Winter Workouts: Exercise Variety Under One Roof

Posted December 22nd, 2017

There’s no point in denying it any longer – winter is here.

The weather has finally turned and it’s only the beginning of the season. There are still months of it to get through. When it comes to winter preparations, most of us think about things like checking the tread depth on the car’s tyres or adjusting the timer on the central heating, but you also need to consider the effect that winter will have on your exercise routine. This isn’t so much about what you’re doing, but rather where you’re doing it.

Dangerous Conditions

At this time of year, we wake up to darkness and come home to it too. This affects you if you’re the kind of person who likes to go jogging before or after work. Reduced visibility when running at speed is dangerous because there’s a higher risk of tripping over an unseen object or uneven pavement.

Other hazards are caused by the weather too. Heavy rain can make footpaths slippery, especially if there are leaves on the ground. Icy patches have the same effect and are even worse because they’re often unnoticeable. The risk of falling affects every outdoor activity, from walking to biking, and leads to thousands of hospital admissions every year.

Temperature Changes

Apart from making conditions hazardous, the change in weather also exposes our bodies to an increased risk of contracting an illness. Lower temperatures cause the body to work harder to remain warm and leave the immune system vulnerable.

It’s not the cold itself that makes us sick, but it does massively increase the risk of picking up an illness. This is why the ‘winter bug’ is so common.

Sudden changes in temperature, caused by going from the heated indoors to the freezing outdoors, also affect the body by weakening the skin and hair. A lot of people find that they get dry patches and split ends during the winter months.

Let’s Take This Inside

Taking all of the above into consideration, it makes sense to avoid exercising outdoors during the winter months. If you’re serious about being fit and healthy then there’s no other option but to join a gym, because you can’t stop exercising for a full season.

Whilst a health club is a different exercise environment, it doesn’t have to be divorced from nature. In The Thames Club’s dedicated spin studio, we offer VR spinning with programmes that can give you the experience of outdoors training session without any of the risks.

The treadmills also have adjustable resistance settings to simulate the changes that would occur if you were jogging in nature.

The Thames Club offers a range of membership options that can be tailored to your needs. And we even often a free one day pass, so you can come and try out our facilities before you decide to commit. We only offer so many of these per month, so sign up here if you want to be in with a chance of getting one.

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