Winter is a great time to buckle down, get some solid business work done and get super clear on your purpose and vision going into the second half of the year.
During these colder months, you may find your activity level starts to decrease. This is ok as the body has a natural way of going into hibernation. We can’t be at our peak and exploding with energy all year round. Life goes in cycles and we must listen to our body during these more sensitive seasons.
Of course, I recommend continuing with your exercise routine all throughout the year. Some modifications may need to be made however to continue training smartly and keep your body feeling great.
For example, spending more time warming up with gentle exercises, this may be walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes, 10 minutes on an exercise bike, mobility work, or spending time foam rolling before a session. Wearing a warm jumper during your warmup also helps get the blood flowing (a personal favourite).
The other thing that can help is choosing to exercise in a nice, warm and comfortable environment. Thankfully, the Woodshed is well insulated and gently heated to provide that optimal environment for you to workout.
The intensity of your sessions may also need to come down slightly in order to accommodate for the body not feeling at its peak and muscle soreness being higher due to the cold weather.
Certain activities like booking a massage, performing self-massage (using foam rollers and therapy balls), Yin Yoga and gentle stretching as well as eating a clean diet, rich in plant-based foods can all help the body to feel better. A morning coffee is also a great way to warm the body, so feel free to pop into Marmalade Cafe, Brighton East for a delicious organic espresso pre-workout (another personal favourite).
Mastering these basics will help you to have a great Winter.
So take it easy this week, be disciplined, do the small things and if you need help then seek the advice of an expert.
Have a great week and I’ll speak to you soon.
Ash
PS. Did you know that you can earn yourself a FREE PT session for every person you refer to personal training with me at The Woodshed? If you have someone in mind that you think would benefit from my expertise and guidance as a trainer then please feel free to pass on my mobile number or email and if they purchase a 5 pack, 10 pack or 20 pack of sessions you receive 1 FREE session with me.