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Don’t go cold on
fitness
Keeping motivated for exercise through winter can be difficult, especially in the colder parts of Australia, as Cpl John Watts reports.
Volume 11, No. 44, June 01, 2006
Top 10 motivators for winter.
Mandatory PT: Need anything more be said?
PTIs: Speak to your PTIs. Other than having them run along behind you with a megaphone to shout thoughtful encouragement, they will have a host of useful tips.
Leadership: Lead by example. Remember that you can’t expect others to maintain their fitness during the winter months if you’re not.
A long hard look in the mirror: Ask yourself if you’ll be comfortable to take your shirt off and go for a run when summer arrives. Now’s the time to get motivated.
Self esteem: Look good, feel good. Knowing you’re in top form does wonders for you.
Goal setting: Put yourself on a training program and have achievable expectations.
Training partner: A good training partner will encourage you to train a little bit harder each session, and give you extra motivation to turn up to the gym or for a run.
Join an indoor team: Indoor sports are an excellent way to meet people and get fit, and include the added benefit of having a host of training partners to encourage your attendance.
Take up an new sport: Try before you buy. Perhaps this year is the year to have a crack at biathlon skiing or indoor tennis.
Join a civilian gym: Some people find they’ll feel compelled to use it more if they’ve paid for it.
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With winter upon us, it is time to find some motivation to keep training through the colder months. But winter is a great time to build up your base-level fitness, especially if you’re into endurance sports. By keeping motivated through winter you will see the benefits next summer.
One of the best ways to keep motivated for exercise through the cold is to set achievable goals.
In our daily lives, goals are set on a regular basis to help motivate us to achieve a wide range of activities. Sometimes a performance bonus is linked to these as an added incentive.
Finding a training partner or partners is a great way to keep training over the colder months. People don’t usually want to let a friend down, so making regular training times with other like-minded individuals is a great motivation.
Warm ups
A warm up means getting the body ready for exercise. The choice of warm-up exercises should reflect the activity you are about to undertake. Exercisers should include range-of-movement activities before progressing to the performance stage.
Also, remember, the colder it gets the longer you should warm up, to avoid injuries.
Clothing should be put on using the layering principle in winter. As you get warmer through the session you can take layers off as required.
Weight gain
People often say they tend to put weight on over winter months. This is not rocket science. If you put more calories into your body than you burn through exercise, then those excess calories must be stored somewhere. Conversely, if you burn more than you eat on a regular basis you lose weight.
Just starting?
If you are just starting out or returning to a fitness regime after a break, you need professional advice to avoid health risks. If you have led a sedentary life for some time, you can not expect to attain fitness quickly.
Setting short, achievable goals towards long-term results will help get you started.
Buying gear?
My advice – try before you buy. Go to your nearest gym and try out that piece of equipment you are thinking of purchasing. Make sure you really like it before you spend money. Fitness equipment for the home can be very expensive and often ends up just collecting dust.
Need advice?
Do some research. Have a think about what type of exercises you like and, most importantly, decide your goals.
Then, contact your local physical training instructor section and make an appointment. From a PTI’s perspective, it is so much easier to develop a program for someone with a goal who knows what type of exercises they like.
Final word
Keep motivated and have fun!.
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