From ELLE Ftness Editor Muireann Carey-Campbell
What happens to your ‘summer body’ when summer’s over? Isn’t it better to have a fit, healthy, active, functioning body all year round?
Since the beach body seems to get all the attention, I decided to give you some tips on keeping your body healthy and active through the winter months.
1. Find a workout buddy
Statistically, we’re more likely to work out when we can do it with a friend. As the days get shorter, our motivation can go out the window and all our good intentions to work out are replaced by a compelling desire to sit in a pub with a log fire while eating those huge hand cut chips with piles and piles of ketchup (just me? OK). Get yourself a workout buddy and you won’t want to let them down, you’ll hold each other accountable and of course, workouts are always more fun with a friend.
2. Buy weather appropriate workout gear
Sorry to burst your bubble, but just because the temperature drops, it doesn’t mean you can’t exercise outside. Once you’ve been moving for a few minutes, your body gets warm, so that blows the ‘it’s too cold’ excuse out of the water. Get yourself a good base layer (I recommend Under Armour) that insulates while drawing sweat away, some gloves, a hat and a lightweight waterproof jacket and you’re all set to keep moving outdoors. Plus, workouts feel extra rewarding when you’ve toughed them out in crappy weather.
3. Go online
If you’re absolutely set on spending as many hours indoors during the colder months as possible, there are plenty of workouts you can do at home. Jump on YouTube and you’ll find a wonderful world of workouts to keep you going (Blogilates is one of my personal favourites).
4. Set a goal
Give yourself something to work towards and it’s guaranteed to keep the motivation levels high. Whether it’s running a spring marathon, lifting a certain amount of weight, being able to do X number of press ups or booking an adventure holiday you need to be fit enough for - whatever your goal, draw up a plan that will keep you moving through winter.
5. Go go gadget!
There are all sorts of wearable fitness tech that can help you set goals and stay accountable. On top of that you can join any number of online fitness communities to share your progress and find extra motivation. Get yourself a fitness tracker like Fitbit or Misfit Shine, join Nike Plus to log your runs - let’s face it, we all spend so much time on our phones and social media, it just stands to reason that we should include our workouts in that.
