Winter Fitness & How to Keep Going

Keeping up your fitness levels in winter is hard.

As in, really hard.

When you leave for work in the dark, and return home in the dark, the last thing most people want to do is exercise.

Holla to blankets, hot chocolate, biscuits, sofas, log fires and cosy evenings in.

Seeee ya to sports bras, lycra, hand weights and running around outdoors.

But the problem is, if you want to stay happy and healthy over the winter (both physically and mentally) you can’t just hibernate for 4 months of the year! It’s important to keep your fitness levels as high as possible throughout the winter, almost even more so than in summer if you’re going to battle that pesky little bugger that is SAD. We move a lot less in the winter. Fitness is just not a priority I guess, but then when the weather is ugly, we just don’t want to spend the time skipping around like we might have during the warmer months.

This year I’ve really tried to keep off the winter chub, and one of the ways I’ve done this is doing as much fitness as possible. It also seemed daft to me to spend all summer getting stronger and fitter, only to then lose it all immediately on 1 November. Where’s the fun in that? So here are some juicy helpful little tips I’ve found actually keep me going rather than slumping ungraciously on the sofa every night in a bundle of PJs and chocolate (I mean, I do slump in a bundle of PJs and chocolate, but usually after some sort of exercise)

1. Go straight from work – This helps me SO much to force myself into it. If you go home first, you’ll be lured by the loving look of a comfy place to sit and the deliciousness of PB&J on toast before dinner. 
2. Invite a friend – Having someone else to spur you on and encourage you to keep your fitness levels up together stops you getting complacent and gives you that extra motivation to get off yo’ ass. 
3. Workout indoors – Doing fitness classes indoors means there are no excuses of “ohh but it’s raining”, no siree!
4. Make the most of the weekends – ok so this is more motivation for my own personal fitness goals as all the classes I usually go to are after work and my weekends are neglected somewhat, but hey, we can all improve!
5. Get into a routine – Building fitness into your weekly habits helps stick to it so much. I’ve got really into playing badminton on a Monday and attending a HIIT class on a Wednesday and Thursday, and therefore Tuesday has become my “do day” (i.e. the day I can do things!)
6. Try something different – One of the main reasons I’ve given up on things in the past is through boredom. Use your winter fitness goals to try something new. Perhaps a strange an obscure sport (Quidditch anyone?!) or mix it up with a range of high intensity cardio sessions and some focused on posture and flexibility (I’m forever jealous of you bendy yogis!)
7. Give yourself some slack – We are not all perfect fitness goddesses. There are days when lounging in bed is far more preferable than putting on your trainers, just allow yourself to have an off day and jump back on the horse tomorrow (y’know, either metaphorically or in the actual sense if you’re that way inclined!)

A really great blog for fitness motivation I’ve found is Healthy Happy Nat, so check it out if you need some online butt kicking that’s real and honest and super informed. Plus, hey, she’s a bloomin’ splendid person AND she’s Cornish, what’s not to love! Whatever your current fitness level, however dark and miserable it seems outside, be brave, push yourself and in the sort-of words of our good friend Dory “just keep going” because YOU GOT THIS!