Don’t Let The Cold Kill Your Cardio
Now that it’s finally cooling off outside, hibernation season is upon us! You may not actually be sleeping in a cave for the next few months but chances are with winter weather you’ll be spending a lot more time at home. After a long summer, you remember home: the place where you eat, sleep, and chill? And now that colder weather has us settling in, it can be hard to leave your warm house and brave the cold just to get your exercise in (or to do anything outside really.)
Don’t sweat it, not that you can in this weather. We’ve got some great ideas to keep your heart rate high and your body happy, just in case lower motivation hits with the onset of colder weather.
Become a Calisthenics Pro
When’s the last time you could touch your toes? How about the splits? If you haven’t been instructed to, it’s likely you haven’t been regularly stretching for a while. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Millions of people engage in strenuous physical activity without so much as giving a thought to a butterfly or windmill move. Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they’re weak and unable to fully extend. So maybe you can’t make it to Kubex today, or quite frankly you just didn’t have the motivation. Stretching at home for just 15-20 minutes can help keep your muscles loose and ensure your body will be ready for action.
Master the Space in Your Home
Not everyone has a giant workout room in the west wing of their home or a mansion with lots of auxiliary space. What’s important to note is that your body weight and the space you do have to work out in can still aid you in a pretty good ad-hoc workout. Once you’ve stretched (see above) you’ll be ready for some refining moves:
Core: Sit ups, planks, bicycle kicks, leg lifts on your back
Legs: Lunges, squats, single leg hip raises, squat jumps, scissor box jumps
Upper body: Push ups, pull ups, plank tricep extensions, tricep dips, headstand press
These moves may sound simple but if they are done consistently and at a pace that pushes you to sweat and increase your heart rate, results will surely follow.
The Kubex Solution
In our humble opinion, this might be the best option of all. At Kubex there’s no need to get overly creative and coordinate a whole morning’s worth of moves. KUBEX was designed to lead you step by step through a carefully constructed workout regiment. Our sequences through private KUBES ensure you’ll spend 30 minutes or less getting that hear rate moving in an area that keeps the cold weather at bay. You don’t have to worry about planning your workout around the cold. You never have to bundle up and strip layers down. Just an environment that keeps you on your game with a great mix of challenging, fun and engaging exercises. Our private space allows you to relax and focus on each movement rather than wondering if people are watching you and judging.
Layer Up and Brace For the Cold!
Despite all of the great indoor options previously mentioned, you might find yourself going a little stir crazy! There are still lots of great things to help burn some calories. Even snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding are awesome ways to keep up with an active lifestyle. If you’re outside kicking some butt, you might want to add some extra gear to help you. For runners we suggest some heat insulating running tights ( Men’s and Women’s), a great looking beanie as well as a lightweight but durable running jacket (Men’s and Women’s). If hiking is your thing, we would recommend you take a look at these sweet activewear jackets by The North Face. You can also check out some awesome shoes and accessories in our article 13 suggestions for workout gear.
In summary, just because the heat is gone it doesn’t mean that your motivation, progress and training has to go with it. There are lots of ways to stay fit, but only you can decide to make it happen. There’s no better time to find a solid workout buddy than in the fall and winter. You’ll need to the extra boost and that way you can justify getting hot chocolate together once you’re done!
The cold may be coming, but it’s no match for you.
