It's the middle of winter: it's dark and cold; and your pyjamas, heater, and lounge room are warm and inviting. Hearty comfort food fills your belly and evening walks have been replaced with TV streaming. Sound familiar?
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This yearly three-month-long recipe for weight gain will see more than half of Australians gain two to five kilograms.
Maintaining regular exercise throughout winter is crucial for avoiding the yearly creep in kilos. Armed with some simple strategies, you can stay motivated and moving.
Shift your schedule: If you are finding it hard to drag yourself out of bed for early morning workouts try exercising later in the day. Can you start work earlier, or finish later so that you can schedule a lunchtime workout or walk? This also enables you to get some sunlight (and vitamin D), which can do wonders for mood, energy levels and weight.
Go straight to the gym: If you schedule exercise for the afternoon or evening aim to go straight from work, rather than coming home in between.
Train indoors: There are so many options for indoor training. The increase in 24-hour gyms has enabled year-long gym memberships to become more affordable. Most gyms offer a large array of cardio and strength training equipment as well as fitness classes. Other indoor activities include yoga, pilates, cross-fit, dancing, acrobatics, trampolining and aqua-aerobics.
Train at home: You don't need to leave home to keep fit during winter. While a home gym set-up is ideal, it's an unnecessary luxury. One piece of cardio equipment - e.g. exercise bike, rower, treadmill, step-up box or skipping rope - is enough to get your heart pumping. A set of hand weights or elastic tubing and a soft mat or carpet is all you need to complete a basic strength routine. There are many body weight exercises e.g. push-ups, planks and squats that utilise no equipment at all.
Sign up for an event: There's nothing like a short-term goal to keep you focused on maintaining or increasing your fitness. Enter a fun run, walk, triathlon, or cycle event in early spring and use winter to train for it.
Join a winter sport: Relive your youth, and enjoy the social side of fitness alongside a team of like-minded individuals.
Buddy up: Sometimes the knowledge that someone else is waiting for you, relying on you to turn up is enough to motivate you to stick to your plans, even on the bleakest day.
Make exercise happen: Put your alarm clock out of reach so you have to get out of bed to switch it off. Try to get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time to help regulate your circadian rhythms and make getting out of bed easier. Schedule exercise into your day and week - make an appointment to exercise just like you would a meeting, haircut, or doctor's visit, and try to stick to a routine.
Think positive: Instead of avoiding the cold, embrace it. Put on a few extra layers and go outside. Winter is the best time to exercise because it increases blood flow and warms your entire body. You sweat less in winter!
Remember "summer bodies are made in winter".
Kate Battocchio is an exercise physiologist and accredited practising dietitian.
These health tips are provided by researchers affiliated or associated with the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, which runs the HealthTrack study. Please consult your doctor for specific medical advice.
