As parts of the country are slammed with heavy snow and brutal cold, it is important to remember the effects that winter temperatures have on our bodies. Here at Atomic Strength, we do our best to provide you with gym supplements online that give you what you need to fuel your body and supplement your workout, but there are still a few things you can do to ward off negative effects of winter weather. Keep reading to learn more!
How Winter Affects Your Health
Increased Illness
Winter is prime time for the flu or colds to sneak up on you. Illnesses spread quickly around offices and gyms and coming down with a winter bug can knock you out of commission for some time while your body tries to recover. Cold weather can also cause those with asthma to experience more severe symptoms. The combination of cold outdoor temperatures and poor indoor air quality can trigger asthma symptoms even in those who normally have their asthma under control.
Forming Bad Habits
People tend to stay inside during the winter months. For some, this means transferring their normal outdoor run to the treadmill at the gym. But for others, it means not even wanting to venture out to the car to get to the gym in the first place. Winter can majorly tamper with your normal exercise routine, making it easy to gain weight and become sedentary.
Along those lines, it’s no surprise that we tend to eat more unhealthy foods during the winter. Can you blame a person from choosing a warm plate of pasta over a cold salad when it’s below freezing outside? Coupling larger amounts of unhealthy food with larger amounts of binge-watching Netflix creates a double-whammy for your health.
Winter and Mental Health
Short days, cold weather, and being less active can put you at risk for seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that occurs with the changing of the seasons, often beginning in fall and continuing through the winter. This can lead to feeling depressed or down, having low energy, having trouble sleeping or oversleeping, experiencing weight gain or appetite changes, and feeling hopeless.
How To Remain Healthy Throughout Winter
Get Outside
While it may seem counterintuitive to head out into the cold when you’re trying to stay healthy, spending time outside during the winter can help ward off seasonal depression and help you stay active. Bundle up and go for a walk, hit the slopes, or build a snowman. Soak up what little sun there is whenever you can.
Watch What You Eat
With family get-togethers around every corner and an abundance of baked goods being shared at the office, it is easy to allow your diet to get off track. Indulge on delicious treats occasionally, but be sure to also continue eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
Take Care Of Your Joints
The cold weather can wreak havoc on your joints, especially for those who put a lot of strain on their joints at the gym already. At Atomic Strength, we are all too familiar with this feeling, which is why our joint recovery powder specifically targets joint pain with anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Keep Exercising
Don’t let the winter beat you! Be sure to keep up with your normal exercise routine, or commit to pushing yourself even harder during the winter. Regular exercise during the winter can help you ward off illness, seasonal affective disorder, winter weight gain, and more.
Fuel Your Body With The Best Gym Supplements
If you’re finding yourself feeling particularly sluggish this winter, then giving your body a little extra fuel might be what you need to have a productive gym session. Consuming a pre-workout drink before hitting the gym can give you the pick-me-up you need to give it your all and ensuring you are getting plenty of clean protein with our premium whey protein powder can help you stay energized throughout the day.
Discover more ways high-quality gym supplements can help you this winter by choosing some of the best gym supplements on the market from Atomic Strength.