A lot of people worry about their physique only during the summer when they start to wear more revealing clothes. This makes them gluttonize all year long, and then start panicking in late April or early May. Unfortunately, by then, it’s already too late. The truth is that if you want to look good on the beach, you need to start right now. Furthermore, during the winter, the climate is harsher and the weather is unforgiving, and those who don’t know how to care for their hair and skin are usually those who suffer later on. With this in mind, here are few tips on how to stay fit and well-groomed during winter.

Diet to Boost Immune System

One of the most important concerns that needs attention during these winter days is your diet. Apart from keeping you fit, it also helps to improve your immunity, and feeds your skin and hair. The easiest way to improve your diet is to get a lot of vitamins C and D through fruit and vegetables, eat a lot of lean meat (salmon ideally), and switch from coffee to green tea. Sure, changing your diet can be complicated, but just making these few alterations, like including superfoods in your diet, is bound to make a difference.

Personal Hygiene

Next thing you need to worry about is your personal hygiene. During the colder part of the year you won’t sweat as much and there are fewer dust particles floating around, which means that you won’t get as dirty as fast. You may need to even shower less often, and for a shorter duration to prevent moisture and natural lipids from being leached from your skin. However, this doesn’t mean you should stop caring about your personal hygiene. In fact, this is the best time for you to get a quality body soap that isn't harsh on your skin, and even think further about the protection of your skin. Frost and cold weather can have a devastating effect on your skin cells, so learning a thing or two about lotion bars may benefit you greatly.

Work Out at Home

One of the reasons why people don’t go to gym during the winter as much as they do during the summer is because it is cold outside. Why leave your comfy sofa to go to the gym during a blizzard? Isn’t it better to stay in front of the TV with a bowl of popcorn? Well, the fact that you don’t want to leave your home doesn’t mean you can't exercise. Just put your best gym clothes on and start doing some basic workouts like pushups, squats and bicycle crunches on a daily basis. As for the cardio, you can always get a treadmill or a stepper at a decent price. If you don't have room for the equipment a jump rope is inexpensive and easy to store. All in all, you’re out of excuses.

Grooming Your Face and Beard

The greatest problem during the winter will be taking care of your face. You see, while most of your body is covered with layers and layers of protective clothing, in most situations your face will be completely exposed. Luckily, the effects of this are something that can later on be remedied with moisturizing skincare products like this facial cleanser and face scrub.

If you shave, opt for a moisturizing alcohol-free shave oil and aftershave balm, rather than a shaving cream or aftershave that contains alcohol and other harsh chemicals that can dry out your skin and cause skin irritation.

As for your beard, the best piece of advice would be to cover it with a scarf whenever you are outside. Sure, a frosted beard could look completely epic, but in the long term, you won’t like the effects. Frost can seriously damage your hair, which is why you need to groom it properly in order to prevent such a thing. In most cases, this would include washing your face and beard with a gentle cleanser every other day (this is a loose guideline during the winter. Your specific schedule will vary based on your climate and vocation), and applying moisturizing and reparative products such as beard oil and beard balm.

Conclusion

As you can see, staying fit and groomed during winter is not impossible, but it does require an honest assessment and attention to your lifestyle choices. Take a bit more care of your body during this period and once swimsuit season arrives, you'll be ahead of the game!

Peter Minkoff is a men's grooming & fashion writer at The Beard Mag & High Street Gent magazines from UK. Beside writing he worked as a menswear fashion stylist for many fashion events around UK & Europe. Follow Peter on Twitter for more men’s grooming tips.