Why Is It Important to Exercise During the Winter Months?

It’s normal for us to want to snuggle up in a blanket during the winter months. Why would anyone want to go outside when the cold of winter bites your lungs while running or the wind finds every little niche to break through and chill you?

So why should you motivate yourself to get up and exercise? It’s better for your body and your mood if you do.

Vitamin D is an important part of a healthy body during the winter months. During the summer, we get enough exposure to the sun in 10-15 minutes outside to keep our levels within a healthy range. Vitamin D helps keep our bones strong, helps prevent high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes. Exercising during the winter months makes it easier for you to increase your vitamin D levels.

Winter exercise can help you keep off those extra pounds that are packed on during the holiday season and after. Not only is exercise a natural way to warm up your body, but it also helps to burn calories and make it easier for you to reach your fitness goals when the weather warms up. Exercise also helps you keep a positive outlook and gives you the chance to beat the winter blues naturally.

Exercise gives you an energy boost, which in turn gives you an enhanced mood. Personal trainers believe that for ten minutes of exercise, indoors or outdoors, releases serotonin and dopamine, which reduce depression and anxiety. This will also give you a boost of positive energy and thoughts.

Exercise will make the blood flow through your body better, pushing immune cells through your body to help fight off illness. You should also be sure to spend time outside exercising because a deep breath of fresh air is better than consistently breathing dry air heated artificially by a heater. It also gives your lungs a chance to detox and process oxygen without dealing with another person’s illness or germs.

Certain exercises can help you with fighting off the winter blues as well. Jogging, cycling or walking are ways to get your blood moving and staving off the blues and winter weight gain. Though you want to get your blood flowing, you will also want to take into account your current physical limits. You want to do everything at a brisk pace, but you will want to be able to maintain a conversation as well. There is no need to overdo it.

If going outside is not a possibility due to weather, then you should consider adding a piece of equipment to your home gym. A treadmill, cycle or elliptical can help you with the cardio support that you need to maintain for an efficient workout. If you open a window, you will be able to bring fresh air into the room, and can still give your lungs the detox that they are begging for in the winter months. However, you will still need to find a way to get your vitamin D levels up for a healthy winter season.