This morning I could see my breath in my bedroom as I lay all wrapped up in four layers of blankets. The alarm went off, I happily switched on my bedside lamp, but the thought of stepping out of that warm and cozy bed had me mind wrestling myself for a few moments. Getting those blankets off me was like a bench press as they warmly squashed snugly into my chest. What is it with old Irish houses being like ice boxes? My family think I’m crazy complaining about how frozen I am, but I’ve literally just moved from the oven like temperatures of Madrid. Once I’m out of bed, my woolly hat gets put on and may stay on for most of the day.
This time of year brings many challenges for people. It starts to become dark and cold, which means our bodies have to adjust to having more layers on, and our minds have to deal with a different daily rhythm. Come October every year I’m sure there are many people that would be overjoyed if hibernation was an option for humans. How fun would that be? You could go nuts for six months and eat everything and anything before settling in for the most wonderful six month of sleep ever!
Yes, life would seem short, fat and not very healthy but you could happily skip the winter months with ease. Instead, after enjoying the sunshine of summer, we have to brace ourselves for the winter months that can bring lethargy, a lack of motivation and a reduction in zest.
This can be tough to take, but what’s worse is to arrive to January after putting on 5 or 10 kilos having comfort ate your way through the winter! We certainly don’t want that. We want to burst through those gym doors on January 1st excited to keep that built up winter energy going as we head towards spring. There are actions and systems to put in place now so that the urge to hibernate gets immediately kicked to the curb before it has a chance to seduce you into months of sluggishness and weight gain.
Have winter become a hive of activity with these anti-hibernation tips!
1. Go Easy on the Hot Stuff!
One of the things we all do in the winter is eat warmer foods. We make hearty stews, thick soups and have hot cups of tea and coffee. These are all delicious and heat us up but be careful with what these foods can be accompanied by. Potatoes, bread and biscuits are these food’s buddies.
I’ve found myself enjoying the warmth of the Irish food these past few weeks but I’ve also noticed my hand reaching for another piece of fluffy bread or just one more chocolate biscuit. You don’t notice this at first but it gradually creeps up on you.
Limit yourself to one or two pieces before the meal or tea break begins to prevent the guilt and catastrophe of eating a full packet of biscuits. Also, keep an eye on other nutritionally dense foods like salads that may get neglected during the cold months.
2. Sign up for a Challenge
Now is the time! If ever you needed a goal to catapult you through to the next stage, this is it! Getting out of bed in the morning to go for a 10km run is so much easier when you have the pressure of a deadline on your back. The snooze button doesn’t stand a chance against the money you paid to be part of an event, or the possible embarrassment you’ll feel if you arrive to the start line in woeful shape!
Paying for something draws us in and commits us to getting the most from our investment. Try to participate in something that arrives before Christmas. This will keep you fired up as you will only have about eight weeks maximum to train for it.
If it’s your first race or event, aim to be fit enough to enjoy it and don’t sign up for anything that is just crazy in that time frame! (Preferably no Ironman or 100 km races!). Put in your details, pay your money and start preparing. Nothing will get you training faster.
3. Find Opportunities to Bare All!
After living in Spain for almost six years, I’ve noticed a few things about the Spaniards and how they deal with the colder months. Firstly, once October finishes, they are all wrapped up and hardly a centimeter of skin is seen until May. No real difference there to us northern Europeans.
Secondly, even though they are wrapped up, they still adore the sun and love being outside as often as possible. This love of sunshine has them planning Christmas and Easter holidays in hot areas like the Canary Islands. They love the water and the beach and therefore flock to it as often as possible throughout the year.
The Irish, however, barely see any sun at all and for this reason strip off less than their Spanish European neighbours. While the Spanish have a, “I’ll be showing my body on the beach all year round” mentality, people from Ireland gear up every year for that two week burst of sun they get at home or abroad.
In October it’s very easy to think that you can hibernate in your clothes for six months before anyone will have to see you. My advice? Try to go swimming in a pool once or twice a week. The mere act of being in your bathing suit for people to see will drive you to stay fit and in shape. Yes, you’ll be sprinting from the changing room to the pool on your first few visits but once you know that you’re doing this for the year, you will get working and build an all-round confidence strutting your stuff at the pool or beach.
4. Get Exercising First Thing
If you master this final anti-hibernation tip, there truly will be no stopping you. Having the discipline to get your body moving first thing in the morning has immense power. This transfers to so many other areas of your life. The zip that is injected into your step after a great morning workout stays with you for the day. It’s not easy but has huge paybacks.
As I talked about in Rise and Shine with Personal Time: How getting up 30 minutes earlier changes your entire day, giving yourself the time to work on yourself launches you into your day less stressed, in control and with a sense of achievement most people don’t feel even at the end of their day. Get up, eat a half a banana and drink a glass of water. Brush your teeth (everyone loves feeling fresh!) and pop out the door for a run or blast through a 12-minute online workout. In thirty minutes you’ve worked out, showered and are armed with a totally different attitude to winter training.
Go dominate the month of October before it grabs you and sucks you into its slow flow! It starts this week. Sign up for your event, go easy on the biscuits and start showing that body! Once you’ve done that, go after your morning routine until you’re in full control.
Don’t have that uncomfortable feeling come January when you have to throw yourself around a fitness class having that bloated “I shouldn’t have waited this long” feeling. Personally, I’m going to keep away from the biscuits and cakes when I’m having a coffee. These little choices compounded over three months make a substantial difference.
No regrets in January, only gratitude that you started in October.
Which of these four steps will be the toughest for you? Leave a comment and let me know!