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Consistently exercise even when it’s wet

It’s raining outside but it’s time to exercise. What do you do? You might be thinking, are you serious I can’t exercise in that! Apart from it being a little cold and wet (which can be addressed), there aren’t any disadvantages to training in the cold. In fact, running in the rain may cause an increased metabolic cost, resulting in greater calorie expenditure, assisting those wanting to lose weight.

Another concern people often have is, ‘will I get sick from training in the cold’? A cold is transferred through contact with the rhinovirus not through cold exposure. Studies have also demonstrated that exercise can boost your immune function.

Missing a session due to cold weather is an easy way of giving yourself the day off. Although, training in the cold might not seem fun, there are things you can do to make the experience more comfortable.

Here are 5 Tips to help you exercise in the cold

Layer up: It helps you to go out in the cold if you know you will be warm and then when you start to warm up, you can take a layer off and still remain comfortable.

Cover your fingers and toes: The first parts of our body to feel cold are often our extremities. Put on your gloves and a warm pair of socks and off you go!

Make sure you do a warm up: The great thing about exercise is that it warms you up. You could even try to do your warm up inside before you venture out into the cold.

Grab a mate: It’s always easier to get outside when you have a mate waiting for you in the cold. Have your exercise time booked in and don’t back out.

Workout inside: If you’re still not convinced about venturing into the cold, set up a circuit in your living room. The comfort of home can be a great place to exercise. Be creative with what you might use as equipment, or simply do body weight exercises.

If you need that extra motivation to get you moving, please speak with your Accredited Exercise Physiologist.