Physical Activity in Winter

Winter is not a season typically associated with physical activity. People often give up practicing sports then, not only outdoors. Why is it so? Low temperature, snow, rain, shorter days, low energy levels…? We prefer to spend our evenings under a blanket, with a cup of tea, reading a book or watching a movie. How about trying to overcome laziness and choosing an activity that we enjoy, which gives us energy, and – what is also important – helps us stay in good shape. Today I will show you the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of practicing sports in winter  so you can decide what the best solution is for you 🙂 What you can be sure of is that any physical activity is better than none!

 

The benefits of regular physical activity

If you include some exercise in your daily schedule, it will certainly bring many benefits to your health and figure. It will help you both prevent civilization diseases and support recovery. The most important thing is to adjust the activity to the lifestyle, preferences and possibilities. What are the possible benefits?

• Improvement in well-being, increase in energy levels.
• Better concentration and memory.
• Losing, maintaining, or putting on weight, depending on the intensity, frequency of training and the diet.
• Firming the body.
• Maintaining the right amount of bone mass.
• Lowering the level of stress and tension.
• Better oxygenation of the body’s cells.
• Increase in the efficiency of the cardiovascular system.
• Lowering blood pressure, improving the flexibility of blood vessels.
• Balancing or maintaining appropriate blood sugar glucose and insulin levels, and thus preventing the occurrence of insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

You can learn HERE how much exercise we need to stay healthy. What else should you also pay attention to? Data from the 2018 release of the Public Opinion Research Center in Poland (CBOS) shows that 61% of Poles surveyed have been engaging in regular physical activity over the last year. Unfortunately, looking at previous research, the number of people not practicing sports has increased by as much as 5%. This is an unfavorable trend that we can change together!  

 

Physical activity in winter

We associate winter with snow, and when there’s snow, the first ideas that come to mind are skiing, snowboarding, skating, sledding, or sea swimming, which has been gaining popularity recently. You can still run, go for walks or do Nordic walking. Which sport is closest to your heart? It will certainly bring a lot of joy and help you maintain proper body weight or reduce excess body fat. That’s why I encourage you to take advantage of the cold weather and stay active also throughout these winter months. 

You definitely need to be better prepared for outdoor sports in winter. How to do it? Appropriate clothing is crucial. It is worth getting thermal underwear, and obviously clothes and shoes that will keep you warm. Another issue is warming up, as the body needs exercises that will stimulate the circulation and raise the heart rate a little, especially when the temperatures are low, which can save you from injury.

Perhaps for some, the real incentive to be active in winter, especially outdoors, will be the fact that sport in low temperatures increases the body’s need for energy. It is related to the process of thermoregulation, the so-called shivering thermogenesis, as well as increased metabolic rate. Studies have also shown that a drop in blood glucose reduces the body’s tolerance to cold. Therefore, remember about a proper pre-workout meal.

 

How to keep motivated to do sports in winter?

Think about your goal: why is it worth exercising? For some, the priority will be health, for others a slim body, or a way of spending free time.

If you still can’t motivate yourself to do your workouts, find a training partner. It should be a person with a similar fitness level who also likes the type of activity you enjoy. If you have a bad day, your partner will definitely motivate you to do the training and vice versa!

There are also many people who love challenges! That’s where I step in to meet your expectations. All you need to do is install my Diet & Training by Ann app. The beginning of the year is always the time of a joint training challenge, combined with a healthy diet and regeneration.

The challenges you set for yourself allow you to break down barriers and develop! I think everyone knows that sport strengthens not only the body, but also the character, and I know something about it. Therefore, I encourage you but also your loved ones to stay active because sport is a great way to spend free time together.

 

Are there any downsides to doing sports in winter?

Winter is a time when the day is relatively short, and the sun goes down quickly, often before you even return from work. It also often snows or rains. And those conditions are not very favorable for training or just going to the gym or a swimming pool.

It is definitely not a contraindication. If you are healthy and have appropriate clothing, you can go ahead and start training 🙂 

Health and well-being are crucial for me so I don’t worry about the weather or the season. All I think about is what sport I can do in the conditions I have. 

As I mentioned above, I often work out with the Diet & Training by Ann app because it allows me to do my training in all conditions, no matter where I am.

It is of course worth bearing in mind that even a person who trains regularly, properly dressed and motivated, must take into account the consequences of training in low temperatures. These include greater fatigue, slower post-workout regeneration, possible hypothermia as a result of prolonged exercise.

Another important aspect that cannot be underestimated is the possibility of dehydration. How is this possible? It is because we lose water through sweating, through increased water loss in the exhaled air, or increased diuresis (urination), just like in hot temperatures. At the same time, in winter it is unfortunately common for people to supply less water because you do not feel thirsty and you eat less fresh fruit and vegetables, for example.

 

 

Doing sports as a way to boost your mood

Endorphins, norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine are responsible for post-workout well-being. Endorphins improve well-being, relieve pain and inhibit the secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone. Norepinephrine causes emotional arousal, strengthens concentration and improves memory. Serotonin means peace and contentment, and dopamine increases the motivation to act! 30 minutes of training a day is enough to take advantage of the beneficial effects of these neurotransmitters. These are also the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

You already know the pros and cons of doing sports in winter. You know that there is always a solution and each season gives you lots of opportunities to spend your time in an active way. Therefore, if you do not have any strict medical contraindications, there is no reason for you not to exercise 🙂 Don’t let the winter weather stop you. And your body will thank you for it with health and good shape for years to come!

 

Bibliography:

1. Centrum Badań Opinii Społecznej. Aktywność fizyczna polaków. Komunikat z badań Nr. 125/2018: 1-8.
2. Górski J (red). Fizjologiczne podstawy wysiłku fizycznego. Wydawnictwo Lekarskie PZWL Warszawa 2014.
3. Tank W. A., Lee Wong D., Peripheral and central effects of circulating catecholamines, Comprehensive Physiology, 2015, 5: 1-15.
4. Zeman V. Aktywność fizyczna w chłodnym środowisku. Med. Sport Pract 2003, 4(1).