When the temperature drops and the daylight hours get shorter, getting outside can feel tough, but winter can be the best season to build your fitness, strength, and routine. Here are eight lesser known, yet surprisingly effective, tips to help the Ultra Challenge® community stay consistent – tried and tested by the Ultra Challenge® team!
1. Warm Your Kit Up – But Not Your Body!
A simple hack to make getting ready for your walk, jog, or run a real treat. Putting your clothes, gloves, and hat over the radiator the night before, and your shoes tucked underneath, instantly removes some friction to getting outdoors.
Just avoid excessively pre-heating your body with hot showers, hot water bottles, or a hot drink immediately before leaving. The temperature shock once you’re in the cold will make the chill worse. Remember you’ll heat up whilst you’re active anyway.
2. Take Five Minutes for a Morning Stretch
Cold nights often feel like they literally freeze your muscles and joints. If you head out the door without a stretch you are more likely to get injured or simply feel stiff and uncomfortable during activity. Take five minutes out of your morning to loosen up and unfreeze those muscles.
3. Remember Why You Get Outdoors
All of us get active outdoors for a reason, whether boosting wellbeing, chatting with friends, or working towards a meaningful fundraising goal. For many, sticking to the treadmill just doesn’t scratch the itch in the same way.
Remember your motivation. Think about how far you may have come, or what goals you want to achieve. Write your reason down on a sticky note and put it on the mirror so you can’t forget it!
4. Plan Your Week Before It Even Starts
Staying active in winter is just as much about planning as it is about willpower. Don’t get caught out by a dark evening creeping up on you or an especially rainy Tuesday throwing off a workout.
Use a training calendar, whether physical or digital, to write down your sessions before the week begins. Making sure the calendar is hard to miss is important for this to be effective – try setting reminders on your phone or positioning a whiteboard where you can’t miss it!
5. Use Events as Goal Posts
A winter goal can transform your consistency, providing an extra reason to stay disciplined rather than relying on motivation alone. You will often perform at your best in early spring events (runners in particular) as your heart rate stays lower and in-event hydration needs are reduced.
Take a look at our Bath 50 Ultra Challenge or Windsor 50 Ultra Challenge! Or even better for walkers, check out the London Winter Walk to beat the cold weather mid-Winter.
6. Alter Your Routes To Stay Safe & Warm
Sometimes the early mornings and evenings are unavoidable. Know a couple of lit routes in your area for these cases. GPS apps like Strava have night-time heatmaps so you can see where others are at these times.
Even in the daylight, stay away from especially windy paths or those liable to flooding. These often include routes near rivers or the coast.
7. Invest a Buff or Neck Warmer
Buffs are extremely flexible and lightweight. Whether it’s around your neck, over your face in harsh wind, or covering your head (this is where you lose most heat!) a buff is an excellent solution to many different temperature problems.
If you heat up over your run your can simply remove it and place in a pocket, backpack, or even wrap around your wrist. Ultra Challengers® get a buff for free with your event pack, so make sure you keep these safe!
8. Ditch the Sports Watch
It is total normal for your pace to be affected by the weather. The cold impacts your muscles, lungs, and most importantly your desire to push yourself. Ditch the watch and focus on feel whilst you walk, jog, or run.
If you’re worried about your activity not uploading to our Scarborough Fair Virtual Challenge, remember you can always retroactively log your distance! Check on your phone’s Health App to see your distance afterwards.
