Winter Woes!!

Winter is here and one of its common side effects is laziness, with a generous dose of exceptions, mind you! However, it usually is a time of low motivation, especially for the early morning workout enthusiasts thanks to the cozy comfort a blanket can give!

Here are few tips to keep in mind during winters and also to stay motivated –
Due to low temperatures, muscles and joints need more time to loosen up and get ready for workout. Hence not only is it essential to not skip the warm-up, it also becomes essential to extend the time of a warm-up session to anything upto 15 minutes and also to start slowly with some low-impact cardio activity like walking or stair climbing etc. Starting your warm-up with a jog or jumping can be extremely injury-prone.
Another very important area to be taken care of, is the way you get up in the morning. Since the muscles are not very flexible at that time, it is essential to adopt right postures during getting up, to avoid lower back pain or other problems. Some correct techniques are to turn to your right and then get up with the support of your hand and shoulders, or lie down on your back and rock yourself up by folding the knees and getting them close to the chest.
Rest in-between the workout is also best done actively and dynamically, instead of passively like sitting down or stopping completely, since the body temperature may fall down.
If workout during mornings is becoming difficult to adhere to, shift the timings to anytime later in the day, preferably before night. Needless to say, anytime is better than not working out at all!
Having a workout buddy works best during this time, to keep yourself and your friend motivated.
Make sure to cool down your body adequately after a workout, before stepping out into the open to avoid extreme changes in temperature which can cause distress to the body.
Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration since though the thirst level is low during winters, the body continues its metabolic activities causing loss of water
Winter time also sees an increase in appetite, and hence it is essential to eat freshly prepared, hot, nutritious and healthy foods, instead of satiating hunger through junk food and the like.