Fitness Facts

Four Easy Tips That Will Keep You Working Out All Winter Long

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(NAPSI)—Many people find that when the temperature falls, so does their motivation and the frequency of their workouts. But it shouldn’t. Research has shown that working out through the cold winter months strengthens the immune system to help fight off those cold weather blues and illnesses.

Knowing how to stay motivated and what to do to keep your fitness routine challenging is key: Staying on track and meeting your fitness goals during the cold season can give you a jump start on setting higher goals and staying active through spring and summer.

Fortunately, advances in technology and social media have made it easier to add variety and personalize your workouts. Online videos make it easier than ever to customize workouts to fit your individual needs and goals, as well as find inspiration to keep up your hard work regardless of where you might be in your fitness journey.

To help, Tom Holland, exercise physiologist and Bowflex fitness advisor, shares these tips on how to diversify your workouts to maintain your motivation while maximizing your results.

1. Shake up your routine. Many people do the exact same workout every time, performing the same exercises in the same order. This is one major reason you stop seeing results—your body has become accustomed to the stress. A simple yet extremely effective way to overcome a plateau, or avoid it in the first place, is to simply change the order of your exercises. This “pre-fatigues” your body in a new and different way, keeping it challenged and the results coming.

2. Enjoy the great outdoors. Studies show that you can burn more calories, strengthen your endurance, and combat the winter blues by working out in the cold. If you decide to challenge Mother Nature with an outdoor workout, make sure you dress appropriately with layers and stay hydrated even though you may not feel like you need it.

3. Work smarter. The new Max Intelligence platform, available with the Bowflex Max Trainer M6 and M8 cardio machines (www.bowflex.com/max-trainer), uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze your workouts, and automatically adjusts your fitness plan to help you continue making progress towards your goals. Through an initial fitness assessment and predictive analytics, Max tracks and collects data from your previous sessions, customizes your workouts every day and provides spoken encouragement to keep up the good work. In addition, Max can assess your fitness data to serve up appropriate trainer-led videos and educational content to provide instruction and motivation.

4. Mix it up. Find fun videos to inspire new workouts. There are many available from certified professionals. Trying something new can help challenge your muscles in different ways. It also helps build your mental stamina to keep you sharp and focused as you concentrate on remembering the new movements and order of the routine. Step outside your comfort zone—you might just discover a new favorite way to work out.