Darker skies, shorter days and colder weather can be enough to derail even the most avid fitness fan. Instead of hibernating under the covers or skipping out on the routine you worked all year to perfect, use winter to fuel your training.
Here are some of the best ways to keep active during winter
Body 20
If gyms aren’t for you, then Body 20 EMS (Electro Muscle Stimulation) is a great option. It mimics the natural action of your central nervous system, sending electrical impulses to contract your deep muscle fibres.
In just a 20-minute training session, your personal trainer will put you through a customised one-on-one programme – giving your body over 150 times more muscle contractions than a conventional workout.
Training sessions can differ depending on your level of fitness and goals. From low impact to high intensity, every program is customised. Strong contractions and dynamic exercises results in the best workout for activating deep muscle hypertrophy.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
Workouts that alternate between short, but intense, bursts of exercise, where you go all out for a period of time and less intense active recovery, have been shown to be more effective for heart health, fat loss and strength gain than traditional cardio and strength training. And the kicker? You get all those results in less time.
Compared to longer stretches of moderate-intensity running, cycling, or other aerobic exercises, studies show show that HIIT improves cardio fitness nearly twice as much among people with heart disease
Hot yoga
This is the ideal workout for anyone who can’t bring themselves to exercise outdoors in winter. The best thing about hot yoga is that it’s done in a room that is heated to 35° – 42°C. The type of yoga practised depends on the studio you join, but it can vary from Vinyasa or Bikram to Hatha and Ashtanga.
In fact, depending on the yoga instructor, you might experience up to 26 postures in a 90-minute class. The classes are designed to help you clear your mind while burning calories at the same time.
Expect to stretch, strengthen and open shoulder blades and hip flexors. The heat warms the body up helping you stretch beyond your flexibility without the risk of injury.
Pilates
Pilates is a method of exercise that consists of low-impact flexibility and muscular strength and endurance movements. Pilates emphasises proper postural alignment, core strength and muscle balance. Pilates is named for its creator, Joseph Pilates, who developed the exercises in the 1920s.
Pilates is an exercise system that focuses on stretching and strengthening the whole body to improve balance, muscle strength, flexibility and posture.
CrossFit
CrossFit is done indoors, and is based on Functional Movements (like squatting, lifting, pushing and pulling). All workouts combine gymnastics, weightlifting and metabolic conditioning, which are varied and performed at high intensity, giving you a workout that is tough.
The point of CrossFit is to push you to your uncomfortable zone, which is when the work really begins. No pain, no gain.
While it challenges the world’s fittest, the CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability, making it the perfect application for any committed individual, regardless of experience.
The same routines are used for elderly individuals with heart disease and professional cage fighters.
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