January 3, 2025

8 Exercises to Avoid Injuries in Winters

The winter season is here, and while you are enjoying it by doing various winter activities, make sure you don’t forget to exercise, as injuries are quite common during the winter season.

During winter, our body is quite stiff and cold, and when we get involved in activities, there is a high risk of injury because our body is not as flexible and warm as it should be. No one likes to get injured, especially in winter, as it pains way more. There are tons of winter exercises that you can try, but we have figured out the top 8 winter exercise tips that will help you avoid injuries during winter and allow you to enjoy the season to the fullest.

Proper Warmup

Although you might not consider warmup as an exercise but, it is one of the best winter exercises as it is easy to begin with and prepares your body for further exercises. Cold muscles are more prone to strains and injuries. Start with light aerobic exercises, such as jogging in place or brisk walking, to get your blood flowing. Follow this with dynamic stretches focusing on the major muscle groups used in your activity, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and shoulders.

After a proper and well-planned warmup, your body will thank you, and you will be more excited for other exercises.

Strength and Conditioning

Strengthening your core and legs is crucial as it stabilises the entire body and gives you a great structure. You should try squats, lunges, and resistance training to strengthen your core and legs. Whether you like pull-ups, deadlifts, burpees, or bench presses, all of these exercises play a vital role in strengthening your core, making you more solid, and enhancing your performance.

Make sure you take sufficient breaks between the exercises to give your body the needed rest time.

Improve flexibility with Yoga

If you aren’t familiar with modern exercises and always wonder how to exercise in winter, you can begin your fitness and wellness journey by doing Yoga. Yoga is a centuries-old traditional way to improve your physical and mental health. People in various countries perform yoga to improve their body’s flexibility, which is a dire need during winter.

If you’re a beginner, you can start with Mountain pose, Shavasana, child’s pose and other simple exercises to build confidence and flexibility for more challenging yoga poses.

Low-Impact Cardio

Cardio is a must during winter to keep your entire body warm and fresh. To train for cardio, you don’t have to lift heavy weights as you can do fun activities and train your body. Whether you like cycling, swimming, running or cardio activity, you can choose the one that you like and train your body and without putting much stress on it.

Calf Raises

Ankle injuries are extremely common during winters, and calf raises strengthen the lower legs, improving stability and reducing the risk of ankle injuries. Doing calf raises is quite easy, just stand on the edge of a step with your heels hanging off. After that, you raise your heels, hold them briefly, and then lower them slowly. This exercise also improves your balance and strengthens your calf muscles.

Arm and Shoulder Stretches

Arm and shoulder stretches are quite simple exercises, and they are extremely helpful during winter as we all witness stiffness in the shoulders and arms. For arm and shoulder stretches, you need to perform cross-body stretches or overhead stretches to loosen shoulder muscles. This exercise not only helps prevent stiffness but also makes your body active for daily activities.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a basic exercise that helps in releasing muscle tension and improves mobility. Doing foam rolling is no rocket science; you just need to focus on tight areas like calves, quads and upper back by rolling over a foam roller slowly.

Constant exercise helps reduce muscle soreness and increases the range of motion, preventing strains.

Balance Exercises

Extreme winter conditions like ice and snowfall increase the risk of slipping. So, you should exercise for such situations, and balance exercises prepare your body to react better. To perform balance exercises, you need to stand on one leg while keeping your other leg bent. Try holding for 10-20 seconds and then switch legs.

Conclusion

While we all want to push our bodies further, it is crucial to know your limits because putting excessive pressure on your body will lead to injuries. Also, ensure that you are giving your body ample time to recover from exercise to get better results. Don’t take these exercises as a task, as you will never get the motivation to do them; instead, push yourself to begin the exercise in a fun way to make it more enjoyable. Injuries are common in winter, and if you get injured, visit your nearest physiotherapist to get the best treatment.