It is dark, cold and wet – the last thing you want to do is head to the gym. But it is the best thing to do! And here is why…
- The first reason is simple – routine. As humans we crave routine and your body thrives best when life is predictable. The routine of exercising and heading to the gym promotes your optimal body function and so, continuing to exercise will keep you on track to feeling well and achieving your goals.
- Following on from routine is your load management. This is a buzz term at the moment, but there is a lot of science behind this. Essentially, for every day of inactivity you lose approximately 0.5% of your muscle mass, strength and power – so over 3 months, that is nearly 50%!! To build this up again takes much longer!
- But the big reason is to stave off other ailments – including illness (your colds and flu’s) and progressing to chronic illness and diseases (such as diabetes, obesity, arthritis and postural issues from too much work or Netflix).
- Exercise improves your immune system and your bodies defence to bugs. When bugs are most prevalent in winter, it is super important that you keep up with your routine and gym work to get through unscathed. Not only that, but if you do become ill – you can recover quicker!
- With other chronic illnesses, arthritis and diabetes tend to be worse in cold weather. Short of moving to the tropics, exercise is the best way to keep warm, strong and keep out of pain! It also strops the progression of these illnesses!
- And importantly, seasonal affective disorder is a real threat. Essentially, it is cold and gloomy outside, and there is a spike in the incidence of depression and anxiety. The endorphin release with exercise is a great way to improve your mental health, alertness and concentration and avoid the impact of the weather on our mental health.
So – how do we go about this?
Exercising in winter places greatly demands on the body. Muscle strains and joint sprains will occur more easily because cold muscles and connective tissue is less elastic than warm muscles and connective tissue. A drop in core body temperature of just 1˚C can cause you shiver, which in turn leads to low sugar levels and reduced sporting performance. Blisters are also more likely to occur when cold, especially if your feet are wet. Diabetics need to be very careful and you can buy socks that “wick” moisture away from your feet and it is important to ensure your runners fit well.
So – it is important to – WARM UP WELL!
t’s actually very simple – SINCE WE ARE COLDER IN WINTER, WE HAVE TO WARM UP MORE!!! This helps to:
- Reduce the likely-hood of injury
- Increased speed of muscle contraction and relaxation
- Greater economy of movement due to lower viscous resistance
- Improved oxygen utilization by muscles
- Improved nerve transmission and therefore motor-control (core stability and co-ordination)
- Better muscle metabolism
- Increased blood flow to and from muscles
- Gets heart rate to a better level in preparation for exercise
- Focuses the mind on upcoming activity
Exercise is medicine – it is the cheapest and most effective tool that we have to combat a lot of life’s ailments. Continuing this over winter is vital to ensuring that you remain healthy, well and on track for your health and wellness goals. Take extra precautions with warming up – and don’t let the cold get you down and sluggish!