Winter may mean blustery winds, icy roads and snowy trails, but that doesn’t mean that your training has to stop. In fact, winter can be the time to try your hand at a new race, a new sport, or a new way of working out. Here’s to swapping the mud for some snow until the 2020 Tough Mudder season kicks off.
How to Mix Up Your Winter Workouts
1. Strap On Some Snowshoes
Ever gone snowshoeing? If the answer is no, give it a try. This wintery activity is more of a workout than you’d think (you can burn crazy calories), and it’s a great way to switch up your typical training routine, get outside, and push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
2. Get Out of Your Rut
Winter workout blues can sometimes be the result of feeling stuck in the same ol’ fitness routine, so why not change things up? Sign up for a Tough Mudder Bootcamp class or try a new workout that’ll challenge you in a new way. High-intensity interval training workouts (like this 10-minute cardio HIIT workout) will keep your heart rate up and build endurance, while pilates and barre will strengthen and tighten your core. For an adrenaline-rush, try parkour or indoor rock climbing.
3. Hit the Slopes
For some, winter is the best time of the year because it means snowboarding or skiing. Have you been a skier for decades? Sign up for a beginner’s snowboarding class and learn what it means to have a backfoot. If you’re a boarder, try strapping on skis to see what beginning skiers mean when they say “pizza.” Both activities can burn hundreds of calories per hour.
4. Take it Indoors
Gone are the days of mind-numbing follow-along DVDs. There are more workout options than you can name available on YouTube alone. (Check out the Tough Mudder YouTube channel for options.) Not a do-it-at-homer?
5. Try a Polar Plunge
Polar plunges take place throughout the winter. In the United States, be on the lookout throughout the months of January and February as annual events like the Polar Plunge Festival throughout Virginia, or the Chicago Polar Plunge, in support of the Special Olympics, take place. While going ankle-deep technically counts, we encourage you to jump right in and take the full plunge. Arctic Enema – The Rebirth won’t feel so bad after all.
