It’s been a challenging year with lots of change, which has impacted our daily lives and health routines. Now with winter fast approaching, we are going to be faced with even more restrictions: cold weather and staying indoors. The colder weather deters a lot of people from staying active. Changes that happen during this time of year affect our mood, weight, and energy. It’s best to be aware of these changes and work with our bodies and minds to counteract the negative changes.
With the sun setting closer to 4p, we are more inclined to stay in bed and sleep more. People will lose their outdoor running and biking routines and will need a way to continue their endurance cardio workouts. The drop in temperature also causes people to eat more. It’s ingrained in our biology to want to eat more in the winter months. When the temperature outside drops, our internal temperature drops, and food is a way to comfort our bodies and emotions. Our metabolism increases, which may sound like a good thing, but our bodies crave more food to keep our bodies warm. With holiday meals and festivities, people consume more than they need to. The lack of sunlight can have a profound effect on our hormones. In the winter months, we produce more of the sleep hormone, making us feel more tired. We are also more bundled up, which keeps our bodies covered. This removes the visual cues of what’s going on with our bodies, letting us know if we are staying on track.
Now that you have an idea of what changes could harm your body, here are some tips you can incorporate to keep you healthy during the winter months. Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection.
1. Plan Your Workouts.
It’s best to plan your workout for the day by staying ahead of schedule. I recommend working out six days a week at the same time every day so that you can build positive habits with your body and mind. When you workout at the same time every day, you regulate your body and your system, which gets your body to systematize its processes. Write down your workout in your calendar and stick to the schedule. Show up for yourself, and work hard.
2. Invest In An Indoor Workout Program: It’s best to come to your workout prepared.
You don’t want to have to waste time thinking about what muscles to work, thinking about how much time you will dedicate, figuring out which movements you will complete for the day. Wasting time thinking about this every day will cost you time. You want to invest in a workout program that has diversified programming and is effective. For example, with NWChurch, you get the option of 6 and 12-week programs, targeted body parts, timed workouts, and a whole library of over 150 hours of content. This content is made available to you with a push of the button. Here you have access to your daily routine, and you’ve spent zero time putting the program together. You want to come to your workout ready to workout, not thinking about what you will do.
3. Ask a friend to join you: Doing things alone is hard.
It helps to have a friend hold you accountable, especially if you are going through the journey together. I suggest that you grab a group of friends at the start of the winter and plan to work out together through the holidays and the new year. Getting a group of people together allows you to have the inner circle energy to get you through those tough workouts.
4. Stay hydrated: Making sure you drink enough water keeps your internal organs and body hydrated.
Dehydration causes headaches and can hinder physical performance, digestion, heart, and kidney function. We want to make sure that you are drinking enough water to properly keep your body and brain functioning. I tell all my clients to drink at least 3L of water per day.
5. Aim for at least 20 minutes per day.
Working out for 20 minutes a day gets your blood flowing and is the perfect amount of time to target toning, fat burn, and cardio. You want to make sure you perform at a high level during these 20 minutes, so you should remove all distractions and phones to keep focused during this time. Remember, 20 minutes, six days a week is enough to get started.
6. Work muscle groups you don’t typically work: When you work muscles you don’t usually use, you are utilizing more of your brain and body to complete it.
It also forces your body to have to work harder to strengthen those underused muscles in the body. Strive to complete workouts that challenge your body. It’s best if you continually do new exercises that give your body and brain a challenge.
7. Chew Your food slowly: It takes 20 minutes to signal to your brain that you are full.
The slower you chew, the better your body will digest the food you are eating. The slower you eat, the more time your brain has to learn if it’s full or not. This trick will allow you to eat less and only consume food that your body truly needs.
There are multiple ways to stay healthy while winter approaches. I’m happy you could read up on this post because it will give you more information and knowledge to protect yourself. Always plan. The better you plan, the better you will perform. During this holiday season, make sure to invest in yourself. What did you learn about yourself last year? Did you stay in shape? Were you happy with your workout plan? You can learn a lot from your past, and it would be great to take inventory of it. This season, let’s stick together and stay fit and healthy. We want progress, not perfect. Love yourself!