Winter motivation, tips & advice for your health & fitness

Weather all round is colder, and we need more layers to get warm. The sky is dark earlier both morning & night, we tend to lean towards rich, warm, hearty meals & it’s too easy to tell ourselves “It’s too cold, I’m warm inside now, I’m too tired, I’ll go tomorrow…”

As a trainer, I have these winter moments as well, PTs are human & anyone who knows me well, knows I really HATE the cold! (Cue earmuffs, beanies, scarves, gloves, layers and layers and layers…) So, how can we keep on track, remain active throughout the cooler months, wet weather & darker days?

If you find it hard to workout at home, get out for a run/ walk or take yourself to the gym to do your own work out. An easy trick is to put value on your health & book a workout in. This can be in many different forms, but treat it like an appointment, once it’s in your diary & paid for it should be valued as much as any other appointment you book in each week!

A personal training appointment will allow you to have one on one time with a trainer to motivate & push you through a workout safely & effective to your needs. A trainer values both your time & theirs, so once it’s locked in, you are held accountable to show up & have someone to let down if you don’t. Training isn’t a ‘quick fix, cheap option’, you need to research & find someone who best suits your needs, budget & expectations. Comparing PT prices is literally comparing winter to summer!

Book a spot in a paid class; reformer Pilates, aerial yoga, jujitsu, cross fit, small group training, boot camp, aquarobics, dance classes, running club etc (the options are endless & there is something for everyone!). By booking a spot, paying & locking it in, you are more likely to attend due to the value you have placed on it. Beginners’ classes are available for most things or, catered for in the classes by the trainer. If you are worried about attending on your own or don’t have a friend to book in with you & aren’t ready to take that step out of your comfort zone with other people, the one-on-one PT option or even a private class is a great place to start!

Busy mum with kids? Find a gym with a creche available, or a studio/ trainer where you can take your child/ baby, or a mobile trainer to come to you! Signing up for an online challenge to do at home, zoom workouts (they exist & are brilliant!) meet a friend for a walk undercover/ sheltered areas and break up activity through the day (i.e., 3- 5minutes when you wake up, at lunch, afternoon & evening all adds up!) learn to embrace small, sharp bursts when you can (hold a plank or pop out some squats for 1 minute whilst you scroll the socials!)

Food intake

Make smart choices, balance is key. If you aren’t as active & keeping track of what you’re inputting/outputting, how will you know you’re staying within your daily intake needs & not in surplus, or conversely, if you are in a deficit when you want to be in surplus?

A free app like MyFitnessPal or an online tracker will help immensely. A lot of people will say “I don’t have time or can’t be bothered” to track their eating. Sure, when you first start out it can be time consuming getting the hang of it, putting in everything you eat throughout the day including portion sizes, snacks, sauces, drinks etc but, once you’ve logged a few times, your regular list grows & you can see just what you’re putting in your mouth (which can be uncomfortable sometimes!).

Synced with an activity tracker or, manually logging your workout calories will show an even bigger picture & give you an idea of how much you are actually burning/ consuming on a regular basis & areas we can start to tweak, improve, or drop where need be.

Saying “I’ve tried everything, I’ve tried watching what I eat, I did exercise & had good food intake, I was active, I was in deficit etc” is fine, but when a trainer digs deeper, we aren’t trying to make you feel ‘bad’ or accusing you of not doing these things. A good trainer will work with you to see areas of improvements, deeper causes, giving you awareness & education why you may not be losing weight or seeing any difference. Be open to the help, try the methods that work, be open to being uncomfortable & forced to take accountability for your own actions.

Most of the time, getting out of your comfort zone is where the change happens. Saying someone is ‘crazy’ for anything like; running in the winter mornings, working out on a cold evening, in the rain or going to the gym multiple times a week, tracking their eating, not drinking on a night out or having an early night for their training in the morning is more a reflection on yourself than them & frankly, not going to get you anywhere.

Change the mindset.

If you know you aren’t active, aren’t exercising in the week or, not sure what your calorie intake is like, then this is a great starting point. Start small. Longevity is the key, not a quick fix.

Only you can make the changes. We can give you all the advice, tips, workouts & support in the world, but no one can do the work for you. Stepping on the scale, taking some photos & measurements is a vital tool to track progress & check ins when required (trainer plan, self-plan, or program directions). Wanting to track & see the change is a big motivation tool. 4 weeks can go quickly once you start, so take it one day at a time. One ‘bad’ day isn’t worth giving up completely for. Everyone else has them, yet continue to power on knowing it won’t ‘ruin’ the hard work or affect long term goals with the good habits/ positive mindset.

Quick advice for eating

Watch the serving sizes; big bowls & plates filled to the edges isn’t a great thing

Low nutrition snacks & drinks have massive impact on your daily intake & don’t provide fuel for your body. Once in a while they are ok if you really want them but have awareness, own it & enjoy it.

Sides of rice, pasta & breads are easy to add calorie density to a meal. We see a lot of meals half n half (half pasta half bolognaise, half rice, half curry) without awareness of the high portion actually being taken in. Serve on a plate (trick to see it flat out) add some greens to the dish so its split in thirds & has more nutritional value.

Coffees, fruit juices, cold milk drinks, energy drinks, cordials, teas etc all have calories in them! Remember they count towards the daily intake, not just food (which is easy to be fixated on, ignoring the drink side of things!) just be mindful of what goes in your mouth. Have water or green tea with meals to avoid overload. If you want a soft drink chose the low sugar/ no sugar options or, have a treat then move on.

Same for sauces, salt, condiments, toppings, bites of treats at work morning teas, biscuits with a cup of tea, sugar additives, buffets, high teas, parties, grazing tables etc. These all count in the daily intake & is what the body will try to use for fuel to burn off, power the body & mind throughout the day. If you start to think about what you’re actually eating & acknowledging it, you will have better chance of success for your weight loss goals, maintenance weight, feeling energized for workouts or just feeling better generally.

Stop comparing scale numbers & unrealistic ‘socials’ photos! Sex, age, height, weight etc will be different intake, outcomes & plans for a reason.

For instance, my partner is trying to gain muscle & mass currently, whereas I am wanting to lose some fat & overall mass. Our calorie intake for the day is over 1500 difference currently! (it is usually different in general considering I require less daily intake than him on a day to day basis) Does our eating have to be different? Yes. Is it hard sometimes? Yes. Do I have food envy sometimes? Yes.

Portion sizes for couples is a massive factor we see every day. Eating the same portion sizes, drinking together, sharing entrees, having large main meals, fear of missing out all play part. If one has chocolate the other may want some “go on, just have one” … sound familiar? It isn’t a bad thing to serve different sizes, have one plate without a large jacket potato, smaller plate size overall or skipping dessert.

One should be supportive of others ‘healthy eating’ & their attempts at making better choices for themselves. It isn’t a nice thing to make your partner feel bad for not eating the same thing as you, not wanting to go out & have a large pub meal & drinks, watch Netflix with lots of snacks or grab more uber eats etc, whilst also works the other way of belittling their choices when they do have a treat, skip a day at the gym or indulge in a meal out etc.

Support, motivation & encouraging each other is key. Talk about your goals & what you want to achieve/ change & why. Once you’re both on the same wavelength, it becomes a lot easier to negotiate things & make plans to suit the bigger picture, so no one is confused, annoyed or expecting unrealistic things from one another.

In a nutshell

Yes, remaining active, moving your body, finding the time to work out or try new things is hard for everyone. Having awareness & understanding of what you’re eating, calorie intake & nutritional benefits is difficult at first & is a long-term thing!

Putting the blinkers on, taking no accountability & blaming others will get you nowhere & can make you bitter towards the health & wellness industry; something not even worth the energy.

People will listen to your excuses, pat you on the back for ‘trying & being honest’ & maybe even feel better venting with you of their similar situation, but when it comes down to it, this isn’t getting you anywhere & only feeding you time to make yourself feel better about where you are & not where you want to be… accountability is mentioned a lot for a reason. It’s something not many people want to face or take, but it’s the one thing that will actually help you change anything.

· Get daily steps in (hell, aim for 5000 to start!)

· 1 minute of physical activity is still more than 0

· Start monitoring & thinking about what you’re putting into your mouth every day

· Talk to someone or reach out for support (partner, friend, trainer, helpline, family…)

· Book & pay for the training appointment or niche fitness class to go

· Don’t fixate on what others are doing

· Work on your posture, strong, proud & standing straight; this will help immensely!

· Find likeminded people (Facebook groups, online forums, gym communities, podcasts)

· If you have low self-control, not having a stash in the house means it isn’t there to grab

· Mindless eating is still eating

· 2000 steps a day is better than 0

· Be nice to yourself, you’re trying & doing a great job!

· Start with a plan. ‘Winging it’ won’t be the best way to go for results

· Know once you start moving, you will warm up & layers can be removed!

· winter meals don’t have to be ‘sad’ just be aware of what you eat & portion size

· a green tea or peppermint tea is sometimes all you need to warm up & be satisfied

Change won’t happen overnight or even in one week, but it will happen & you will probably want to give up once you start things outside the comfort zone but remember, building a new comfort zone is just as rewarding.

Some things take a while to adjust to especially certain foods you’re not used to (low fat, low sugar, alternative options) & moving your body more than you were, but over time they will be become the norm for you & the endorphins will be kicking in to help drive you further & staying focused on the long-term health benefits for your mind & body.

One step, one day & one comfort zone change at a time.

Any questions, queries or want help getting your fitness journey started now? Message me now. There so many options available, we can help you find something to get started with today.

Be warm, be happy, stay focused on yourself & aware of what needs to be done.

Shelley

Jurassic PT

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