As summer winds to a close, it’s time to start thinking about what you plan to do to keep fit over the winter. If your current exercise plan requires you to be outdoors, or if you live in an area where extreme temperatures or weather events make it hard to travel to a gym, it’s important to put together a plan that will allow you to keep fit, no matter how bad the weather gets.
Many people make the mistake of forgetting to make their plans, and end up completely off their fitness tracks just a few months into winter. If you don’t want this to happen to you, the key is making sure that you are prepared. It doesn’t take long to come up with alternative plans and if you’re already to go, it won’t be any big deal to implement your plan when bad weather hits. Here are a few ideas to get you going.
1. Consider indoor swimming.
This is a great way to stay fit in winter, and if you live in an area where it is very cold outside, there is nothing quite like getting in a nice heated pool. Swimming is great cardio exercise and there is no impact, so it is perfect for those that are either coming off of an injury, or for those that aren’t quite ready for strenuous exercise. Even though it’s joint friendly, you can still get quite a workout by swimming a few laps. Most towns should have at least one indoor swimming pool and larger cities will have gyms that offer this feature.
2. Walk inside.
If you are into walking to keep fit, transferring your walks indoors will ensure that you are able to stick with your exercise plan no matter how cold it gets. Consider signing up at a gym that has an indoor track, or you can always walk for free at a local mall. Walking is a great way to get your heart pumping, and it’s also one of the easiest ways to get exercise.
3. Start a gym membership.
If you need to use exercise equipment, or you want the structure that a class can bring your exercise plan, you may want to consider signing up at a nearby gym. The one downside is that you may not be able to get to the gym if there is bad weather, but you can also set up alternative plans for those days ahead of time.
4. Get a few pieces of exercise equipment for your home.
If you don’t want to work out at a gym, but you would still like to get a good workout, consider picking up a few pieces of workout equipment and making a small home gym that you can use anytime, rain or shine. You can even get great deals on equipment at local garage sales or even consignment stores.
Winter doesn’t have to mean an end to all of your hard work and great progress. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to stay on your fitness track all year round.