Last Updated on May 15, 2024
It’s dark outside, and it’s cold, of course, you don’t want to exercise. As it gets colder outside, everyone tends to stay inside more and sit on the couch bundled up watching TV. Just like grizzly bears, everyone tends to hibernate during the colds months, but for diabetics, this can cause havoc with your glucose levels. During the cold winter months, exercise is usually the last thing you think about, but there are a few ways to shed those holiday pounds without freezing in the snow.
Ditch the Gym for your Living Room
Instead of sitting at home watching Christmas movies, try doing a quick workout at home. You don’t have to go outside into the cold weather to work up a sweat. Spend some time in your living room burning those extra calories from those Christmas cookies. There are dozens of different exercises that you can do at home with no equipment. Spend 15 – 30 minutes every day doing push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, burpees, etc. instead of going outside for a run. If you don’t know many bodyweight exercises, Youtube has thousands of workout routines that you can do at home.
The Times are Changing
Winter not only brings cold weather, but it also cuts down the amount of daylight you have. Winter can be a difficult time for anyone that enjoys going running. By the time you’ve gotten home and eaten dinner, it’s already dark outside, which discourages many people from going outside to go running. Try finding a different time to go for a run. Instead of waiting till after you get home from work, go for a jog on your lunch break.
Shorten your Workouts
With less daylight, winter is a great time to shorten your workouts to enjoy the daylight you have. You can still have a successful workout with less time. Instead of spending an hour and a half in the gym, do a 45-minute high-intensity interval training workout (HIIT). HIIT workouts are the best way to burn calories in a short time span. These workouts have short spans of high-intensity exercises with breaks in-between sets.
Fun in the Snow
Switch up your routine and enjoy winter activities for your exercise. Winter is a great time to spend time with your family while you exercise. Instead of spending hours in the gym, you can play in the snow (if it snows in your town), go ice skating, go skiing, have a snowball fight, or take your family sledding. These are all great activities to spend 30 minutes getting your heart pumping while having a great time with your friends and family. Going ice skating or skiing is an excellent lower body workout as well as cardio workout.
Tips for Exercising in the Winter
As always, check your blood glucose levels before and after working out. If you’re running outside, working out in the gym or your house, have a water bottle, small snack, and a glucose meter with you at all times.
Before you go outside to run, stretch outside. Keep your blood pumping inside before you go out into the chilly winds. Doing your warm up exercises inside keeps you from being out in the cold longer than you need to.
If you’re brave enough to run outside in the winter, dress warm and use layers. Be sure to wear plenty of clothing to keep you warm.
Remember, that if you’re running after work, it gets darker earlier; be sure to wear bright and reflective clothing, especially if you’re running on the road or sidewalks. Some runners prefer to carry a flashlight with them to ensure they are seen and to make sure they don’t run into or slip on anything. If you don’t have a small flashlight, you can use your cell phone or buy a headlamp to free your hands.
