Get ready for winter exercise tips!

Uh oh, we've just turned the corner into winter with the end of daylight saving.  I can feel the chill in the air now and the earlier nights setting in.  With the colder weather, many people complain of poor motivation for exercise. 'Its dark when I finish work', 'it's too cold in the mornings' and 'it's too cold in the evenings to walk'.

Unfortunately many people also complain of weight gain during the winter months, whether it is due to lack of exercise, or eating 'heartier' meals or both. Exercise, however does not have to mean rugging up to brave the cold at 5am or getting home before 4pm to get your afternoon walk in. 

If you haven't already started your exercise plan to get yourself into a good regime over the winter months then you might want to try these ideas to get you through the winter ahead:

- Start work a little earlier or finish a little later and take some extra time during your lunch break to walk, run or go to the gym

- Hire a personal trainer that works out of a studio or comes to your home or office

- Walk to, from or both to work

- Buy a pedometer and ensure you do 10 000 or more steps per day, whether this is walking the hallways at home, the hallways of the office or on the street

- Buy a piece of gym equipment for at home such as a stationary bike, treadmill, stepper or cross-trainer and exercise at home, in the warmth and without the need for daylight - Try a new form of exercise - for example join a dance class, join a lunchtime Bootcamp, take up Saturday morning yoga or pilates - Do longer forms of exercise on weekends, such as walk for an hour, stop and have a coffee and walk back.

- Get off the bus or train a stop or two early and walk to the rest of the way

- Join a gym close to your work and go to the gym instead of grabbing an afternoon chocolate bar!

- If you are home with children, take them for a walk or go to the park. Or if you have friends or family nearby, have someone baby-sit while you exercise and then swap. Or join a gym with a crèche and exercise at your convenience.

- Buy an exercise DVD and exercise at home

- Instead of catching up for breakfast or lunch, meet for a walk or cycle

- Buy a bike and cycle to and from work

Exercise is not all about controlling your weight, even small amounts of exercise has many positive benefits such as:

- Decrease in body fat (this may or may not change your body weight)
- Decrease in heart rate
- Decrease in blood pressure
- Decrease in total cholesterol
- Better appetite regulation
- Improved aerobic capacity
- Increased endurance
- Decreased fatigue
- Improved mental alertness and stimulation
- Better decision making and problem solving
- Improved muscular strength
- Decreased body size (you may not change weight on the scales but you may decrease size i.e. your clothes will fit better)


So this winter, don't let the cold stop you! Move your way to good health - physically and mentally!