But health and exercise experts say there’s not much to support the idea of winter hibernation for your physical health.<\/p>\n
What does ideal exercise look like during winter?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mandy Hagstrom is an exercise scientist at the University of New South Wales, on Gadigal land in Sydney. She says we tend to expend less energy<\/strong> (by moving around less because it’s unpleasant outside) and intake more energy<\/strong> (think comforting winter dinners) over the colder months.<\/p>\n Meredith Woolsey and her dog Macduff after a walk in wet weather. (Supplied: Meredith Woolsey)<\/p>\n That’s why \u2014 in her opinion \u2014 “it’s probably more important to continue [exercising] from just a general health and weight maintenance perspective”.<\/p>\n However, Dr Hagstrom says “there are definitely benefits to taking times of rest and recovery in your training program<\/strong>“. These breaks are usually short term, rather than seasonal, she says.<\/p>\n “[Wintering] doesn’t go hand in hand with [our] modern lifestyle, but the concept of nurturing yourself through times of stress and adapting exercise accordingly I think is really important.”<\/p>\n Meredith Woolsey, an exercise physiologist in Adelaide \u2014 on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people \u2014 says it would be unrealistic to expect to maintain an identical routine across the year.<\/p>\n She says the sports people play, their schedules and the number of daylight hours all shift with the seasons.<\/p>\n “Do what is going to work for you,” Ms Woolsey says.<\/p>\n “We just want to make sure we’re doing an amount [of exercise] that is going to keep everything working well for you in your life.”<\/p>\n If your winter routine involves exercising out in the cold<\/strong>, she says it’s even more important to do a good warm-up and cool down<\/strong> and to wear appropriate gear<\/strong> so you don’t increase the risk of injuring yourself.<\/p>\n What is the bare minimum for exercising?\u00a0 Conan Shing says if you’re exercising in the cold, your body has to work a bit harder, so you may want to lower the intensity. (Supplied: Conan Shing)<\/p>\n Conan Shing is a PhD student at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Meanjin\/Brisbane, and he says the “bare minimum” differs from person to person<\/strong> depending on their fitness and wellbeing goals.<\/p>\n “It’s important to be consistent because if you don’t use it, you do loose it,” he says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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