How to overcome Winter training obstacles

We’ve identified the pros to training during winter and also looked at the cons. Let’s now help you overcome any obstacles you may be facing so you can achieve your goals.

TIPS FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES AND ACHIEVING AWESOME RESULTS!

• Choose the right clothing – “there is no such thing as bad weather – just bad clothing choices”. Dress for the weather, layering is highly recommended. Try for 2 thin tops, with one being long sleeved and able to be taken off. Look for tops that use high-wicking materials, they take sweat away from your skin allowing you to stay warm without overheating. You may like to add fleece to start with, this will also be handy as you finish up your workout to keep you warm. A hat (beanie) may also be a good option for you as heat is lost through the head. Depending on the temperature and the type of exercise you are doing, gloves may also be appropriate and useful.
• Change the tyres, on your feet – check your training shoes, just like tyres on a car or bike they get worn out through usage over time. You are more likely to slide on wet or icy surfaces and without good grip on your shoes you increase your risk of injury.
• Alter goals seasonally – with shorter daylight it can be hard to stick to your original goals depending on what they are. Use the change in season as an opportunity to update your goals and making sure they are realistic and achievable. Work with what you’ve got.  For example, if you usually train after work, reduce the amount of time you exercise and/or workout in your lunch hour. You would be getting out in the sunshine and getting some of that essential Vitamin D from sun exposure, not to mention some fresh air. You could cut down the time but increase the frequency or the intensity of your workouts. There is always a way, sometimes you just need to think outside the box.
• Boost that motivation – music can be an exceptional motivation tool. Music has the power to change your mood dramatically. It can make you sad, make you happy and seriously change your current state of mood from lazy to pumped and ready for anything.  Use the power of music to get you up on those dark cold mornings, or out of the house when it’s raining and miserable. Create your own power playlist to motivate yourself and take control.
• Motivation is contagious – team up with a training buddy of a group for extra motivation. You will be more likely to attend workouts and work hard, you are being held accountable. Training with others adds a social dynamic and encourages a bit of healthy competition. Again why not take the training outdoors and soak up some of that vitamin D, you’ll be doing your body good and will feel better about the longer winter nights.
• Keep it clean people – germs spread like wildfire in winter, you will notice in the office and especially if you have children. Whilst you can’t always prevent getting sick you can absolutely decrease your chances of getting sick and reduce the length of illness. Firstly let’s start with the most obvious and clichéd, washing your hands frequently. You come in to contact with lots of germs every day in the most common  and uncommon of places. Think doorknobs, keyboards, handles, petrol pumps, toilet doors, rails, buttons etc. Before you eat make sure you wash your hands and don’t touch your mouth or eyes etc. Quarantine the sickly, at the office try and steer clear of the Mr sniffles and Mrs outrageously loud cough/spluttering, if you can encourage them to go home, and if not, steer clear. Don’t share cups or utencils with others and definitely keep yours separate if you are sick so nobody else uses them. Use a tissue for sneezes and coughs, and have a bottle of hand sanitiser with you. These little bottles are pure genius when it comes to using public toilets and public transport in the germy season. Drink lots of water and eat a diet rich in highly nutritious foods to boost your immune system and keep your health in check. Get a good night’s sleep  and if you feel like you’re on the verge of getting sick, ease up and rest, increase vitamins and flush it out of your system

Now there’s really no excuse not to exercise during Winter is there 😉

The obstacles to training during Winter

Let’s explore some of the most common obstacles experienced by exercise goers during winter.

• Reduced daylight –  depending on what part of the world you live in, the length of daylight can be altered significantly. Lack of daylight and the ability to enjoy daylight during your day can lead to depression and Vitamin D deficiency.
• Cold mornings – I will not lie to you, even I find it hard to get out of a warm bed on a cold early winter morning.
• Lack of motivation – it’s not uncommon for goals to fall by the wayside at winter time. There’s no bikinis or summer outfits to drive you to looking your best. When it’s cold and conditions aren’t ideal it’s easy to choose the ‘easy’ option of opting out of training or eating healthy.
• Comfort food – outside activities are often replaced with catch up dinners and socialising revolving around food and drinks. The type of food we eat as well tends to change to starchy warm, rich comforting food. Watching a DVD with popcorn and a block of chocolate anyone?
• Dehydration/lack of moisture – the cold air actually deprives you of moisture, the extra layers worn whilst working out draw more sweat from body.  The cold weather also alters your thirst sensation to maintain core temperature, you are usually unaware you are dehydrated till it’s too late.
• Redirection of blood flow – Cold weather draws blood towards the abdomen to raise core temperature. This can increase your risk of injury if the arms and legs aren’t prepared for strenuous work. To prepare them try performing longer and more gradual warm up, up to 15mins of cardio and mobility exercises. This prepares your arms and legs and all their joints for a hard workout and will reduce your risk of injury.
• Increased risk of danger training outdoors – lack of light and wet, icy conditions can contribute to injuries. Be safe, know yoru environment. Do not train in the dark unless you have the proper equipment and check out your surfaces before you start to train. Reduce your risks, an injury is not worth it!
• When outdoor training is not ideal – some conditions i.e heavy rain, snow, ice etc can make training outdoors or even participating in social /active events outside unappealing. When you are not a member of a gym or do your exercise purely outdoors (for e.g running, cycling, swimming) it can affect your training program and your motivation. Try thinking outside the box, look for fitness classes that are held indoors at community centres, workout DVDs may come in handy or even moving your workouts indoors – there are a lot of options and you can get just as good a workout indoors if you know what to do!
• Illness – The germ infested months of the year. It’s not that cold weather by itself makes you sick, it can however lower your immunity and make you susceptible to picking up germs, infections etc. Illness can definitely be a set back to your training. Keep this in mind though, depending on what type of illness you have, exercise can actually help. If you catch a common cold right at the beginning, some gentle exercise can actually help your condition and lessen the severity and duration. However if you have a virus you must let your body rest and recover, pushing your body in such a state will only prolong the illness and delay recovery. Listen to your body it will tell you when you need to rest.

Don’t let these obstacles throw you off training in Winter, in our next post we will overcome these obstacles. The pros (although they appear fewer) are much more significant than the cons!

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