Winter Blahs

Ugh.  Yesterday was one of those gloomy, rainy fall/winter Iowa days.  The sky was a mixture of gray on top of blah.  It rained constantly all day and the wind whipped up to add misery to miserable.  Yep, I’m not the biggest fan of winter in Iowa.

Weather can play a bigger role than we realize in our mood, energy, and happiness.  It’s challenging to really push yourself physically when you want to curl up under a blanket with a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate.  It’s difficult to mentally push yourself when you want to take a nap.  Add darkness to when you wake up and to the early evening and it can spell disaster to living a healthy lifestyle.

I’m not going to sugar coat how I feel about winter.  However, like with everything in life, there’s another side to the story.  Those chilly winter evenings when you can cozy up close to the people you love and cherish time spent together is priceless.  The opportunity to take in a blast of cold air in your lungs because you strapped on a pair of ice skates with your family and friends.  Yes, it is possible to enjoy the winter time.

I love the outdoors.  There are so many great outdoor activities!  But I’ve learned to love a few indoor activities too.  Through spring, summer, fall and winter, I continue to enjoy a fitness program called Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping.  If you’re from the central Iowa area you’ve likely heard of it or even participated in the program yourself.  Farrell’s combines intense cardio kickboxing with resistance training.  This program is especially critical to me during the long, cold, gloomy days of winter.  I need the ability to work out hard and feel like I’m giving myself the best.  I also need the accountability of the program.  When I don’t show up, my friends ask me where I’ve been.  When I’m in class, they push me to give more.  

Farrell’s will be something I bring up often in my posts.  I found my way to a healthier lifestyle before starting this program but it helped me realize the potential of guiding others.  My husband and I have had the honor of coaching new FXB (that’s what Farrell’s calls the new 10-week session students) classes five different times.  I’ll talk another time about that experience and why it played such a big role in my life.  Basically, it’s a big part of the reason I sit here and write this blog.  You can check out more about this program at www.extremebodyshaping.com.

However, going back to the gloomy days of winter, I find it important to have a structure in place to maintain my health and fitness during the winter.  It’s a good idea to map out what you plan to do during winter in order to keep yourself motivated.  You may belong to a local gym or fitness program.  You may thrive on the cold and plan to continue exercising outdoors (there are so many great winter activities - skiing, cross country skiing, ice skating, hiking, orienteering, sledding, building a snowman!).  You may become familiar with every store in the mall because you walk during lunch or after work.  The goal is to keep yourself active and moving throughout the winter.  You can exercise at home!  No, you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment.  Last time I checked, a sit up required you sitting on the ground and curling yourself up.  You can do squats while working on dinner, you can run up and down your stairs (okay, if you have stairs :)), you can do push ups, sit ups, and crunches.  

Maybe you’re reading this blog and you haven’t exercised in months or years.  Maybe worrying about extensive physical activity shouldn’t be the first priority.  Every person can focus on eating well.  The winter time can be tough related to eating for two reasons - 1. It’s easy, convenient, and “comforting” to eat when it’s gloomy outside and 2. The holidays.  I’ll do a more extensive post on surviving the holidays!  

No matter what you’re trying to focus on, whether sticking to an exercise routine or eating well, it’s best to put a plan together.  Having some general guidelines will help you when you feel like you don’t know what to do or when you just want to give in and give up.  If you are comfortable with developing that plan, then now is a great time to do that!  If you’re not, it’s best to consult with your personal physician.  I can’t help you determine what is the best mix of exercise and diet to follow.  I am happy to share my experiences and tips that work for me but YOU have to make the best plan for YOU :)  

My best plan during the winter is to get up and go to class in the morning.  I am a morning person when it comes to exercise.  I like to get up, work out hard, and get it out of the way so I can focus on the rest of the day’s activities.  I can make an excuse after work with the best of them so I try to reserve that morning time for focus on exercise.  I came across an article yesterday that supported my need to get up early.  This article  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/lose-weight-with-morning-exercise supports the idea that exercisers who work out in the morning tend to see results because they actually stick to getting up and working out.  It really sets a great start to my day.  As you can imagine, if you’re starting the day with exercise that gets your heart rate up, it really wakes you up and energizes you.  It’s a great time for me to clear my head of any stresses and worries.  

What time of day is best for you to exercise?  Do you consistently work out at this time or do you find excuses get in the way more often than you like?  Have you tried penciling in your work outs just like a dentist appointment?  You wouldn’t skip those on a regular basis, so think about making exercise an appointment you don’t want to miss!

What recommendations do you have for beating the winter blahs and maintaining good health and fitness?  Take the time to write down a few thoughts and post it somewhere you can easily find on one of those cold, snowy, gloomy days.  Ask friends and family to help support and motivate you, not only during the winter but all year long!

I could write another five pages about each paragraph!  Again, I hope you come back and read my postings often because I will expand on various topics in this email and many others in the future.  I look forward to continuing the conversation on health and fitness!

Miss FitGab