Jenny Pacey & Wayne Gordon share their tips
It's cold and outside and we are feeling it. In the harsh winter weather it's hard to motivate yourself to move more, when you just want to sit on the couch with a blanket to keep you warm.
Jenny Pacey and Wayne Gordon are proud ambassadors for ICON health & fitness products and they want to share their top tips to help motivate you to get the best from your workouts and maintain your fitness routines, especially on those cold winter nights.
Tip 1: Winter Weight gain
Winter months often lead to winter weight gain. WHY? The cold seems to help develop complacency and extra excuses when it comes to our motivation to exercise. Plus many people suffer from mood changes during the winter months. Remember you will only be wearing a big woolly jumper for a few one season before you have to face shorts and short sleeved tops again. Instead consider that maintaining or achieving your ideal bodyweight during the winter will take away frustrations of trying to get into shape for the coming summer. You're not about to hibernate so you don't need the extra winter padding that can stick around for good.
Tip 2: Feeling fit and using indoor training Kit
Jenny & Wayne suggest investing in beautiful and functional training equipment you can use in the comfort of your own home. Then you have no excuses, no need to go to the gym or step out side into minus temperatures and an exciting new fitness gadget will actually make you want to exercise! ICON has a wide variety of specifically home fitness equipment that will help you through every workout.
Tip 3: maintain motivation
If you imagine attaining your fitness goals, you will soon start to feel more positive and full of energy about yourself. This will lead to you becoming more active and releasing those feel-good endorphins, as you see and feel the results you will then maintain your motivation. The easiest thing to tell yourself is don't do it!
Jenny & Wayne suggest you set yourself small realistic goals; small steps are much easier to take than big bounds. By breaking your goals into smaller, more easily achieved steps you can work toward your larger long-term goals. Start by walking a mile, then try jogging then build up the distance until you can tackle a marathon!
Tip 4: Train like an athlete.
You may not be a 2012 hopeful like Jenny, but adopting the physical and mental approach of an athlete will give you a positive approach to workouts and achieving your goals.
Athletes see direct results from their training and you can too. Try treating training as a task at work i.e. something on your to do list that must be completed by the end of the day!
Be smart with your exercise choices and get the most out of every workout. Mix your training up like a top class athlete, add some of the variables to your weekly program.
Try short sprints, intervals and distance workouts on different days. When you begin to feel the personal benefits of all your efforts you will become more energized and motivated to continue. Prevent boredom…plan your week with sets, reps, distance and routes to keep your training interesting, challenging and fun.
Tip 5: Don't freeze to feel fit!
As the days become shorter and night draws in sooner, remember you can adapt your workout routine so you don't have to freeze to get fit. Try circuit training in the comfort of your own home, or invest in a static bike or treadmill so you can maintain your cycling or running routine despite the weather conditions outside. Book a ski holiday, and embrace the fact you burn more calories in the cold!
When training outdoors however, make sure you adequately insulate your body and avoid sweat-absorbing material closest to the skin and…don't forget a hat!
Tagged in Health exercise fitness tips