If your exercise routine includes a lot of running, outdoor pilates or Yoga, or other al fresco activities, you might find that your fitness is in danger from more than the rich food of the festive season! With the weather closing in, you might find that your usual exercise options are closed off. Whether it’s too cold, rainy, or even dangerous with ice underfoot, unless you’re able to adapt you might find yourself falling off the exercise wagon altogether with a tough journey back to fitness when the weather improves.
Keeping fit in the darker months of the year is more than simply picking the right cashmere track pant for warmth. Today we’re looking at how you can adapt so you don’t fall behind.
Timing
One of the things you can adjust to keep your outdoor exercise routine going as long as possible is the timing. Obviously this isn’t in your control if you’re taking a fitness class, but if you’re deciding your own schedule moving your runs and workouts away from the early morning or evening can help you avoid the worst of the winter weather. If you’re able to take a run in the afternoon – in your lunchbreak, for example – you’ll avoid the worst of the weather and be able to keep up your regime long into the winter.
Staying Safe
If you’re out running in the evening as the nights get darker earlier you need to be a bit more aware of your personal safety. Avoiding poorly lit, isolated park areas and sticking to streetlight, well-travelled roads don’t just make you feel safer from threatening strangers, they also protect you from the risk of missing a trip hazard in the dark and falling over. An injury like that could hold you back from exercise for months as well as being painful so it makes sense to only work out where you see the ground in front of your feet.
It’s also important to remember to wear visible, reflective clothing so drivers can see you in the dark. If you neglect this, you could find yourself suffering a more serious accident than a fall!
Varying Your Routine
If the cold, dark days of winter make it difficult to maintain your commitment to your exercise routine, it’s worth changing that routine to give yourself a push. Novelty is a motivator in itself, so simply changing your routine could be enough, but you could also try joining a sports team or running group. Making the experience more social makes it easier to stick with when the going gets really tough and until the spring comes in March, the going could get tough indeed.
