Exercising and doing cardio vascular activities outdoors is so much more rewarding than running on a treadmill inside a gym. However, during the winter months there are various conditions that make it much harsher than on a warm spring day. The short number of daylight hours hampers your ability to go for a run especially if you’re working through the day. It’s also much more relaxing to sit indoors next to a cosy fire and keeping nice and warm. It has also been discovered by various scientific studies that levels of vitamin D increases cardiovascular capabilities. Hence the reason why we may feel sluggish and lethargic during the cold winter months, thus having an effect on our ability to do cardio at this time of year. The research found that participants with higher vitamin D levels performed better on tasks which involved cardio.
One way to counter this would be to eat/drink vitamin D rich foods/liquids in the winter. Cheese, orange juice, eggs and salmon are just some of the vitamin D heavy nutritional items that will help boost your abilities during the winter season. On the other hand you could just book a holiday somewhere hot!