Which is best, The Couch or the Class?

So, it’s 4.54pm it’s nearly time to go home from work. You look outside the office window and its raining and cold. The day at work has been ok, no real dramas which is a good thing.

 

Now you’re ready for home, you have one more decision to make. It’s been at the back of your mind all day, bugging you like a stone in your shoe.

 

But you’ve been ignoring it hoping that some one would make the decision for you. When you arrive home you breath a big sigh of relief, put the kettle on and sprawl out in front of the TV on the sofa.

 

Then you tell yourself "I think I’ll miss the class tonight- I’ll go next week”

 

Sound familiar? ’m sure you can relate.

 

It’s usually this time of year when we can begin to lose our motivation to continue to exercise and our default position is to hibernate. Summer seems like a long way away, the holidays seems like a distant memory. 

 

So what’s the point of continuing to exercise?

 

 

You're smart enough to know that exercising  is a good thing.  It offers many benefits

 

But why do it all year round?

 

Exercising in the winter months is even more important than the summer months and puts your body in a very good position.

 

Here’s’ why….

 

it is useful to recognise why it is particularly pertinent to tackle the winter period by getting moving. Colder temperatures during winter can cause constriction of your blood vessels, thickening the blood, which puts you at a increased risk of a heart attack. When you go from a hot to cold or cold to hot environment and your body changes temperature quickly, your blood becomes “sticky” and again, puts you more at risk of heart attack and strokes. Exercising and having a good cardiovascular system minimises this risk significantly.

 

Chest infections are more common over the winter months. By continuing to exercise o during the cold period, you are helping to keep your immune system working to a much higher level on ward off unwanted infections.

 

Another good reason to get exercising in winter is to lessen your chances of suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is thought to be caused by a combination of lack of sun, activity and proper nutrition. especially getting enough vitamin D.

 

When I was younger and quite new in the fitness industry, I thought this wasn’t a real condition until I had a client who suffered with SAD.

 

I know much more now. 

 

He became a client of mine towards the back end of one summer, he worked hard and made some real improvements, but when the clocks went back and the days became short and the nights became long, his motivation just dropped like a stone!

 

He did tell me about his condition, but in my ignorance I just though he lacked motivation and was becoming lazy.

 

When I did a little research, I then discovered that this was actually a serious condition and people with this condition should be ‘encouraged’ not forced to keep active as this helps to improve their mood and hormone levels.

 

Regular moderate exercise will release essential endorphins to keep the winter blues at a bay, and by doing exercise outdoors, will help boost your levels of vitamin D which is vital for good cell health and bone strength.

 

I know it my seem strange, but try to use the change in climate to your advantage. I’m not the biggest fan of the cold climate, but I know some folk that embrace the winter. They like long walks on bright, fresh mornings, they like skiing. Any exercise done outdoors will have you working harder just to keep in a safe level of warmth – which means more calories burned at the same heart rate and the same exercise intensity.

 

You could even use the winter period to change the type of exercise you do and try something new like a less vigorous form of exercise like Yoga or Pilates.

 

So let me know how you get on. Get a good balance between time on the couch and time in the classes if you can. I expect you’ll be all booking in for plenty of classes here with us at Optimum Health Studio over the winter months.  If not , do your best to keep active. You’ll be spending less time at the doctors if you do!

 

Mike.