1. Boosted Immune System

One of the reasons it’s important to exercise in the winter is because it can really boost your immune system. Sure, healthy eating plays a big part in it, but even a ten minute workout can make a huge difference to how you feel and this can be really effective in working to ward off any pesky winter colds and bugs that tend to come with the colder months.

2. Burns off Christmas Calories

It’s a fact, most everybody over indulges at Christmas, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this because it’s one of the best times of the year! However, come the 26th and the 27th of December, you might start to feel a little guilty about those second and third helpings, so what better way to deal with it than by continuing to work out over the festive period?

3. Improves Mood

Christmas on its own is a wonderful time full of happiness, but the winter goes on for much longer than just the holiday season, and one way to keep your spirits up in the dark and the cold is to continue to exercise throughout the season. It’s no secret at this point that exercise releases endorphins in to the body which help to create a feeling of euphoria, so work out and boost your mood!

4. Embrace the Conditions

It’s true that going for a run in the winter is going to be more challenging that a nice, warm run in the summer or early autumn, but instead of quitting you should try to embrace the new conditions and take them on head first. If you need to stay warmer, then run that little bit harder. The weather can actually motivate you to improve your performances!

5. Longer Life!

Though humans don’t hibernate like other animals in the world, there can be a sense of slowing down, eating more and reducing activity over the winter months. You can actually lengthen your life by bucking the trend and continuing to work out and exercise just as hard as you do for the rest of the year; it’s only a temperature change after all!

6. Stay in Shape

If you keep a strict workout regime for the rest of the year, it would be a shame to potentially undo all your hard work for just a few weeks of indulgence over the holiday season. Ensure that you can have fun and still stay in shape by continuing to exercise all through the winter.

7. No Excuses

As soon as the winter comes around, it’s funny to start to see all of the excuses come out for not keeping up with your exercise. “Oh I have a cold”, “the weather’s terrible”, “my sneakers don’t like the snow”. Pssh! Excuses are for quitters! Are you a quitter? No! I didn’t think so! Leave your excuses at the door and carry on with your work outs, it’ll make you feel fantastic and will give you more room to treat yourself over Christmas!

If you’re going to indulge over the holidays – which you absolutely should because it’s only once a year and it’s a very special time – you can feel less guilty because you are keeping up with your exercise routine.

What’s your favorite winter exercise?