by: Ole Petter Hjelle

As the days get shorter and colder, it may be okay with some tips to maintain motivation and shape throughout the winter. Here are my top five tips:

1. Do you love to compete; sign up for a race . Then you have something concrete to work towards throughout the winter. Concrete goals motivate, and make it easier to overcome the doorstep mile on cold and slippery winter days.
2. Make sure you always have your running gear and shoes available and ready . It is a little more cumbersome to get out the door in the winter. If you have to spend a quarter of an hour looking for super underwear, hats, gloves, reflective vests etc, it makes the doorstep mile longer.
3. Ensure good grip. When it is slippery and icy outside, shoes with spikes apply. You can choose spikes that you step over the shoes, but it is best to wear shoes with spikes. You can either buy pre-studded shoes, or have a pair of your regular running shoes studded. You can get help for this at most sports shops, for example Løplabbet . If it is hard-packed snow and cold, you can often do well with running shoes without spikes, but you may want to choose a pair of shoes with soft rubber in the sole, as it provides the best grip on snow and slippery surfaces.
4. Kle deg riktig. Føttene og beina gjør mesteparten av jobben og produserer mye varme når vi løper. Det er derfor overkroppen det er viktigst å holde varm. Velg flere tynne lag framfor et tykt lag. Tørre luftlag mellom plaggene er det beste isolasjonen vi har. Start med et tynt superundertøy (enten syntetisk eller ull) innerst. Er det veldig kaldt (<-10) eller blåser mye, kan det være lurt med et isolerende mellomlag, for eksempel superundertøy med windstopper-materiale i fronten. Ytterst bør du velge en jakke som holder vær og vind ute samtidig som den puster. Dersom det ikke snør eller regner, holder det i massevis med en jakke i polyester eller nylon, altså en tynn løpejakke som ikke er vanntett. Hvis det er mye nedbør, bør man velge en jakke med en vanntett membran. Mye av varmetapet vårt kommer fra hodet, så husk å ha på deg lue, som også dekker ørene. Fingrene blir fort kalde når vi løper, så husk gode hansker eventuelt votter på de aller kaldeste vinterdagene. Refleksvest bør også være standard. 

NOTE! Many people dress a little too well on cold winter days, and end up freezing, because they have become soaking wet with sweat. If you feel good and warm when you stand still outside your front door, you probably have too much clothing on. Remember that you produce a lot of heat when you run - the most optimal is therefore to dress so that you freeze a little when you stand still - before the run has begun.

Be creative. You do not have to skip the run, even if the snow is falling and you have fresh snow to your knees. Slow down and run with high knee raises in the snow. You do not get as far as on a snow-free day, but the fitness effect is at least as good and you get an extra strength session in addition. Do not spend a lot of energy on devising the most optimal training sessions, because we rarely get them in a busy day. The best workout is the one you get completed!

And remember - if you want to run with Ole Petter Hjelle, either indoors or out by taking the Exercise Doctor with you, you can test a 14-day FREE trial period at Naardic , Norway's largest and best online gym! Naardic now operates with new, reduced membership prices. Now it costs between NOK 299 and NOK 379 per month (depends on lock-in period)!

Good (winter) running!