How to Stay Warm and Athletic During Cold Weather

Just because it’s cold out, doesn’t mean we should let our fitness suffer.

I know that we are currently in the twilight zone between Christmas and the New Year, so most of us don’t even know what day it is, let alone have enough energy and determination to drag ourselves to the gym.

We may only be able to take a few more days of this before the New Year hits, and we automatically decide it’s time to start taking our health more seriously. Obviously, this requires us to focus on exercise and fitness, which can be hard to do since its absolutely freezing outside, and likely will be for the next few months at least. So how do you engage your athletic side during winter, but still manage to stay warm? Here are a few tips and tricks to get you through the upcoming cold season.

READ MORE: How to Sneak in Exercise During the Holidays

Long underwear is always a good idea during cold months, but some styles can be baggy and uncomfortable. I love the Heattech line of long undies from Uniqlo, because it comes in all sorts of styles (low-cut, v-neck, crew neck, etc), and is slim enough to fit under almost any outfit. Also, it works really, really well!

Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper in your shoes. This will help warm the feet, and wick away moisture as well.

Bring spare socks. If your feet get wet, it’s pretty much game over in cold climates, so an extra pair of socks can help see you through to finish your workout.

Pay attention to whether you are wearing wool or cotton. Cotton may keep you warm, but it will also make you sweat. Wool fibers wick away moisture, so consider wool socks for your athletic adventures.

Sprinkle cinnamon in your gloves. This will help bring blood to the surface and keep you warm.

If you have hand or toe warmers, put them closer to your core. When you put them on your actual hands and feet, it’s more of a temporary fix. Warming your core will in turn help warm the rest of your body.

Lay off caffeine. Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, caffeine and alcohol can inhibit the body’s heat-production, and can cause your core temperature to drop. Obviously you shouldn’t drink alcohol and exercise under any circumstance, but when exercising in the cold its best to stick to plain water.