Do you feel exceptionally lazy in winter when you just want to crawl under the blanket and hibernate? If yes, then you are not alone. This is very common & science says that there’s nothing wrong with you. You have not suddenly become lazy. This laziness is due to the cold weather outside.
We are living in a time when it’s hard to find the motivation to work out on a normal sunny day. Now, in the winter there’s an added element of winter laziness which is due to less sunlight & cold winds. This makes it even harder to go for a run or a walk. That’s the reason why most people just quit their workouts and give up on their workout goals.
If you are a beginner who’s looking to lose weight, how do you continue your workouts in winter? There are 2 options in front of you: You try to swim against the tide and go out and work out in the cold weather and try to be consistent or You can work out in the comfort of your home.
Do you want to fight an uphill battle or do you want to make it easier on yourself and build a conducive environment to aid your workout? The choice is up to you.
If you made the smart choice in winter and decided to work out from home, a treadmill is your best friend. Just like you do with a best friend you can hang out on your treadmill. It becomes your workout partner as well and gives you the necessary push to nudge you forward and hit your goals.
We’ve brought to you the 5 reasons why a treadmill is your best friend in winter. Here we go:
1. It’s too cold outside
Working out and running outside is a hard activity in itself if you are a beginner trying to make it a part of your routine. If you add to that the cold temperatures outside, it becomes almost impossible to build consistency.
When it’s cold outside, our body takes longer than usual to warm up and start burning fat. You would have to put in extra effort to first warm up your body and then start burning calories.
On top of that, lack of sunlight and cold winds affect your mood. You feel down and get demotivated easily.
The best solution is to use the warmth of your house and start walking or running on your treadmill. A treadmill in your home protects you from the cold winds and keeps your body warm. To improve your mood you can play your favorite music or listen to a podcast while working out on a treadmill.
2. Prevents catching cold
Due to weather changes, many people experience a common cold and cough in winter. In winter, the weather becomes unpredictable. It rains sometimes, it’s sunny sometimes and sometimes it’s freezing. These changes in temperature negatively affect your body and cause a common cold.
Now, another bad thing about catching a cold is we are forced to take a break from our workouts until we get better. This further demotivates us and causes unnecessary breaks while spoiling our health.
When you work out on a treadmill, the exercise will help you improve your immunity. You will obviously not catch a cold and also build up your immune system in the process.
So, there will be no breaks for your workouts and you will happily improve your health while hitting your fitness goals
3. Gives you flexibility
Many people who are working in an office usually go for walks early in the morning or in the evening. This works well in summer but gets incredibly difficult in winter and rainy seasons.
As we know, the temperatures get colder during the early hours of the day and in the evenings after sunset. This causes many office goers to try and find a time when they can walk without having to face the cold weather.
Having a treadmill brings you the flexibility to work out anytime. If you missed a workout in the morning, you can go for it in the evening and vice versa.
4. Decreases the chances of injury
Another problem with running in winter is the roads can be slippery. Due to the cold temperatures, there’s a small amount of moisture that builds up at night. Even if there’s slight rain, the track gets slippery and it increases the chances of injury.
There can also be potential injuries and muscle pulls because of the longer duration to warm up the body.
To avoid bad injuries due to slippery tracks, it’s better to stay indoors and use the treadmill. Many treadmills have shock absorbers and anti-slip running belts to prevent injuries.
5. Maintains a steady pace
Muscles are usually less mechanically efficient in cold weather. This results in getting tired very easily. It is estimated that the usual pace of walkers and runners decreases significantly when they exercise in cold weather. This affects the intensity of your workout and you also experience fatigue after exercising for a very little duration.
A treadmill is very helpful in this scenario as it maintains a steady pace throughout the workout.
So, these were our 5 reasons why a treadmill can be your best friend in winter. We hope this article has helped you become more informed in tackling the hindrances to your workouts in winter. If you still want to go outside in winter to work out make sure you get the right gear and avoid injuries.