How to Exercise During the Winter

Let’s be honest, it’s pretty easy to pack on a few extra pounds this time of year. While Albuquerque weather usually doesn’t get too cold during the winter, sometimes the chill can be just enough to keep you inside, away from the gym or your jogging route.

Although it might be difficult to motivate yourself to get out and exercise during the winter, there are some ways to skirt around it and create a reliable habit of activity that’ll take you straight into spring and beyond!

Lifehacker.com posed this question last week: “How Can I Keep My Exercise Routine In the Winter?” One of their tips simply involves dressing the part:

Dress the Part and Go Outside Anyway

Depending on where you are, the winter months might mean cold weather, wet weather, or both. Either way, you probably can't hit the streets in your neon short shorts and tank top like you could in the summer. If you've got the gusto to keep exercising outside in the winter you really only need a slight change of clothes to do so comfortably.

We've covered the basics of staying safe when exercising outdoors before, and in the winter that generally means wearing bright colors, dressing in layers, remembering to keep hydrated, and staying visible.

Or, consider other winter friendly activities:

Find Winter-Friendly Alternate Activities

Exercising outside in the winter isn't always an option for everyone regardless of what clothes they wear. In that case, it means finding exercising you can do indoors or finding winter activities that count as exercise.

If you're a runner, that might be a treadmill. If you're a cyclist, spin classes might be up your alley, or if you're a climber, the climbing gym should do the trick. Gym memberships aren't cheap, but you can usually save money on a membership by getting off-peak memberships or showing little interest. Many gyms also have a la carte deals where you pay by visit or by month so you don't have to get a yearly contract. Those prices are usually a lot higher than a yearly contract, but if you only have to use the gym for a month or two they're not that bad. If the price is too much, your local community center likely has a small gym that'll get you through the winter months.

Click here to read the entire Lifehacker article.