AS THE CHILLY WEATHER SETTLES IN AND WE TRADE OUR SUMMER STYLE FOR COZY LAYERS, LET’S NOT OVERLOOK THE ALLURE OF EMERGING FROM WINTER FEELING LIKE A GODDESS. While exercise offers more than just body transformation — think mental health benefits and increased strength — it’s hard to resist the appeal of a seasonal glow-up. So, as we embrace Autumn, fitness guru Nikki Ellis shares her top 5 reasons why working out in winter is not only easier but also super-benefical!
Nikki Ellis, the powerhouse Melbourne-based personal trainer, fitness expert, and author, boasting over three decades of industry prowess. Specialising in empowering perimenopausal and menopausal women, Nikki’s influence extends beyond her fitness enterprise, Cinch. Scroll to read her expert tips…
1. It’s cooler {I mean obvs}…
Those intense workouts are way more comfortable and you reduce your risk of overheating – especially relevant if you are pregnant or if you are experiencing perimenopausal symptoms and already running hot. A cooler workout is a more comfortable work-out and this means you’re more likely to do it again. Which kind of leads to my third point.
2. Training over winter will help you stay happier…
Seasonal changes can affect both our mood and energy. Keeping your training consistent over the wintry season can combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by releasing endorphins to make you feel more happy, as well as cannabinoids to help you like other people more! Plus it’s so fun to go and hang out with your gym besties each morning before work – feeling like the absolute superstars you are for rolling out of bed at stupid o’clock to go to the gym. You are basically David Goggins. You are invincible.
3. Consistency…
If you want great results can you really take from March to September off and start training again when the sun comes out? Um, no. Discipline is a muscle and if you live somewhere with seasons you simply need to dig deep and keep training over Winter if you want to feel strong, fit and fabulous. Sorry to go all “personal trainer” on you there but it’s the truth. If you want to be strong and in shape when the weather starts to warm you need to be doing it now. There is no sugar coating it.
4 There are so many fun ways…
… to incorporate movement and fitness into your life in Winter, think skiing and snowboarding, cyclocross, alpine hiking, ice skating – get out there and mix it up! Again the cooler weather applies for the outdoors and not just the gym. Now is the time to start hiking, mountain biking when the conditions make it a little more agreeable to do so. You could even take up a winter sport, like netball or touch footy.
5. On the flip-side, it is not too cold to train!
Remember that if you train in a gym or studio they are the same temperature all year round – no different. Plus you probably live in a nice warm house and drive a nice warm car. As far as I can tell you are not Rocky Balboa running along your street at 5am in the snow. Training over Winter is very very do-able – and so worth it. Especially as the days get shorter and sunlight dims.Its a way to get those endorphins boosted and keep yourself feeling at your mental and physical best.
Incorporate these tips above and we guarantee your training sessions will not just be bearable, but something that you look forward to.
CONNECT
Nikki Ellis is a fitness expert with more than 30 years experience. She runs Cinch Fitness in Melbourne. For more details:
Visit her website: cinch.training/
Follow her on instagram: instagram.com/cinchtraining/
Check out her podcast here
{Top photo: Free People}
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