Easy tips to stay fit this winter

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Guest Blog by Shivangi Sarda, Founder of Fitness.Trail

The season has arrived when most of us will trade anything for those extra 5 minutes of sleep on a chilly morning. While exercising in the cold weather is tough, working out in the cold is extremely important to stay healthy.The biggest challenge, undoubtedly, is staying active and following a regular workout regime.

Get Outdoors

With the sun rising late in the winter you don’t have to worry about waking up early for your morning walk/ run to avoid humidity and heat. Use this to your advantage and regularly go for a walk or a run. This is the best time to start your running journey!

Reach out for a warm beverage

Due to decrease in physical activity, our metabolism slows down. Research suggests that drinking a warm beverage in the afternoon can help you improve your metabolism. This is the best time to sip and enjoy an extra cup of tea or coffee. However, do remember to ditch sugar or sugar free.

Steps for the day

This easy practice will not only keep you active but will also keep those extra kilos away from you. Due to our lifestyle and work culture, we are mostly inactive as we spend most of our time in front of a screen. The World Health Organisation recommends to walk a minimum of 8,000 – 10,000 steps a day.You can set smaller goals in the beginning and eventually increase your steps. Invest in a smart watch or use a steps tracking app on your phone to track your activity.

Workout at home

You need only 150 minutes of exercise in a week to stay healthy. Which is just 2.5 hours in 7 days! If exercising outdoors or working out in a gym is not your thing, you can easily workout at your home. There are tons of workout videos and fitness programmes available online. Just take out 20-30 minutes each day at home to burn some calories. Try this simple and fun 15 minute workout routine!

Stay Hydrated

A nip in the temperature directly leads to drop in our water consumption. Make it a point to drink water every hour and to increase your metabolism you can switch to warm water. Coconut water, vegetable & fresh fruit juices are super healthy options which you can add to your diet. Stay away from carbonated & processed drinks as these are full of sugar and preservatives.

Early & Light Dinner

It is very easy to consume extra calories as winter food is all about ladoos, hot samosas, kachoris and seasonal delicacies! Avoid carb loaded foods like breads, roti, rice and pasta especially for dinner and control your calorie intake by switching to soups & salads.There should be a gap for 2-3 hours between your dinner and sleep time. Use this time to go for a quick walk to reach your daily steps goal!