Don't waist winter

Hands up who's going to use 'I'm in my bulking up phase' this winter as an excuse to put on weight underneath all those winter clothes! Sure, hiding your weight gain is easy to do in winter. No one sees you as you're all covered up so its easy to get lazy.

As winter sets in your motivation levels to workout are at a low ebb. No longer do we pounce out of bed to do our morning walk or hit the gym as early or who wants to head out into the foggy cold and hit the streets. Instead we'd rather stay tucked up in our warm bed and wait till the sun rises. Yes, working out during the winter months can be a drag but with some planning and desire you can keep your summer body that you've hard to attain.

Staying motivated
To keep yourself motivated, focus on what you'll gain if you keep exercising throughout winter. If you have a contest in mind later the year, then keeping focused is easier than those who haven't got a goal.

So the best plan to keep motivated during winter is to set your self a mini goal for winter.
Set achieveable goals such as:
-Not going over a certain bodyweight
- Do at least 3 cardio sessions per week
- You'll do at least 3 weight sessions per week
- Set strength goals, such as by the end of 4 week cycle you want to Squat extra 10kg
- Only have one treat each week

Train in the light! Perhaps it's training at night time that is giving you the blues.
Try changing your training to lunch time or afternoons. Furthermore, changing your training
time could even give you a different stimulus you need to recharge your workout.

Get outdoors! Working out Indoors can be quite a demotivating factor so take the opportunity do your cardio outdoors when you can to enjoy some of the sunlight. Fresh air can help shake those winter blues, improve your mood and increase your energy levels. Plus being outdoors is much more pleasant on the eyes than treading on the treadmill or bike staring blankly at the TV screens in the gym!!

	Try something different! If facing a workout by yourself is getting you down over winter,why not try some classes?  Zumba at the Environment Gym! left: Keilah and Paris shaking their booty. Right: big class
most gyms offer quite a wide array of classes so there's bound to be something that suits you. Just one class a week can offer you the break you need from training by yourself. You could try zumba, boxing, circuits or aerobics to keep you mind and body refreshed for your workouts.

 

Cardio at home. If you're still find yourself struggling out of bed to get in your car, and drive to the gym in the mornings then maybe you should invest in some exercise equipment at home. A stationary bike, treadmill or rowing machine can offer a compromise for your exercise routine. You can set the machine in front of a window or read while you work out. There's no ideal piece of exercise equipment. Try to find one that's practical, easy to use and enjoyable and one that you will continue to use.

Riding your bike. The stationary bike can provide an intense indoor workout, without the pounding that your joints get from a run. But rather than simply sitting on the bike and riding for 30 minutes, break the workout up into phases. For example, start with a 10-minute warm-up ride, followed by alternating one minute of hard riding and one minute of easy riding for 15 minutes, and then a five-minute cool down.

 

Winter Nutrition
If you want to put on more muscle, then winter's probably the best time to bulk up. Generally we tend to be less active and tend to eat more in winter. With the longer nights, you also tend to go to sleep earlier which gives you more time for your muscles to grow.

However, most of us are concerned with keeping the weigtht off over winter. So it's just a matter of maintaining your summer nutrition so that you don't need to work too hard in summer to work off your winter bulk. When we're cold we tend to lean towards carbohydrates in the winter as this gives us the feeling of warmth and sataiety, however, if our bellies get too warm we can put weight on.

So it's imperative you are sensible about when (and how much) carbs you eat. Most of your carbs should be eating during the day when you have more chance of working it off. You can still have some carbs up night but make sure you don't overdo it. For those of you with a sweet tooth, it's probably best if you don't have too many chocolates or biscuits in the house as this goes great with that coffee after dinner doesn't it?!!

There's a hole in the roof dear Keilah
Environment Gym has made a hole so we stay hydrated while training :)

Stay Hydrated
Changing weather is always a drain on your body. With every cold day workout you increase your chances of getting the flu or catching a cold. For this reason, it is just as important to stay hydrated during the winter months as it is on those scorching summer days.

Although you may not feel as hot as you would in the summer, it is still easy to become dehydrated during a winter workout, which will affect your performance and overall health.

So this winter don't let your waistline get away on you.  Get into a routine and have a goal to keep you on track so that you look terrific by the time summer hits us again!

Lisa, Go Figure
14 June 10