Diaries of a Coach || 011 – Cold Weather Training

Yeah, so, it’s cold. And consequentely, I’ve missed some of y’all at the gym lately!

Funny how that works, right? Frigid temperatures seem to be the perfect excuse to skip the gym simply to stay inside and stay warm. On top of that, it’s scientifically proven that weather affects mood, right? Because my mood has been annoyed, irritable and non-aggressive anger (had to clarify, I’m not going to hit you if you see me) for the past two or three days. It’s not exactly a mood that wants to be put to work.

But you know what’s annoying, in the midst of temperatures that make you want to stay inside, cozy up, and call an audible on life? There are actually benefits to working out in cold weather. Of course, something that sounds awful is actually good for you.

I know you’re thinking, “I don’t want to hear this, let me stay home and take full advantage of my cold weather excuse to miss workout after workout.” Sorry, I have to stay honest y’all! So here it is, the benefits of working out in temperatures less than your age.

You’ll burn more calories as your body tries to regulate core temperature. Simple as it sounds, your body is working a little harder to keep that temperature up and that effort equals calorie burn. This will vary numerically based on the person and the extremity of the colder temperature, but doesn’t that at the very least increase motivation with a little extra pay off?

You’ll strengthen your heart. Your heart is also working harder, to pump and distribute blood throughout the body. Your heart, a muscle (and a very important one for that matter), can be strengthened by this added work, increasing readiness for those higher capacity cardiovascular workouts in the future.

You’ll hydrate. Because sweat will evaporate quicker with colder temps and dryer air, hydration is key in order to replace fluids when it seems like the body is losing less. Drinking water before, during and after your workout will help you stay warm, protect you from injury and maintain performance levels.

You’ll reap the benefits of a crucial warm up and cool down. It’s not easy to forget your warm up when you’re freezing. A sufficient warm up will effectively prevent injury and cooling down will prevent unnecessary tightness brought about by the cold weather. In fact, exposure to cold air or water post workout actually increases recovery time and decreases inflammation, leading to faster recovery and increased performance (think, ice baths).

And here is the kicker for me. YOU’LL FEEL HAPPY AND MORE ENERGIZED. (Ok, ok, I give up. It’s worth a shot to kick my crabbiness, right?) The body actually produces more endorphins as it works to stay warm and with less humidity, the air around you will literally feel lighter and your body stimulated by the chill. Happy and light… that’s a good day in the making right there!

So there you have it. Just a few reasons why you should come see me, come workout and come reap a few added benefits of cold weather wods. See you soon!