Cold Weather Workout Tips

Often, the winter season sabotages training plans, but Fitness World is challenging this with the launch of new group fitness classes and workout recovery tools to help keep routines on track. And with 16 clubs across BC, its best-of-the-best personal trainers help people achieve their fitness goals, even on the snowiest and coldest of days. We asked Mark Posten from the Fitness World team to share his best winter workout tips. —Noa Nichol

Hi Mark! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

Fitness is my passion and I’ve been lucky to turn that into a career. I’m a lifelong athlete, a 10-year fitness professional and the director of fitness for Fitness World.

Often, the winter season sabotages training plans; why do people typically stop working out when the temperature drops?

There can be a lot of things working against us during the winter season. Cold weather makes leaving the house a little less enticing. Holiday parties allow us to indulge a little more than we usually do. And the looming “New Year Reset” can give some of us an excuse to say, “I’ll just start in January.” Finding motivation and keeping up with healthy routines this time of year is not an easy feat, but we’re in this together.

What’s your best advice around fitness that “fits” with cold weather?

Some advice I give clients is to remove as many barriers as possible. For example, mornings are darker and it’s harder to get out of bed, so get your gym bag ready the night before to make your morning routine shorter. And remember … you’ll be warm in no time once you start sweating at the gym!

Any tips for staying motivated to exercise when it’s uninviting outside?

Just remember that exercise comes in all formats. If you can stick to your gym schedule, that’s awesome. But if you’re finding it challenging to get to the gym when all you want to do is curl up on the couch, try embracing winter activities for a different kind of exercise. Things like skating, skiing, or even things like spending time in a warm sauna are all winter activities that also have awesome health benefits.

In the same vein, how can group classes help keep our fitness levels up during winter? What about workout recovery tools? Personal training?

Gyms like Fitness World are great for winter fitness because of all the different amenities and services. Some people might be looking for some extra accountability this season, which is where Personal Training might come in. Some people might be looking for something a little more fun than a solo workout, which is where group classes come in. Some people might be looking to just escape the pre-holiday stress, and HydroMassage is perfect for that. It’s all about finding the kind of exercise and movement that makes you feel good.

What are some new offerings we can access at Fitness World this winter?

We’re really excited to be expanding our recovery tool selection this winter. We recently brought Normatec to our clubs, which uses dynamic air compression to relax sore muscles. We’ve also just recently opened two new clubs, one downtown and one in South Surrey, so that we can reach even more communities.

What’s your all-time favourite winter workout?

There’s a lot of great ways to change up workouts each season, but my favourite for all seasons is the classic Crossfit workout – Murph:

• 1 mile run
• 100 pull ups
• 200 push ups
• 300 air squats
• 1 mile run

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