Living in The Glebe you won’t be a stranger to cold winters. At this time of the year, it’s harder to get out of bed or run to the gym, so it’s challenging to remain consistent with your fitness goals. But you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. After all, cold weather can put a strain on your body as your system fights to activate its defense mechanisms for protection against the lower temperatures.
With the cold weather lasting months into the new year, it’s equally important to focus on your health. Building good habits in the winter can help you build momentum so you can spend the rest of the year staying fit. If you’re wondering how to pursue your fitness goals during winter in The Glebe, here are some tips that can help you.
Prioritize consistency in exercise
While you may be used to running around The Glebe during the warmer months, you don’t need to brave that cold to stay fit in the winter. If you have a gym membership, it may be easier for you to exercise indoors. Popular gyms in The Glebe are Free-Form Fitness on Bank Street and Where I Thrive on Glebe Ave. However, with the roads being less accessible, you can exercise without leaving your home. Prioritize consistency over intensity during the winter. For example, you can set a minimum daily or weekly quota. It can be as simple as stretching or doing a 10-minute yoga routine. You can even take virtual fitness classes if you prefer more intense workouts.
Getting started with your workout is often the hardest part. But when you avoid overwhelming goals, you reduce the temptation to skip your workout and leave it for another day.
Get a support system
A support system can help you better enjoy your fitness journey, especially in the winter. A study on social support and exercise shows that having people around can make physical activity more fun and rewarding. It can also foster opportunities for relationships and genuine connections. So by recruiting friends and family to join you in on your activities, fitness can become easier to sustain.
If you love the cold, this can also help you enjoy the winter months. After all, winter is one of the most exciting seasons in The Glebe, with many fun activities you wouldn’t even realize count as exercise. Visit the Lansdowne Skating Rink with your friends for some healthy and fun exercise. You can also go skiing or snowboarding in nearby resorts, such as Edelweiss Valley, which is only 30 mins from Ottawa. Enjoying these winter activities with a group can help you stay fit and build a support system that can last long after the winter passes.
Have a balanced diet
With exercise becoming more inaccessible in cold weather, your diet is one of the best avenues to boost your health. And with the holidays over now is the perfect time to change your diet towards health and weight loss. If you have struggled with your diet in the past, the best way to make a meaningful change is to follow a plan. Effective weight loss plans prioritize having a balanced diet over focusing on the number of calories consumed. Simply restricting your calorie intake or avoiding certain foods make it difficult to maintain your diet, resulting in frustration when you gain back the weight you lost.
The good news is that there are plenty of healthy places you can visit in The Glebe that will fit with your new diet plan. For those looking for a healthy meal there is Chickpeas, Ottawa's first falafel and hummus eatery that only uses 100% organic chickpeas. Healthy and comforting food for the cold weather. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t worry you don’t need to give up your favorite treats. Cinnaholic offers cinnamon rolls that are 100% plant-based, dairy & lactose-free, egg-free, and cholesterol-free. By approaching your diet more comprehensively than calorie counts, you can avoid less healthy calories and ensure your body gets the proper nutrients.
Winter in The Glebe can be challenging to navigate when it comes to fitness. But by following these three tips, you can build momentum to sustain your health for the rest of the year.
