No matter what time of year it is, it’s important to stay on top of your physical health. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is essential to keep you feeling great and ward off illnesses, but it can be challenging to adapt your workout routine to the changing season. If you’re used to exercising outdoors, it might seem nearly impossible to stay active when temperatures drop and surfaces become slick and icy. The good news is that you can continue getting your daily exercise and stay safe by following a few simple winter exercise tips:
- Stay consistent: During the winter months, you shouldn’t try to jump into a brand-new exercise routine. Instead, try to stay consistently active throughout the year. If you are already used to an active lifestyle during the warmer times of the year, your body will be more prepared to exercise in wintery weather conditions. No matter how active you are, it’s important to work with a doctor or a Brampton physiotherapist who can help make recommendations to keep you safe, healthy and on track toward your goals.
- Take more time to warm up: Heading outside for a workout can be shocking to your body if you don’t take time to prepare. Get your blood flowing with a short warmup to improve your range of motion and get your body ready for exercise in colder weather. As an added bonus, taking the time to warm up can improve your calorie burn during your workout.
- Try indoor exercises: If conditions outside get a little bit too harsh for exercise, you can still get your daily workout by trying an indoor routine. You can go to a gym to work out indoors, or even exercise in the comfort of your own living room.
- Wear layers: When your exercising outside, it’s important to stay warm. You should wear plenty of layers to keep your core temperature up so that you can successfully complete your workout.
- Stretch and cool down: Taking the time to stretch and cool down after a workout gives your body what it needs to recover properly. Stretching promotes muscle growth and regeneration so that your body can bounce back faster after especially difficult workouts. Cooling down with basic exercises that gradually decrease in intensity allows your body to smoothly transition from your workout to recovery. Even a few minutes of stretching and cooling down can help speed up your recovery and reduce soreness after exercise.
At Paramount Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic, we know that it’s not always easy to change your routine to adapt to a new season, but we’re here to help keep you on the right track. Since 2009, we have been proud to provide education and treatment to help our clients reach all of their health goals. We offer a wide variety of physiotherapy and sports injury treatments and modalities so that you can get personalized attention that meets your needs from a Brampton physiotherapist. Give us a call today to find out more about everything we have to offer.