Winter is here, and with it comes the cold weather that we all love to hate. The days are short and the nights are long. That’s not what we need when we’re trying to get things done.
The last thing you want to do in the dark of winter when everything feels like a chore, though, is working out. There are plenty of reasons for this — excuses really — but the fact remains: if you’re not working out your body won’t be lean or manly at any time during fall or winter (except maybe early spring) and that’s a fact.
This is why it’s important to remember these tips for staying lean through the winter.
Don’t skip breakfast
During the winter, you might be tempted to sleep in an extra ten minutes or grab a coffee on your way to work instead of stopping by home and eating breakfast like usual.
Don’t do it! Skipping meals is never good for maintaining lean muscle mass (or getting rid of unwanted fat). Make sure that every morning you eat within 30 – 45 minutes of waking up because this will keep hunger pangs at bay all day long — which means no pesky snacking throughout the day either.
If possible, bring some snacks with you when leaving the house so that if there are any delays while commuting, at least your stomach won’t start rumbling halfway through the trip due to a lack of food intake until lunchtime.
Keep your metabolism revved up with the right fuel
When it comes to maintaining lean muscle mass, what you eat is just as important (if not more) than how much you exercise or whether or not you are training intensely enough.
Make sure that every meal includes a good balance of protein and carbohydrates. That will keep both your energy levels high throughout the day while helping slow down digestion, so that hunger pangs don’t set in too quickly between meals either.
At least two servings per day of foods like beef, pork, lamb, poultry & fish will ensure that you get enough protein. The same count for foods like whole grains (like oats), brown rice & quinoa will satisfy your carbohydrate needs.
Stay hydrated all winter long
Water is an essential part of our lives — but we often take it completely for granted! It’s very easy to become dehydrated when you are working out hard at the gym or even just commuting to work on a cold day with low temperatures outside.
Make sure that every day before leaving the house you have had sufficient amounts of water so that you don’t feel any discomfort due to dehydration while training or simply sitting behind a desk all day under bright lights trying to focus on doing some work.
If possible, bring along a bottle of water with you to the gym (or your office) so that you always have it at hand when needed.
Stay active throughout the week
This is a tip that we can all agree with, but sometimes when winter rolls around and things get cold outside, we let this slip by the wayside.
Remember that winter doesn’t have to mean hibernation, and you should keep yourself active throughout the week. This can be as simple as going for a walk or doing some light exercise during your lunch break — it will help keep your metabolism up and give you enough energy to do everything else on your list.
Get plenty of rest
This is especially important if you’ve been training regularly throughout the day already as your body needs those hours to recover; otherwise, it’ll think it’s okay for now since there’s no challenge ahead so might hold onto fat reserves until another opportunity to train comes.
Make sure you sleep for at least eight hours per night and take a nap during the day if possible, too. Your body needs that downtime to recover and it’s most efficient when you’re sleeping.
Eat more protein and healthy fats
Protein is the one macronutrient best liked by muscle cells so they’ll use it for energy and keeping them healthy. If you don’t eat enough, your muscles can become catabolic or start eating themselves which isn’t great. If you do this, cut back on carbs as well since these are processed first in order of priority.
Have a pre-bed snack with some whey protein powder mixed into the milk before sleeping every night if possible, even if not hungry. You want to ensure there’s something ready broken down inside an hour after waking up just in case your appetite hasn’t kicked in yet then leave it until lunchtime at the earliest.
Take supplements when needed
Winter weather conditions make us more prone to illness which means our immune systems have less time available for recovery from intense exercise sessions or just daily tasks around the house.
Therefore, supplements such as multivitamins and minerals can help to boost the immune system when it is in need. Taking supplements during winter will also ensure that your body has all of the key nutrients needed for recovery, growth, and general health.
Make sure your diet stays on track
It’s easy to think that with the colder weather coming in you can just eat what you want and not worry about gaining weight, but this is a trap that will surely come back to haunt anyone who falls into it.
You need to make sure that even though your activity levels may be lower during the winter, you’re still eating as cleanly as possible so nothing gets stored as fat.
Make sure to eat plenty of protein especially in the morning. It’s easy to go overboard on carbohydrates during winter but try not to let that happen too often. Make fruits and vegetables a priority, even if you’re craving something else like pasta or bread.
Eat frequently throughout the day; generally, every three hours is good enough timing for most people so adjust accordingly depending on your body type/metabolism. Don’t let yourself get hungry because when you do it will be hard not to binge eat everything around you which won’t help keep fat away from your belly.
Keep up cardio workouts
Now if working out outside isn’t an option or no longer seems appealing because of the cold, you can always keep up your cardio workouts inside. This will help keep the fat away during these months so that when spring comes back around, you won’t have to worry about putting on extra weight or having to start at square one again.
If you love to run, try treadmill running if weather conditions outside are not ideal. You may also want to consider buying a treadmill or elliptical machine for your own home.
Keeping up with resistance training will be helpful when it comes time to shed the extra pounds in springtime but don’t overdo it! If you’re already working out regularly, adding more workouts each week can make it difficult for muscles and joints to recover in between sessions which could result in injuries. Stay safe!
Building lean muscle mass during winter months is important too because this can help keep you warm throughout these cold days, meaning less money spent on heating bills (bonus!)
Before you know it, the first signs of spring will be here and your body should be feeling leaner than ever. Keep up these winter workouts so that when warm weather hits again, you’ll have no trouble staying in shape!
Stay focused and motivated
It’s easy for us all to think we’ve reached our goals in life already, but sometimes it just takes a little push from within ourselves before we get things moving forward as they should be.
Staying focused on staying lean through the winter is something anyone can do if they put their mind to it. Don’t let yourself fall by the wayside once winter starts rolling around because this could lead to gaining more weight than you’d want over the next few months, and once that happens it will be much harder to lose.
So keep your eyes on the prize instead of letting yourself get distracted because when you work hard for something amazing, nothing beats those feelings of success!
In conclusion
For those who love being active but struggle during the wintertime due to harsh weather conditions or a lack of motivation/energy levels, now is as good a time as any to start making changes so come springtime everything can fall back into place again.
By staying dedicated and avoiding distractions over these upcoming weeks, we’re confident everyone reading this blog post today can achieve whatever goals they wish — especially regarding fitness — no matter what obstacles may stand in their way.
The winter months should not be an excuse for neglecting your health and wellness because these are the times when you need it more than ever.
