The lull of winter can be the perfect time to start building mass and bulking up. The season is just about hibernating. It’s about focusing on your gains and getting your fitness routine on track before summer rolls around again.
The good news is that it’s easy to follow winter workout plans to help you—no matter what temperature it is!
We have provided some tips to keep in mind to help you get fit and lose fat so you can rock a lean, shredded, or toned look in time for spring.
Winter Workout Plans To Keep You Active
In many ways, working out during the cold winter months can provide numerous benefits that you can’t get during the summer heat.
For example, you might notice a surge in endurance. When it’s cold out, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard as it usually does, you expend less energy and sweat less, so you can work out longer and harder.
Plus, you get exposed to the sun when you work out outside. This is an essential component in warding off seasonal affective disorder prevalent during the winter.
Here are a few tips to keep your winter workout plans fun and safe!
Pay Attention to Your Diet (And Calories)
The holiday stretch from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day is not for the weak-willed. There are so many temptations that surround us, which is why it’s essential to pay attention to your caloric intake.
It’s impossible to grow stronger without food. Not just any food will do. Foods with protein help you gain muscle, and whole grains with leafy greens allow you to maintain the necessary daily nutrients your body needs. Refined carbs and processed sugar can also impact your energy and mood, and no one wants a sugar crash in the middle of the day!
Just because you’re exercising and bulking up doesn’t mean you have a hall pass to junk food.
Rest and Heal
When you think of being active, you don’t first think of resting. But allowing your body to recover and your muscles to heal keeps your body strong and healthy. If you don’t sleep enough, your muscles can react to the stress hormone cortisol and go through a state of catabolism.
It’s essential to do a little bit of hibernating, as it turns out!
Squat Your Way Into Perfect Curves
Squats are a great way to burn calories and lose weight during the dark winter months. As far as exercises go, you are less likely to hurt your ankles and knees and even strengthen the support system for your leg muscles, including bones, tendons, and ligaments.
Squats help you go even deeper into your bones and boost their mineral density to help you grow strong bones. Plus, the more often you do squats, the more flexible you become by aiding the elasticity in your muscles and ligaments.
Regular squats help slow the aging process, plus they make you look incredibly fit by shaping your legs and butt.
Low-Intensity Cardio Workouts
There is a misconception that many people have about working out—that it needs to be highly intense and painful to be effective.
While many types of cardio are indeed effective, you can still enjoy improved health and fitness while being gentle with your body.
Low-intensity cardio training means keeping your heart rate active for a slow and steady time frame, typically for at least 30 minutes. This type of workout improves your blood flow and provides circulation to your muscles.
Anyone of any fitness level can enjoy these cardio workouts, which include:
- Walking
- Biking
- Swimming
- Jogging
- Hiking
- Yoga
As long as you get your heart rate up, you’re doing great!
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