all rugged up with your slippers on, tracksuit or dressing gown watching television as you feel the cold weather? But did you know that even though the temperature has dropped, this does not mean you have to bring your exercises indoors or even stop exercising altogether? It is time to embrace the cold and adapt your mindset to keep on moving.

I get it. When the temperature drops outside, it makes us feel like hibernating indoors and waiting it out until the sun comes out and longer days return. When this happens, most of us exercise will usually take a back seat. However, if you decide to brave the cold and leave the warmth of your home or office behind you, you will soon find exercising in cold weather can bring plenty of benefits to your body and your mind.

Cold weather forces your body to work harder during exercise, and this also applies to your cardiovascular system. As the heart works harder to pump blood around the body during cold weather exercise, this invigorating workout helps to keep your heart in tip-top shape. With cardiovascular disease being one of the significant health threats globally, anything that strengthens your heart is a smart move. Remember to consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program and consult with your healthcare professional (Personal Trainer in the gym/studio) to design an appropriate program.

If you have been thinking about your current exercise routine or taking up exercise and think it is too cold outside, it is time to rethink those words in your head. Here are my reasons why:

Boost your immune system: Doing exercise will not only help you fight off any symptoms of a cold or flu but reduce the likelihood of you even being affected. Your immune system works harder and is more prepared to fight off nasty symptoms.

Burn more calories: You will max out your caloric burn when you exercise during the cold weather.
This is due to the body working much harder to regulate its core temperature. As the body works to stay warm, the metabolism is kicked into overdrive, and your body burns through more calories
and fat.

Improves your mood: For many of us, the cold weather affects our mood, especially when the days are shorter, and our body and mind are not getting enough light and endorphins.

Exercise can boost your mood at any time of the year, but it has a particularly profound effect when it is colder, as it honestly sends those all-important feel-good hormones soaring. Research has shown that a good workout can be up to four times more effective than taking antidepressants for improving symptoms of depression. As well as being an effective mood booster and pick-me-up, getting outdoors in the fresh air in cold weather can help replenish vitamin D levels in the skin.

Take a deep breath: Being cooped up with heaters, layers of clothes, and windows shut with no fresh air is terrible for our bodies and minds. Exercising in the cold gives you a chance to detox and enjoy the fresh, crisp air in your lungs.

All these tips I have outlined will transform your mindset to achieve optimal health. Whatever type of exercise you do when cold or hot weather will keep your body strong and add years to your life.

Let us take a deeper look into the exercise component. If you want to exercise outside, the simplest ones are walking and running. It would help if you looked past the cold and instead focused on your body. If it is not too cold, say icy conditions, it is simple, you put on your shoes with some extra warm clothing and hit the footpath.

If you start either of these exercises, here are some warm-up exercises you can do with no equipment required. A warm-up should be about five minutes long.

Arm swings: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and swing your arms clockwise and then anticlockwise. Do about twenty reps from each direction.

Lunges: Stand with your feet together and step forward with your right leg, lowering your body by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left leg forward. Repeat the sequence ten times.

Knee highs: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your right knee toward your chest. Hold for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat the movement with your left knee. Repeat the sequence twenty times (10 of each leg).

When it is cold outside, I still go for a walk, as I know it has a massive positive impact on my overall health from a physical and mental point. Here are some reasons why you should go for a walk in the cold:

Strengthens your heart which can help reduce your chances of heart disease.
Strengthens your bones to reduce the chance of osteoporosis.
Controls your weight.
Regulates your blood pressure.
It makes you sleep better.
Improves your sex life.

Just do it: When you do not feel like exercising, do it anyway. You will feel amazing afterwards.

Jo Lastro, Our Expert (Former)

A 1st-Degree Muay Thai Kickboxer and sole owner of Jo’s Fitness Studio. Muay Thai has made Jo stronger, more comfortable in her own skin, and taught her to have faith and trust in herself. She now hopes to inspire, and help others overcome their own obstacles by sharing her expertise in fitness.