With daylight savings well and truly over. The mornings are colder, and the nights are longer. Motivation to exercise through winter can hard, I myself can fall victim of not joining a morning bunch ride or heading to the gym for a early workout in winter BUT that doesn’t mean I should not be doing some form of exercise.
Exercise has many benefits and not just physical. Exercise has been shown to improve moods and reduce stress and anxiety through the release endorphins through to the brain. At LiveWell Family Chiropractic we encourage all our patients to participate in some form of exercise on a regular basis to help maintain and sustain healthy spinal movement and reduce their onset of pain and stiffness.
So this winter don’t let the temperature and longer nights impede your body’s need for movement and exercise. Here are a couple of quick tips to help you stay motivated and accountable.
1. Set Goals
Whether it is to run 5kms at 5mins/km or to just exercise 3 times per week, set a both a short term (weekly) and long term (3month) goal.
2. Find an Exercise Partner
It can be easy to hit the snooze button or simply miss going to the gym but if you have a friend or partner waiting for you and you alone you become more accountable and less likely to skip your session.
3. Enter an event scheduled for Spring/Summer
Having an event such as Run Melbourne or Around the Bay are great examples of events in Spring where if you train consistently through winter they become less daunting on the day.
4. Join a Gym.
A lot of people can have a fear or unwillingness to join a gym due to previous experiences and stereotypical gym junkies whom call their local gym home. From experience the majority of gyms now have scheduled classes and areas which wont have you feeling intimidated.
Lastly just remember summer bodies are made in Winter!