4 Ways to Support Your Health and Fitness This Winter

Now that the festivities associated with Christmas and New Year’s are behind us, it is time to get back on track regarding our health and fitness routines. This may be easier said than done given the shorter days and longer nights, plus the annoyingly low temperatures. However, there are some tips and ideas you can implement in order to beat the winter blues and pay sufficient attention to your health and fitness. Here are some crucial steps you can take in this regard.

Ensure Your Vitamin D Level is Appropriate

One of the most important nutrients that we need on a daily basis is Vitamin D. It helps our immunity function optimally and also supports bone and heart health, among other functions. The most common source of this vital vitamin is the sun.

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to be exposed to as much sunlight as our bodies need during winter. The next best source? Our diet. Make sure that you eat oily fish (salmon, for example), red meat, milk and egg yolks for an ample supply of this vitamin. For vegetarians, non-meat alternatives exist, such as fortified cereals as well as enriched milk alternatives.

If push gets to shove, consume Vitamin D supplements sourced from a trusted supplier near you if you aren’t sure your diet has sufficient amounts of this nutrient. A quick online search can point you in the right direction.

Sweat it out at Home

To be sincere, the prospect of leaving home to head to the gym on a cold winter evening or amidst the rain in the morning isn’t exactly one that anyone would look up to. That said, winter isn’t an excuse for you to neglect your exercise regime.

What is a person to do? Work out from home, of course! You don’t need to splurge on the latest workout equipment in order to exercise at home. Depending on your fitness goals, basic and even no equipment is required for a respectable workout at home. For example, what equipment do you need to do push-ups and planks at home? Even a good old skipping rope can do wonders for your cardio!

That said, shop around for simple equipment that you can use at home in the limited space you have available. And, the internet is available to help you out. Join an online workout class and follow the guidance provided by the online trainer while you are in the comfort of your home.

Get a work out partner

It is easy to procrastinate or forget your fitness goals when the freezing cold increases the appeal of lying on your couch covered by a warm blanket as you watch your favorite Christmas movie. However, it will be a lot easier and fun to stay on track when you have an accountability partner.

That workout buddy should preferably be more enthusiastic about working out than you are so that his or her zeal will motivate you to stay the course. Better yet, join a whole bunch of exercise enthusiasts so that a touch of socialization can be added to your desire of keeping fit and healthy! Workout routines can be gamified if you are in a group and the sessions will whiz by each day without seeming to be a chore you are compelled to complete.

With an accountability partner for your fitness goals, you will never miss a workout this winter, or any other winter for that matter.

Let Technology Come to Your Rescue

Sometimes, it may not be possible to have a workout partner to keep you motivated during winter as you strive to meet your health and fitness goals. In such a case, technology can come to the rescue.

We have already mentioned that you can join an online work out class or even download exercise programs that you can follow from the comfort of your home. That is one way of leveraging technology to stick to your fitness goals this winter.

Another important way in which to use technology for your health and fitness this winter is for purposes of tracking your progress and also to ensuring you follow through on your goals. For example, many smart watches and other wearable devices can track the number of steps you walk each day, the number of miles for each morning run, your heart rate, your sleep patterns and other health parameters.

This data is important because it provides real-time feedback about how you are progressing, and that in itself can be a powerful motivator for you to press on. With these tech devices at your disposal, the wet winter winds can blow all they want and you will not be moved.

You will particularly love your tech tools if you see how effectively you are burning off any extra pounds that you piled on when you indulged in all those sweet treats and humongous meals during the holidays.

Summing it up…

When all is said and done, we are each different and the specific application of the suggestions above will vary depending on what works for each individual. Ultimately, you are responsible for maintaining your health and fitness regardless of the season or prevailing weather. No amount of technology will get you to exercise if you don’t have the inherent motivation to work out inside you. Technology is just an enabler and you are in control. Will you use that control/power to stay fit and healthy this winter?

To Your Success,

Jairek Robbins