Staying motivated and keeping fit can be tough as the nights close in and the weather gets worse.
We had an uncommonly warm and dry September, but we know it won’t last forever – and we’ve already seen the temperatures plummet since the start of October.
Staying fit can be a brilliant way to beat the winter blues. A lot of people feel down or miserable through the winter, but in many cases this can be caused by not getting enough fresh air and exercise.
It’s definitely harder to find the motivation to get up and go out when it would be so much cosier under the blanket on the sofa, but we promise you’ll feel better in the long run – and you’ll feel warmer in the house when you get back home!
So make sure you’ve got the right gear (we’ll do a future blog on this, so keep checking our news page for tips on wearing the right stuff) and get out there and have fun.
Here are Northern Bootcamp’s top tips for staying fit in the winter.
- Plan it. Write down a new weekly autumn plan remember to make it SMART: Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-managed
- If you haven’t done a fitness test recently, do one now, so that you can track your autumn progress and see where you are now so that you can set a new target for December.
- If you train outdoors buy some new kit for colder weather, get wrapped up and put all of your kit out together the night before so that you look forward to getting wrapped up when you step outside. Make sure that not being able to find your hat or gloves is no excuse not to get out there to run or walk.
- Change your longer steady state runs/walks to the weekend. Instead of making Sunday your day off, make this your longer run/walk day when you have more daylight hours.
- Do shorter but more effective sessions outdoors in the evenings. A 20-30 minute speed session, such as hill sprints, Fartlek, or interval training can be as effective as a 45 minute run/power walk.
- Look for a new class in the gym, move one or two of your outdoor sessions indoor and look for some HIIT classes at your local gym. Metafit, circuits, spinning or indoor boot camps are all great forms of HIIT training.
- Do at least one session in the comfort of your own home. Plan exactly what you are going to do in your session, at exactly what time and clear a floor space get your gym kit on and water bottle at the ready and complete a 20-30 minute HIIT session.
- Remember – every single exercise session, whether it is for five mins or five hours, is more positive than doing nothing at all!
