1. Commit to eating earlier as the nights draw in for winter, preferably around 6-7pm. This will give more time for your food to digest, plus it will eliminate snacking around this time. If you don’t get home until after 7 from work then have something pre prepared using a slow oven which will allow you to eat soon after arriving home.
2. You burn more calories in the cold, so exercising outdoors is great to do as your body will work hard burning more calories in the process, to maintain your core temperature at 36.8 degrees. Be sure to wrap up warm using 2 or 3 layers which you can take off as your temperature rises in your work out. You will feel invigorated and energised to take the day on after a good outdoor workout. Be sure to remember your water!
3. Weekend drinking and eating can blow your good week out of the water. If you are out to dinner, have a pint of water before you leave, which helps to avoid the dive into the bread basket as it arrives, and downing the first glass of wine as if its your last!! Leave the peanuts on the counter, they are very calorific and if it helps, numerous studies have been done to show traces of urine from unwashed waiter’s hands!! Schedule a workout for Sunday morning with a friend, always harder to cancel. Also provides a small deterrent for just one more vino!
4. Change your workout. If you have been doing the same workout for more than 6 weeks, your body has adapted to it, and the returns are severely diminished. Take a boxing class, or take up some weights instead of the treadmill. Your cardiovascular workout will offer the most return if you do interval, (short burst) work. Try doing 6-8 sets of 45 seconds on 45 seconds off at the maximum speed you can do. Allow for a 10 minute warm up and if you can only manage 4 sets then that’s your start point.
5. Fish oils; try typing fish oils with any disease known to man into Google and fish oils will come up as beneficial. There are exceptions to taking fish oils if you are on any blood thinning drugs such as warfarin or aspirin but otherwise good medical grade fish oil will do wonders for your health . We are made up of billions of cells, just a walking collection of the little life givers, and fish oil helps maintain the integrity of those cells and will help in anything from weight loss to shiny hair!!
6. Start a 12 week bum campaign to look great in those jeans! Your behind is made up of 3 muscles the gluteus medius, the gluteus maximus, and the gluteus minimus. This is a real case of use it or lose it. Cardiovascular work will not do the job, as your glutei muscles will only act as shock absorbers. Exercises such as lunges, squats and lying face down leg raises, whilst keeping tummy on the floor to protect your back will assist greatly in getting the perfect toned bum!
7. Water water water!!! Its much easier in the summer to drink water but when you think that water makes up around 2/3 rds of our bodyweight, you ealise just how important it is. People have survived weeks, some even months without food, but after 24 hours without water, your body is in trouble! The cold air dehydrates your body even more as it does not hold moisture, so literally every time you breath, moisture is being sucked out, that’s why your lips often dry out in the winter. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you are not sweating you are not losing precious water. Plus hunger is often mistaken for thirst so keep that glass of water on your desk!!
Good luck with these tips, and the winter is a great time for snuggling in and looking after your health and fitness too!
Kimberly Rothman
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