Sep 08 Live Like a Fitness Blogger All Year Round: 5 Ways to Maintain Your Summer Body Through Winter
We’ve all worked so hard on honing our beach bods, but now that summer is in the rearview and the cold months are right around the corner, are we just supposed to let all of our hard work go to waste? Of course not! It’s only a beach bod when you’re at the beach, but it’s your body all year round. By following these 5 tips on maintaining your awesome physique through winter, you, too, can live like your favorite fitness bloggers, feeling and looking great 24/7/365.
Bundle Up Cutely
Before even thinking about embarking on any kind of fitness routine after Labor Day, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve got the appropriate attire for the imminent cold. You’ll have to pack away your sports bras and jogging shorts for the winter, but this just means that you get to go splurge on some adorable, yet comfortable longer and warmer athleisure wear. Start with a couple of good pairs of long yoga pants and some long sleeve pull-overs or zip-ups, and even go as far as bundling up with a cute, yet fashionable scarf, hat, vest, and/or gloves. Now, you’re ready to stay active during the winter months!
Invest in Your Warm-up
Now that your body is warm (and gloriously clad), it’s of the utmost importance, before you just start going crazy on the elliptical or with the weights, to make sure that your muscles, tendons, and other stretchy bits are warm and loose. A good warm-up is critical – not only to a successful workout but also to your body’s overall well-being.
Finding a good, yet varied blend of light stretches to loosen up and easy aerobics to elevate your heart rate should be a top priority, especially as the winter cold aims to turn you into a walking icicle. How you start your workout is as important as any other part of it, so remember to actually get warm!
Get Plenty of Vitamin D
Even during the sunny season, but especially once things become a lot more gray, your body can often be in desperate need of vitamin D. What the heck is it and why do we need it? Good questions! You probably know that you get it from the sun, but beyond that, it might be something of a mystery. In fact, vitamin D is essential to fortifying bone strength, fighting off certain diseases, regulating mood, and – drumroll, please – boosting weight loss! So, to ensure that you’re looking as good as you’re feeling this winter, make sure you get enough vitamin D.
Warm Up with Protein
When the weather is warm, our ice-cold post-workout shake or breakfast protein smoothie can be among our favorite refreshments, but when the snow starts falling, you may not want to be clutching a frozen beverage. Whatever you might be in the mood for, there are a ton of great, piping hot recipes into which you can incorporate your daily dose of EAS AdvantEDGE protein powder.
Start your day off with quick and easy protein pancakes, easily whipped together, and, of course, featuring a healthy serving of protein. Come home from the gym and treat yourself to a warm, soothing bowl of protein pudding or prot-meal. Even if you’re dead set on the convenience of the pre-mixed EAS AdvantEDGE shakes, you may just keep them in the pantry instead of the fridge, as they don’t have to be refrigerated. However you choose to approach your winter workouts, it’s good to know you can enjoy your supplements without freezing from the inside out!
Get Active Outdoors
While making it from the shelter of your home or office to the shelter of the gym during winter may seem like a victory in and of itself, you’ll be doing yourself, and your body, a huge favor by getting outdoors, even when doing so requires a few extra layers. Finding outdoor activities that you can do despite (or rather because of) the weather is an essential way to maintain your baseline level of activity through the winter and avoid falling victim to a sedentary lifestyle. Skiing or snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing, and even a good old-fashioned snowball fight among friends are all great ways to stay active through winter and, in turn, keep yourself from packing on that dreaded winter weight.
For more fitspo, check out some of our favorite fitness bloggers:
While these certainly aren’t the only ways to maintain your summer physique all year round, they do serve as a solid starting point. Emulating your favorite fitness bloggers won’t be easy, but with dedication and perseverance, we’re positive that you’ll be looking and, more importantly, feeling great, sun or snow!