Excercise (even indoors)
When the temperature drops outside, many of us want to stay indoors and wait for the sun and longer days to return. Exercise normally takes a back seat, but if you decide to brave the cold and leave the electric heater at home, you will soon discover that training in cold weather may provide numerous benefits to not only your body but also your mind.
As winter tightens its grip on all of us, germs and viruses become commonplace and circulate, with only a few escaping unscathed by the usual cold or flu.
Exercising can not only help you fight off any symptoms of a cold or flu, but it will also lower your chances of being sick in the first place. Your immune system is working harder and is better prepared to combat foreign invaders and associated unpleasant symptoms.
Cold weather pushes your body to work harder during exercise, including your cardiovascular system. Because cold weather exercise causes the heart to work harder to circulate blood around the body, this energizing workout helps to keep your heart health in tip-top shape. With cardiovascular disease being a big public health concern in this country, doing whatever to strengthen your heart is a wise decision.
The winter blues, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), occur when you are depressed and your mood is off despite all of the holiday excitement. This occurs as a result of shorter days and your body/mind not receiving enough light and endorphins.
Exercise can improve your mood at any time of year, but it has an especially powerful effect in the winter, sending those all-important feel-good hormones skyrocketing. and warding off the winter blues In fact, studies have shown that a decent workout can be up to four times as beneficial than pharmaceuticals in alleviating depressive symptoms. Getting outside in the fresh air in chilly weather can help replenish vitamin D levels in the skin, as well as being an excellent mood enhancer and pick-me-up.
Consider a winter workout to be a turbocharged version of your typical sweat sesh. Because the cold temperature will increase your caloric burn no matter what workout you undertake. This is because the body is working significantly harder to maintain its core temperature. As the body struggles to stay warm, the metabolism speeds up and your body burns more calories and fat.
The winter weather allows you to explore new hobbies that you may not have tried before. Enjoy the winter months for the new chances they bring. You may try something new, such as skiing or cold water swimming, which has been shown to reduce stress and improve circulation.
If you don't want to confront the cold, join a gym, do a workout DVD, or run on the treadmill to enhance circulation and reduce kapha. Take in some sunlight as well. Sit near a window to soak up the early morning or evening light. Sunlight relaxes muscles, produces vitamin D, alleviates Seasonal Affective Disorder, and aids the body in maintaining appropriate sleep patterns.
