Q: It's cold! How can I get motivated to keep exercising & eating well?
A: Firstly, remind yourself of exactly why you started your journey to become active and eat well.
We often forget how powerful our core motivation can be to feel stronger, live longer, be a good role model or simply fit into those jeans and avoid the winter waistline spread. Refresh your resolve to keep feeling these rewards by saying, "That's right, I'm doing this because...".
Next, choose some colder weather fitness and food strategies to make it happen and appropriate clothing to keep you warm.
Winter fitness strategies
- For outdoor workouts, get some layered winter workout gear to peel off as you heat up. 2 merino layers or similar and a jacket are good to have together with gloves and a beanie.
- Leave your workout gear out ready before bed to remind you that you need to exercise and for quick access.
- Buddy up so the two of you motivate each other to get to sessions.
- Get a Personal Trainer or join a group fitness class to support you through the colder months.
Warm up for longer and stay protected while doing your “Cool Down & Stretch”
Avoid injury by undertaking a longer warm up. This means it is important to be on time for your exercise session.
If cold air tends to bring on asthma for you make sure you are up a little bit earlier to get your body working and take your inhaler with you.
Put your jacket on while cooling down and stretching and intersperse stretching with some active mobilizing so you don’t get too chilled.
Remember to hydrate
It is still important to keep your water intake up. You can lose water breathing in cold air (and you will probably see it evaporating and the steam coming off your muscles when you are working hard). You will perform and recover better if you drink plenty.
Warming food strategies
Switch from salads to soup and vegetables.
Load up on steamed or roasted vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and more).
- Save left-over hot meals like stir-fries and stews for lunch as warming alternative to wraps.
Cold weather is not an excuse, just a variable to plan for!